Behind every piece of jewelry or every diamond there is a special story. Growing up in family GASSAN Diamonds, Giselle Bijlsma received a pinky ring with a valuable meaning when she was nineteen. Gytha Bijlsma received a bracelet as a gift from her boyfriend more than 30 years ago. That boyfriend has now been her husband for 25 years. Both women tell...

"Actually, it only goes off at night. During the day I'm constantly fiddling with it. Very occasionally I forget to put it on and then I feel incomplete. When I look at it, I still get a special feeling.

I had turned 19, just graduated and we were throwing a big party. It was a special year and of course that should include a nice gift, my parents thought. When I received the diamond pin ring, my father told me that he had bought the ring for my mother when I was born. The thought was that my mother would later pass the ring on to me. That's an incredibly beautiful idea, isn't it? That it once belonged to mom and that she got it because I came into her life is very special to me. Now I get to wear it for the rest of my life.

It is not a classic ring which you might expect with such a beautiful stone, but rather very cool. My parents could never have known that at the time, but just that suits me very well. They have always given me the option to change the setting, or to have it made into something completely new, for example a necklace. That's very sweet, of course, but I really like keeping it in its original form.

I wear the ring on my left little finger, so should there ever be an engagement ring in the future, well.... Laughs: Maybe it's time for a necklace after all! Now to wear two such rings side by side might be a little too much. Anyway, it will stay with me forever."

"When I look at it, I still get a special feeling."

Symbol of career and love  

Meanwhile, Gytha Bijlsma's boyfriend for 25 years has been her husband and Chief Commercial Officer at GASSAN Diamonds, David Bijlsma: "David has always known very clearly what he wanted in life. For example, he knew at a young age that he wanted to work in the family business. Benno (Leeser ed.) gave him the opportunity to do internships abroad at various watch and jewelry suppliers to learn the trade. During his internship at jewelry manufacturer Kienhöfer in Germany, he learned the tricks of the goldsmith's trade. It was there that he made his first bracelet himself.

Benno gave David the opportunity. You can hardly imagine it, but you didn't have cell phones or email in those days. We had to arrange phone calls in advance. I would stay home at night and didn't want to go out with girlfriends, because David could call. Very coddling, but that's how it was back then. We were both 19 years old.

"Now it symbolizes the start of his career, but also our relationship."

When David was back in Holland he gave me the bracelet for my birthday. We had been together for maybe just a year. I can still see the moment before me. I was completely overwhelmed. Now it symbolizes the start of his career, but also our relationship.

I hadn't seen him for several years, but when I held the bracelet in my hands again recently, he was still exactly as I remembered. It is still in my mind. The older I get, the more I appreciate the bracelet too. I should put it back on again. It is still a beautiful piece and especially the idea behind it makes it special.

If I were to wear it again now it would be accompanied by a sense of pride I have for David. I really like his drive and his passion for the business. I love a man with drive and he certainly has that."

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