It is difficult to imagine anyone in Southern California who has not heard Steve Robbins’ voice. Along with his brother Skip, their radio commercials proliferate the air waves telling all about Robbins Bros., the “”World’s Biggest Engagement Ring Store.”” But love or hate the corny advertisements, Steve Robbins is the creator of a unique business that caters to young couples in love. Robbins is a UCSD graduate from John Muir College, who majored in sociology in 1978. The Guardian pops the question and Steve explains the reasoning behind the stores themselves, the services they offer and even the commercials.
Guardian
Guardian: How was your experience here at UCSD?
Steve Robbins: I loved it; the people in the sociology department were great. We have fun. My thesis was on comic books.
G: How did you get into the engagement ring business?
SR: I came from three generations of family jewelry stores. My grandpa started in Seattle in the 1920s and ’30s. I grew up in Pasadena, Calif., around my father’s store, and I loved interacting with the people there. My brother and I were pretty young [when we took over the business], so we identified with young couples getting engaged. We thought it would be cool to focus soley on young couples, taking out the anxiety, the stress and just help them and teach them about buying a quality diamond. We wanted it to be an experience, so we don’t consider ourselves a jewelry store. We’re more about engagements, romance and weddings than just a product. We wanted to open the world’s biggest engagement ring store, so we closed all our mall stores and opened the big stores.
G: What do you consider your keys to success?
SR: We just focus on one category: young couples. We knew you can’t be the best at everything, so we wanted to be the best at one thing. And we get couples of all shapes and sizes with the only thing in common being that they are two people who want to be together. Now, we also help plan the weddings. Anyone who buys a ring from us gets all the complimentary services, including a big wedding planner, help planning the engagement itself and even help making a Web site to announce the engagement to their friends and family.
G: So I have to ask, is it really you in those radio commercials?
SR: (Laugh) Sadly, yes. We couldn’t afford to hire professional voice actors at first.
G: Well, it doesn’t really sound like your voice.
SR: Oh really, well how about this? ‘Hey Skip! Did you hear about our new thing at Robbins Bros?’
G: Oh wow, okay that is you. Is there really a Skip?
SR: Yeah, that’s really my brother’s name. I think we would have picked something like Dirk if we wanted something that wasn’t real. Obviously we’re a little more low key in real life, but it is an exaggeration of our real life relationship. He’s the more practical one, and I get excited about the new ideas. We know the ads don’t sound professional, but in a business like this, the number one thing is trust, so we thought hey, let’s be ourselves, not just a big faceless organization. And people are really surprised when they come to the stores because it is a really different feel from our ads.
G: How did you propose to your wife?
SR: It’s kind of a long story. Well, I really wanted to make sure our engagement was a special moment she always remembered. Since our first date was at San Pedro Pier, we went there and had dinner overlooking the bay. I had the ring in my pocket and we were walking along the beach and holding hands. I think she figured I was going to ask her, so I was trying to be romantic, and she was being a pain, making jokes and stuff because she was nervous. So I thought no, I’m not doing it because she’s not playing along, and I want to wait until the moment is right. So then the moon is coming up, the ocean is beautiful and she’s still not playing along at all. I’m thinking great, two romantic opportunities gone. Then, we got in the car and just sort of drove aimlessly until we got to a lake. We started walking along the lake, and I think at this point she started to feel sorry for me, since she had been being a pain all night. So we started talking about our memories and what we wanted for the future. And we stopped in front of this beautiful old colonial style home, and it was really freezing, but I could feel that this was the moment. Then right as I reach into my pocket and give her the ring, it starts to rain. We were hugging and she was crying, and it was freezing and raining, and that was our moment.
G: What advice would you give couples in college considering getting engaged?
SR: Let’s say it is my daughter I’m talking to because I don’t have to hold back. I’d say make sure your head and heart are in sync and talk through what you want in the future. Do you have similar goals, both want children, that kind of thing, that you don’t want to find out later? Then, just try to create moments and traditions as a couple. Take time to do it right. Make an informed choice. The whole thing can be intimidating for a guy; that’s why we offer them help finding the ring and planning a perfect engagement. I say carpe diem, seize your moment and don’t forget to invite Skip and me to the wedding!
Want a copy of “”Skip and Steve’s Engagement Ring Guide””? Please e-mail [email protected].
Skip and Steve’s six cardinal
Rule one: Examine your diamond loose, so you can see the entire diamond and eliminate the possibility of any imperfections being hidden with the prongs.
Rule two: Examine your diamond under proper lighting conditions, using a color-grading tray to see the true color. (Lights above the jewelry cases are used to make diamonds sparkle and pop).
Rule three: Examine your diamond with a gemscope under 10 times magnification to see each marking and the true clarity of the diamond.
Rule four: Have your diamond weight verified in front of you. Even the slightest difference in carat weight can mean a huge difference in price.
Rule five: Your diamond must be certified by an independent laboratory.
Rule six: Buy with your eyes, not with your ears. Apply everything you learned in the first five steps by comparing one diamond to another. Remember, don’t take anyone else’s word when it comes to deciding on the perfect diamond for you.
