By Drew Pietrafesa
Back in 2009, Jessica and Russell’s paths crossed for the first time thanks to her older brother, who happened to be friends with Russell from college. Throughout the years, they would frequently run into each other at social events, holidays, and chance encounters, always finding time to engage in conversation. However, the most significant and fateful encounter occurred unintentionally in the bustling streets of NYC’s Times Square in 2016. Jessica couldn’t shake off the feeling that this encounter was more than mere chance and confided in her friends that she had a strong intuition she would eventually marry Russell Greenfield.
Fast forward to 2021, both Russell and Jessica had relocated to the East Coast, and they began casually conversing. Finally, their paths aligned for their first official date at a mutual friend’s wedding. From that magical weekend onwards, the two became inseparable, realizing they had found something truly special in each other.
On November 13th, 2022, Russell surprised Jessica upon his return from an overseas deployment with a heartfelt proposal. He chose Martins Tavern as the setting, specifically the “proposal booth” where JFK had proposed to Jackie Kennedy, adding a touch of historical romance to their own love story.
Now, let’s delve into the story behind Jessica’s engagement ring. The enchanting journey began on Worth Avenue, where I had the pleasure of meeting Katie, Jessica’s mother. I attended a birthday celebration at Palm Beach’s Taboo restaurant, unaware that this encounter would lead to a deep friendship and one of the most significant engagement ring projects I had ever undertaken.
Katie, captivated by one of my exquisite engagement ring designs that I was wearing at the time, was drawn to my table to admire the ring. It was during this conversation that she shared the news of her beautiful daughter’s quest for an engagement ring. Intrigued by the ring, which featured a platinum 2-carat center stone adorned with 2.20 carats of round and pear-shaped diamonds in a halo design, Katie shared that she had a 2-carat diamond from her late husband. We decided it would be wonderful to combine her precious gem with my contemporary diamond ring.
The following day, we met at the French Wine Merchant to discuss the project and examine her diamond. It turned out to be a dual endeavor: first, we needed to incorporate her center stone into my custom ring, and second, we had to replace the center stone in her existing ring. Russell, Jessica’s soon-to-be fiancé, also joined the discussions, and his supportive and gentlemanly nature shone through. He understood that Jessica’s happiness would bring him the greatest joy, embodying the adage, “happy wife, happy life.”
After a few weeks of meticulous planning, stone setting, and resizing, the ring was finally ready for its deserving recipients. Jessica and Russell embarked on their engagement journey in the iconic JFK engagement booth at Martin’s Tavern, nestled in the heart of Washington, D.C. The positive energy continued as Katie replaced her diamond heirloom with a captivating blue sapphire. Throughout this process, Katie and I forged an enduring friendship, and she welcomed me into her family as one of her own. I had the pleasure of meeting her wonderful son, Ian, and subsequently assisted him with his watch and jewelry ventures. Presently, we are working on designing matching wedding bands for Jessica and Russell, and personally, I hope to one day create exquisite baby jewelry for them. It is an honor to be their family jeweler, and I am grateful that they have become a part of my jewelry legacy. When it comes to Worth Avenue, I have come to believe that anything is possible, and just like Jessica and Russell, diamonds always inspire love at first sight.
After almost 15 years of just friendship, the two are beyond excited to start their lives together as a married couple.
The couple will be getting married at The Ben West Palm in November of this year.
Pietrafesa Jewelers is located on Worth Ave. Palm Beach.
