NMJ Lovers | Emma and Nic

We are thrilled to bring you an extra special NMJ Lovers, featuring our very own Brand Manager, Emma and her partner, Nic. Some would say, that the best relationships start off as friends, and for Emma and Nic, they knew that from the beginning everything aligned. 

After flicking back over the endless random pictures of rings, and with a little bit of help from the NMJ Team, Nic designed a truly unique yet elegant piece that emulates their love for each other. 

 

Let’s start where it all began, when did you both know it was meant to be?

Emma: I knew Nic was the one when he let me buy two cats during covid! Haha! No really, if I had to put it down to one moment, it would be pretty early on when we dared to begin our relationship as I was moving overseas for six months. While I was away, Nic went to dinner at my parents house. It wasn’t that much of a big deal, just dinner on his way home from work, but it spoke volumes to me. It meant so much that he was so committed to making it work with not only me, but showing my parents that too. Knowing Nic now for all these years, that simple act back then really sums him up – his love knows no bounds, and he loves deeply with all his heart, ensuring that those in his heart always know through his words, actions, and presence.

Nic: It was the simple things for me, Emma fell into place perfectly with all my favourite things, and eventually, became my favourite person! I love the way Emma and I met so randomly, yet so quickly she became important to me and felt so right. It’s like my heart knew I needed her before my head!

Growing up, trips to the cinema with my family was a true bonding session and something special we would do together. That, and crazy family dinners. When Emma was always happy to tag along to go see a movie or come to our infamous big dinners and seemed to genuinely enjoy it, well that’s was it! To top it off, we actually said I love you to each other for the first time in a car outside the cinema.

What do you love most about each other? 

We really love how it’s just so easy. Being together is easy, loving each other is easy and deciding the spend the rest of our lives together was easiest decision we’ve ever made.  From the first time we hung out at the mall on a lunch break between shifts, to our first date at Taronga Zoo, and even to today almost eight years later, we have had this sense of just never wanting to leave each other’s side. Everything aligns with us, and we truly feel that we are best friends first which makes loving each other all that more easy.  Nic, how did you approach designing Emma’s engagement ring, knowing she is surrounded by jewellery all day?

With extreme difficulty haha! To start, I seeked input from all those who have witnessed the forever changing mind of my fiancé, all of whom replied with “good luck” haha! You would think that with Em working at NMJ I would have a clear vision, but she was always sending me photos or telling me about bespoke designs she had seen at work, but each picture was different! But I was determined to narrow it down so with help and flicking back over the endless random pictures of rings over the years, I found some patterns and pieced together the reoccurring elements, one of these being an Old Cut Diamond. Luckily, I also liked the idea of these diamonds, and the thought that they had maybe told a love story before as an antique stone. Finally, it just came together in my mind and then was so perfectly brought to life by the NMJ Team.

I’m very thankful for the efforts from Natalie, Ella, Sophie and Andrew for going above and beyond for me and to make it all happen. I’ll never forget the moment I saw the diamond for the first time, I think I stared at it for a good five minutes in complete silence with Sophie out the back of Natalie and Daniel’s house (couldn’t risk being seen by Em at the showroom!), just absolutely in awe and amazed it was exactly what I pictured and incredibly hard to source I couldn’t believe it was in my hands.

 

We are excited to see how your wedding unfolds this August! Emma, what is one tip you can give future brides? 

Oh gosh, by no means do I feel like an expert, and with our wedding day yet to happen, I’ll let you know if we manage to pull it off! If I’m honest, so far, I have loved planning a wedding with Nic, and I think that’s the way it should be. We have quite a short engagement (just over five months!) which some people think we are crazy for, but it has made the decision-making process very efficient. We have no choice but to trust our gut and just go for it! Might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I wouldn’t do it any other way. As my girl Taylor Swift says, “I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings”. And really, that’s it. All the other stuff doesn’t really matter, as long as Nic and I are there, saying those two little words to each other it will be glorious (but the shiny things help, hehe!).

Sentiment is at the heart of everything we do, will you be carrying across any traditions on your special day? 

We are suckers for tradition and while we are of course incorporating lots of little sentimental touches to the day, like Emma wearing her mums veil and dedicating a seat to our grandparents who are no longer with us, we both feel like the exchanging of wedding bands is a powerful tradition we feel deeply connected to.

We have worked with Natalie to design our bespoke wedding bands. Nic’s ring is detailed with angular facets and Emma’s is detailed with eclectic diamond cuts and settings. The organic inspiration and a sense of ‘imperfectly perfect’ was the inspiration behind the rings, literally and figuratively representing the facets of our love for each other and the journey ahead. We are looking forward to being able to call each other husband and wife, to wear rings which have such sentiment and meaning. To look down every day and be reminded of our wedding day, how lucky we are, our commitment to each other and the reason we love life so much. 

Captured by our dear friend @tealily