A SPECIAL REPORT: VALENTINE’S DAY

RING AND A PRAYER: Not even the advent of Valentine’s Day could rescue John Crandall Jewelers from the throes of the recession. The Buena Park-based chain filed for bankruptcy protection last week but will remain open. . . . Company President Edward A. Young says that even in bad times, starry-eyed beaus keep buying diamonds: “Engagement rings are a fairly stable business.” . . . And the rings are often bought on impulse. “They come rushing in the day before Valentine’s, or even on Feb. 14.”