gold and silver
Tomorrow I'm headed to Rivard to make another payment on Cary Anne and I's wedding bands. I actually like visiting the folks at Rivard Fine Jewelry, despite the fact I associate going there with giving up whole paychecks. Rivard is a family owned business here in Lexington and it's the same place I went to get CA's engagement ring. That's when I first started to like the place.
There are a lot of jewelry stores in town. Believe me, I visited most of them. But none of them struck me with the same warmth and friendliness as Rivard. When you go into jewelry stores wearing bleach-stained khaki shorts and tell them you're working on the very limited budget of a college student with a summer job, they tend to write you off pretty quickly. Don't get me wrong, I met several nice salespeople during my search for CA's engagement ring (the folks at Reed's and the nice ladies down at Shelia Bayes come to mind), but Michael at Rivard went above and beyond.
I went into the engagement ring process with very little knowledge of what I was doing (I might have been able to name 2 of the 5 C's). Michael took the time to educate me and look through magazine after magazine with me until I found exactly what I wanted that worked with my budget. I went and talked to him 3 or 4 times before I ever committed to buying a thing, and never once was he pushy or dismissive (even though once I showed up right at closing time). In the more recent visits I've made to Rivard, I've had the chance to meet Michael's son and wife, both of whom are just as warm and inviting as he is.
So anyway, if you're looking for some jewelry in Lexington, I recommend checking out Rivard. They are truly shining examples of how one's work (even if considered "secular") can be a form of worship that points to the love and compassion of Jesus. I hope to emulate them in my own work.