Where This Online Retailer Found Her Engagement Ring in Soho

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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our fantastic city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.

Image via Yelp

Ali Galgano is the founder of Charm & Chain, an online jewelry site that houses gems from many of today's best-recognized designers, including Alexis Bittar, Fenton/Fallon, Lizzie Fortunato Jewels, and Kara Ross. While she may be knee-deep in diamonds and glitz online, when it came to her engagement ring, there was only one place she trusted to carry out her vision: Soho's Marisa Perry.

On Prince Street just west of West Broadway, you will find not only a unique collection of jewelry and engagement rings, but also the incredibly warm, wonderful, and talented husband-and-wife team of Douglas Eliot and Marisa Perry. They make stunning engagement rings at very reasonable prices, and no idea for a design is too complicated for them to execute flawlessly. Douglas and Marisa are incredibly talented and knowledgeable people who will gladly spend all the time necessary to make your vision of a ring a reality (that is, if they don't already have something at the store that you fall in love with).

Marisa, who is also a food and wine expert, has a talent for helping you understand what it is you're really looking for, and Douglas can execute the design and creation of your ring with perfection. They will give you all the comfort you need to know that you're making the right decisions.

I have sent many friends to Marisa Perry for their engagement rings and wedding bands and every single ring has been perfect for the couple. I recently became engaged and my fiancé worked for months with Douglas to design a very unusual ring (I have very particular taste in jewelry, as one might imagine!). While the design was complicated, difficult to source a stone for, and highly intricate, the final result is nothing short of a masterpiece. The craftsmanship of their work is on par with places like Harry Winston, but the friendliness and experience is second to none.

From standard micro pavé (a specialty for which they are most well-known) to custom-designed rings incorporating abstract faces of your pets, Marisa Perry will make your vision for your piece a reality, and you can be confident it will be perfect for you. You might even be lucky enough to have a glass of wine with them, hear about their fascinating background, and meet their sweet employee (dog), Max.

· Marisa Perry [Official Site]
· Charm and Chain [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]

Marisa Perry

154 Prince Street New York NY 10012