Bill Schifrin (BS) and Herman Rotenberg (HR)

BS: Hi. I’m Bill Schifrin and I specialize selling wedding rings to the public and I have such a good time doing it. I’m always working 24 hours a day. When I would see a couple on the street, kissing, in a clinch, I would tap their shoulder–the fella–I would hand the fella a card. You know why? Because married couples don’t kiss on the street. Years ago, it used to be very busy on Friday afternoons. The couple would come and he would let her pick a wedding ring and give me a check as a deposit. Monday he would come in alone and say, ’Tear up the check, we changed our minds. But thank you for a beautiful weekend.’ I had a girl once who wanted to buy a wedding ring for her fiancée. She says, ’Tell me, if he doesn’t like it, can I give it back to you?’ I said, no, this is a custom job. I’m making the ring special for your fiancée. She gave me the order and gave me the deposit and said, ’This is what I want engraved in there: No refunds. No returns.’ I couldn’t get over that. I’m married 66 years and I still get along with my wife. Met her in a dance and I had to go into the army. Got married on a furlough. Went to the jewelry store, got the plainest wedding ring. Seven dollars. My lucky day. I always wondered, Who invented this that if you get married you have to have a wedding ring? Somebody figured out something, and it worked for me.