| Our client, an important business
consultant based in Manhattan, wanted an elegant
engagement ring set with three sparking diamonds. He began
his search at the well-known jewelers along Fifth Avenue
including Tiffany's, Cartier and Harry Winston. He even
visited the shadowy byways of 47th Street - New
York's notorious diamond district. But he could not find
the level of service, quality and value that he
desired. That is until he discovered Bijoux
Extraordinaire.
For Michael, our client, quality in design and
craftsmanship were of the utmost importance. He wanted a
traditional platinum engagement ring that would beautifully
show off three oval diamonds. Following is the story of
how we helped Michael create a striking engagement ring
(pictured above) symbolizing the past, present and future of
the relationship he shares with his fiance.
Creating a beautiful ring involves several steps
- finding the perfect center diamond,
selecting the side diamonds, designing and creating the
ring, and carefully inspecting the final results.
Selecting the Center Diamond
Finding the perfect diamond can be a challenging and time
consuming task. Unless you buy the first diamond you
see, you have to examine diamonds from a number of
different cutters at a number of different jewelers.
Often you have to choose between several diamonds without
being able to compare the stones side by side.
Michael hired us to act as his diamond
broker. As his diamond broker our job was to
research and locate fine oval diamonds that met his
requirements for size, color, clarity and
cost. Over the next week, we contacted half a
dozen diamond cutters who excel in cutting oval diamonds and
asked them to send us their very best stones. We then
closely evaluated each diamond and narrowed down the field to
the few that were the "best of the best."
When evaluating a diamond, it is important to consider
several factors: the color of the diamond, its
clarity grade, and the quality of the cutting.
With oval diamonds it is also important to examine the stone's
overall shape, proportions and length-to-width ratio.
But, when assessing the beauty of a diamond you should
not focus solely on grading reports and numbers. Our
experience has shown that two diamonds with the same grades
and measurements will not necessarily look the same
- one diamond will "pop" with beauty and
sparkle, while the others appear lifeless and
dull. When searching for the very best diamond it is
important to line up the candidates and compare them side by
side!
When Michael met us at our gallery, we presented him
with a line-up of the best diamonds we had located. He
examined each diamond closely and with our help chose the very
best of the best - a striking 1 1/3 carat oval
diamond that is beautifully cut with high color and clarity
grades.
Matching the Side Diamonds
Once the center diamond is chosen the next step is to locate
two smaller diamonds that will match the brilliance and beauty
of the center stone. When selecting side diamonds is
important to not only match the shape of the center
stone, but also the proportions, brilliance,
color and clarity. You want the three gems to look as if
they were meant for each other, as if they were cut by
the same hand from the same rough crystal.
Again we contacted a number of diamond cutters and located
two oval diamonds that perfectly complemented the size,
shape and beauty of the center stone. Together the three
diamonds present a balanced array of dazzling white
color, clear clarity and stunning brilliance.
Creating the Ring
The third step was creating a custom ring to showcase the
diamonds. In keeping with Michael's desire for
traditional elegance, we designed a platinum ring with
three four-prong settings resting above a half-round
band. The platinum band gently sweeps upward to meet the
upper gallery of the settings. The effect is one of
understated elegance that beautifully complements the dazzle
of the diamonds.
We instructed our platinum smith to hand craft the ring from
platinum stock. Other options were to set the diamonds
in a cast or even mass-produced ring. These options
would be cheaper and take less time, but limit our
craftsman's ability to properly set and align the
diamonds. In a three stone ring you want the gems to be
perfectly set so that they create a dazzling display across
the top of the ring. Beware of jewelers who try to
squeeze gemstones into a mass-produced or pre-made setting
just to make them fit!
Michael agreed with our philosophy that the quality and
craftsmanship of the ring should match the beauty of the
gemstones. The metal work in a jewel is just as
important as the gemstones. After all you would not
mount a Rolls Royce on second-hand tires!
A good test of a platinum smith's skill and attention to
detail is to examine the underside of the jewel. The
hidden underside should be as carefully crafted and
beautifully finished as the top. Here you can see the
care with which our platinum smith created Michael's
ring. The inner surfaces are smoothly finished with
crisp, even edges and a sturdy framework beneath the
mountings. Whenever you consider a fine piece of
jewelry, always turn it over and make sure that the
jewel is beautiful from all directions!
The Inspection
Finally, when the platinum smith was finished creating
Michael's ring, we carefully inspected it. We made
sure that the ring faithfully followed the original
design, the diamonds were properly set and perfectly
aligned, and the band gracefully flowed into the
settings. All surfaces should be beautifully polished
and no gaps or unsightly seams should appear between the
elements of the ring. The result is a ring as beautiful
as the diamonds it showcases.
Once the ring passes inspection, it is marked with
Bijoux Extraordinaire's registered hallmark,
"BEL". The inside of the ring also displays the precious
metal mark, "PLAT", indicating the purity of the
platinum. These hallmarks are your assurance of quality,
craftsmanship and beauty.
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