Fritzi James, 23, was born and raised here in Bucks County. Today, she’s setting her sights across the pond to the United Kingdom where fiancé Dan Coley,25, currently resides.

A former George School student and a Washington University in St. Louis graduate, Fritzi was introduced to Dan, of Bristol, England, by a mutual friend in 2014. At the time, Fritzi was on vacation in South Wales where Dan was attending the University of South Wales. Months of subsequent skyping turned into years of month-long visits to respective countries. The age-old adage that says that absence makes the heart grow fonder was once again proven true when Dan, during a trip to see Fritzi here in Pennsylvania last month, proposed.

Not a Diamond Kind of Girl

Fritzi had shopped for various pieces of jewelry at David Craig Jewelers in the past. The Langhorne and Newtown area jeweler was therefore at the top of her list of places to visit to shop for an engagement ring.

“For comparison’s sake, we talked to a few other jewelers,” notes Fritzi. “But none of them seemed really comfortable with the idea of creating a ring with a star sapphire in the center, which is what I wanted.”

Fritzi, never a big fan of diamonds, had her heart set on sapphires which, she knew, were the second hardest gemstones (after diamonds) and therefore could be elegant while also durable. She had even created a picture online to help illustrate her concept. Other jewelers, she relates, seemed either flummoxed or tried to steer her to ‘original’ templates, while David “was totally confident he could create the unique look we sought.”

A Star is Born

Sapphires come in a variety of colors, including blue, pink, green, colorless/white and black. Star sapphires, like the one Fritzi and Dan ultimately selected to serve as the anchor stone for their original engagement ring, are a rarer variety of sapphire that display a six-rayed star effect or “asterism” across the stone’s surface when the stone is rotated at different angles.

“You can tell David is not only interested but also eager to get involved in custom-design projects,” says Fritzi.

David Craig Jewelers kept Fritzi and Dan abreast of every stage of the design process, inviting them in to see how the ring was progressing. The final creation is truly one-of-a-kind — a lovely 14k white-gold ring with an oval, black star sapphire surrounded by pear-shaped white sapphires.

“The ring is so elegant and it has tons of character,” says an obviously delighted Fritzi.

Fritzi is currently employed as a freelance writer in Bucks County while Dan works for the BBC in England as a video editor. The couple, who eventually plan to reside together in the U.S., haven’t yet set a date. Based on the attention to detail this couple exhibited while helping create their star of a ring, we’re sure their wedding will be something truly unique!