​We do a lot of custom work making the dreams of our customers come true.  Serena was one of them and we started the process of making her dream ring. It is a halo style setting, one that enhances the center stone and makes the diamond appear a bit larger than it is. It is has a delicate vintage look that has enough enhancement without looking gaudy, which she really liked.
We have documented the process, first by looking at the picture of the ring and determining the sizes and details that she wanted. The next part of the process was to create a computer rendering that defines a virtual picture of what the ring should look like, changes and adjustments are accepted and executed if necessary. Once the rendering is accepted the next step is to produce a wax model that shows the actual size and dimensions of the ring. When the wax is accepted then the wax is sent back to have it cast and finished. This process allows the customer to guide us to their preferences and really get the ring of their dreams. This is exactly what Serena got and loved!
 
The following is the picture with directions, the rendering and finished pictures of their ring. It turned out exactly the way she wanted it.

​It has been said that 80% of the world’s diamond purchases have been for a round diamond, which means that only 20% were for fancy shapes. The fancies are pear shape, marquise, ovals, cushions, princess cuts, heart shapes, radiants, Asschers, and emerald cuts as the major styles. There are a few other fancy shapes that are more exotic.
 
The diamond shape is a very personal aesthetic choice, there is no wrong choice except for the one you don’t like. People that like fancy shapes usually like something that not everyone has and the fancies certainly fits that bill.
 
That being said Ace was tasked with finding a very nice pear shaped diamond, which I think he aced! The following are the sketch, rendering and pictures of the finished ring. I would say he also aced his proposal!
 

Jon wanted a ring that did not take away from the center diamond which was a 1.50 ct oval diamond, but wanted something that was different. Given that the oval is different as most people will purchase a round diamond. It has been said that 80% of the world prefers a round brilliant diamond. Jon also decided to use a rose gold shank and a platinum head to emphasize the diamond more.
 
This is a simple, elegant design that showcases the diamond more than a setting with diamonds all around it. Everyone has their own sense of aesthetics, and there is no one best look, it is personal appreciation of the wearer that is most important. Jon planned it as a surprise so we do not know how it turned out but no news is good news as it was not returned for adjustment or changes.
 
The following is the picture he sent, a rendering and a video of the finished ring.

Not all engagement rings have a diamond as a center stone and Sanjay’s fiancé definitely wanted a different look. She loved the look of a pink sapphire and wanted her engagement ring include that. She also wanted to enhance it with diamonds, which by contrast makes the sapphire stand out beautifully. It was also set in a rose gold setting which accentuated the pink sapphire even more for an awesome look.
 
Attached below is the sketch that started it all, the computer rendering and the finished ring.

​Clyde and M’Liss had been married a long time and after all these years she was now looking to make it look a little fancier. M’Liss had a 1 ct diamond engagement ring set in a simple solitaire. They brought in a picture and picked out the size of the diamonds that they thought looked best. Using that information renderings were made and with its acceptance the wax model was made to confirm the exact proportions. She thought the wax looked good and it was now off to finishing. When it done M’Liss thought it was perfect much better than she expected and loved the way it made her engagement ring shine.
 
The following pictures are the initial picture, rendering and finished video.

​John and Rachel wanted maximum brilliance from a diamond so they purchased a round super ideal cut diamond. Rachel loved an oval shape and a halo vintage style ring. The solution was to make an oval halo around the round center diamond by using tapering sizes of diamonds in the halo. She also wanted to use rose gold to make the ring. We were able to satisfy their wishes. I do not know if Rachel loved it as John pick it up to surprise her, but it has not been returned for adjustment so I would assume it worked out well.
 
The following is the sequence of the process, sketch, rendering and finished ring. The diamonds from the picture were adjusted in the rendering to make it look more oval.
​

​When Elliot asked me to make this setting for him I was excited to help him. In my opinion this is the most beautiful three stone setting created. A three stone setting was really popular a few decades ago, touted to represent the past, present and future. Regardless whether you would prescribe to this meaning it is still a classically beautiful mounting.
 
Elliot asked for pear shaped diamonds to enhance his center diamond which happens to be almost a 2 ct oval diamond. I feel the pear shaped diamonds lends a delicate elegance to the whole ring than most three stone combinations.
 
Elliot liked it and I hope his significant other did too. I was pleased in how it turned out.
 
All of our customers going through a custom setting guides us through the process. They get to design whatever they want, a sketch is made, which is then modeled as a rendering on computer, upon acceptance of the rendering a wax model is made and the ring is cast and finished. Each stage is worked to customer satisfaction before moving on to the next stage making the end product exactly what they wanted.
 
The following shows the sketch, rendering and finished ring.

​Naida had presented us with a challenging request. She wanted to redo her old ring that was made with 33 princess cut diamonds totaling over 2 carats. Naida is unique in that she does not have a typical design taste as most others that we have worked with before.   Princess cut diamonds in itself presents limitations in that they are squarish diamonds and they have to be set in a straight line and does not look well if curved. Designing the ring given her personality and taste took time but eventually, after exploring a couple of designs she settled on the one that you see pictured.
 
The design, I feel, fits Naida’s personality perfectly given the difficulty and she loved it!
 
The transition from sketch to rendering to finished product is documented below.

Our company offers a free ring inspection and cleaning and while doing it for a friend of a customer I noticed that four out of six prongs were missing the tips. Normally on a six prong head breaking 3 prong tips on the same side would result in a loss of the diamond and here she had broken four! Luckily the last remailing ones were opposite of each other and her diamond was still in the ring! Super lucky! One more broken prong and she would have been crying.

People lose their diamonds because the prongs are pulled off the diamond, it breaks or simply wears out. It is entirely preventable with periodic inspection at home. We would recommend that anytime you happen to hit your ring hard against something that you look and check to see the condition of the prongs. You would look to see that the prongs completely covers the diamond, and that it is not too thin and it is evenly spaced. If you have a 4 prong head, breaking one prong will cause the diamond to fall out. You may not know when it happened as you may have had a lot on your mind and when you hit it, it did not hurt so you did not think about it. We generally recommend a 6 prong head as you will have to break 3 prongs on the same side before the diamond is lost. Essentially you have a couple of second chances.

​It is good to clean your ring with ammonia once a week as it will only take about 15 seconds to, squirt on the ammonia, scrub it with a toothbrush, rinse and wipe the ring with a soft cloth. At the same time you could make it a habit to look at the condition of the prongs. Look to see that each prong is covering the diamond, they are evenly spaced apart, and that they are not too thin. Also check to see if it spins. Sometimes the prongs are covering the diamond but the diamond is a little loose. It more than likely it is still safe but you may want it tightened. If you are not sure you can bring it in to have it checked professionally. It is good to have it check professionally at least one a year or anytime you might have hit it hard and think something might have come loose.

Take a little time to inspect your ring and save yourself emotionally and financially!

​This is  Jai’s request complete with his rabbit sketches. What follows is the computer rendering that he accepted and then video of the finished ring. The ring holds a 1 ¾ ct diamond in its ears and it was cast in platinum. Subtle but entirely personal. Jai thought it was perfect when he saw it!