Jeweler helps couples pick out engagement rings from one of Bloomington’s oldest shops

Mark Thoma had picked out the perfect ring.

His family had been jewelers for five generations, so he knew how to design something so beautiful she just had to say yes.

“It was simple, classic,” he said.

He bought a heart-shaped box of chocolates and carefully unwrapped it, making sure not to discard anything. He took out the center chocolate and replaced it with the ring box.

Then, he delicately re-wrapped the box, making it look as if it had never been opened.
He took her to dinner and then brought her back to his place, where he handed her a card and the chocolates. After reading the card, she put the chocolates box, with the ring inside, on a table.

She said she’d have one later and asked for a cup of tea.

After assuming the big question would have to be put on hold for the moment, he went
to the kitchen.

“All of a sudden I hear this scream from the other room,” Thoma said. “By the time I got in there, she already had the ring on her finger. I missed the whole thing.”

Thoma is the owner of Williams Jewelry on North Walnut Street, which is right across the street from the Historic Monroe County Courthouse.

Over the years, Thoma has sold “hundreds and hundreds” of rings to happy couples shopping together and nervous men hoping to surprise their belles.

The shop is one of the oldest retail stores in Bloomington and celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

Williams Jewelry experienced slow business Monday, but Thoma said he expected a busy day today with last-minute Valentine’s Day shoppers.

The Thoma family has owned Williams Jewelry since 1953 and has sold jewelry since the 1830s in Ohio. Thoma said that, when he graduated from IU’s Kelley School of Business in 1970, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

He started working in the store part-time in high school and during college to earn spending money but started working full-time after he graduated.

“Sometimes, it feels like forever,” he said. “I never thought I’d do anything else, and it’s a good business.”

On the Williams Jewelry website, there’s a section just for “Proposal Ideas” with 30 potential ways to pop the question. Thoma said he has seen them all.

He remembers when a young man hired a plane to fly over Memorial Stadium with a banner that read “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” during an IU football game. The day of the game, inclement weather forced the pilot to stay grounded.

“Well, this guy happened to run into some cheerleaders,” Thoma said. “So during the game, the cheerleaders went into the stands and got all around her and shouted ‘Jenny, will you marry Mike?’ — or whatever the names were.”

She said yes.

Then there’s the story of the couple that had been dating for a few years. The woman said if she didn’t get a ring soon, she would leave him.

He came into Thoma’s shop and ordered a gorgeous ring crafted with multiple stones.
“After we had sized it and he came in to pick it up, he looks at it and says, ‘Well, that oughta shut her up,’” Thoma said. “But they’re very much in love and have been married for many years and have a few kids now.”

Thoma said he doesn’t actively check on the couples he sells rings to, but somehow, they always manage to keep in touch.

Often, customers come in because their parents or even grandparents bought rings at the little store on the square.

“It’s a little scary when I remember selling rings to their mom and dad, and now the son is in here picking out a ring,” Thoma said. “It means I’m getting old.”

Thoma said he’s seen a trend the past few years in which couples came in together to pick out a ring, and then, during the last two years, he said he’s seen more men looking to surprise their fiancée-to-be.

Today, more communication between young couples means an easier shopping experience for men selecting rings. Too often, Thoma sees men come into the store overwhelmed and without any clue of what the women want.

“They come in here nervous. I’ve seen guys sweat,” Thoma said. “One guy passed out. Just ‘boom,’ and he was gone on the floor. We called the ambulance, but by the time they got here he was up again. He was just overwhelmed with everything.”

Women often come into the store just to try on different bands and dream up the perfect ring. They know what they want. The challenge for the man is finding out what she wants without dropping too many hints.

Thoma remembers one man who came in to have a ring sized: He borrowed another ring from his girlfriend’s jewelry box, brought it to Williams Jewelry to have it measured, then carefully returned it.

After proposing, the happy couple came in to put some final touches on the engagement ring. The woman said she knew all along because the man put the decoy ring in the wrong spot in her jewelry box.

“Women really get into it. They love to come in here and look at rings, try on rings. Guys don’t,” Thoma said. “Most women have the vision of the ideal ring.”

Between the cut of the stone, mounting choices, band length, design and more, men can easily become lost. Thoma suggests keeping things simple for men who have no clue what the woman wants, but he also urges them to shop around and make sure the final product is something she will love.

“They used to say that two months’ income was what you should spend on a ring. Oh baloney, it’s whether you can afford it,” Thoma said. “If you’ve got a budget of 2,000 dollars, you can get a beautiful ring for 2,000 dollars.”

Ultimately, the best way to impress the girl is to just find a beautiful ring. Thoma wasn’t even in the room when his wife first saw the ring. What matters is just finding the right ring for the right girl.

“It should be a fun experience. Too often, it’s a dreaded experience,” he said. “They’re not alone. Guys don’t come in here and no one’s ever done this before. As long as it’s a beautiful ring, the woman will be thrilled to death.”