Proposal Stories: Johnny & Ciara

Johnny and Ciara first crossed paths as colleagues at work, ‘we first met at our old company, where I was working in the sales team and Ciara joined the marketing team. I thought she was beautiful. However, we didn’t start dating until a couple of years after we had both left the company.’

By chance, Ciara popped up on Johnny’s Instagram as a “people you may know” suggestion and he followed her – the rest is history. ‘We started chatting and I asked her out for a drink over Instagram DM, after I checked with a few of our mutual friends from work that she was single.’

A mixture of the traditional and the modern meet-cute, who knew Instagram could be such a great wingman? Social media definitely has its perks, reconnecting those that might never have crossed paths again, and just look at the beautiful destination it led them to.

Once home to the patron saint of lovers Saint Valentine, it’s no wonder that Rome is celebrated as one of the most romantic destinations in the world. With such a setting, Johnny and Ciara’s trip to Rome at the end of April 2023 was bound to be a romantic one, no matter their itinerary. Johnny had done his research, ‘I wanted to propose somewhere private, that would be special to us – without a big audience (which is hard to find in Rome)!’ While the couple had previously spoken about the possibility of marriage, Ciara had no idea that her then-boyfriend was planning the ultimate romantic gesture on their early morning stroll through Rome’s Botanical Garden.

‘With my heart pumping out of my chest, we walked until I found a nice area, with no one around – which happened to be by a beautiful old, outdoor staircase. She was in shock and burst out crying, with her first words being “have you asked my dad?”.’

To celebrate the start of a new chapter in their love story, Johnny and Ciara went to a breathtaking rooftop bar overlooking the Vatican – ‘we ordered a bottle of Bollinger Champagne and FaceTimed our parents, followed by our closest friends.’ We can’t think of a better way to commemorate such a special moment.

On the hunt for the perfect oval cut diamond, Johnny came to Queensmith with the intention of buying a diamond of the best possible colour and clarity within his budget. ‘I knew she wanted an oval and it to be as sparkly as possible’ – a girl after our own heart! He also wanted to ensure that the setting ‘elevated the diamond and had light claws that didn’t steal away focus from the diamond’.

We're huge fans of the stripped-back look Johnny created with his dedicated ring expert, Laura, who says, ‘guys can’t go wrong when they keep things refined and simple. While lots of people have ideas about what they want their ring to look like, the shape or the metal colour, these tiny details, like the size and shape of the claws, are so important in the overall look of the ring.’ With expert guidance from the Queensmith team, Johnny decided on the Oval Bardot Scallop in 18k yellow gold as the engagement ring for his future fianceé.

On his mission to find the sparkliest engagement ring, Johnny was assisted by Queensmith’s gemmologist and design expert Laura. With two decades of experience in the world of jewellery retail and a DGA qualification under her belt, Laura’s passion lies in the personal connections created with her clients. She relishes any opportunity to delve into a couple’s desires and encapsulate unique love stories in a ring design beyond their wildest dreams.

‘Laura at Queensmith seemed genuinely interested in our story and was really helpful and not salesy in any way, which made the experience much nicer as I didn't feel like she was trying to get me to spend more money than I wanted to.’

We’re so honoured to have been a part of Johnny and Ciara’s love story and wish them both the best of luck for their July wedding in the Algarve, Portugal, next year!