Bespoke Natural Green Sapphire and Diamond Ring

Their Story Began Over a Billion Years Ago...

Gemstones are the story. They are the focal point of the jewel and lay the foundations of the design. They are awe-inspiring, dazzle and mesmerise, quite possibly why I talk to them while designing their setting.

So if they could talk, what would they say? 

I feel there are two different threads here: The first is the story of a 'new' diamond or gemstone, so one that has recently been cut and polished from a rough diamond crystal; you could mistakenly think their story has only just begun. They are in fact over 1 billion years old.

The second thread being the re-design and imagination of an heirloom gem. Now their story could really be quite fun. Not only are they just as old in terms of formation within the earth's crust but they have lived through lifetimes. They have been loved, celebrated, possibly set in a tiara and enjoyed high society balls of the 1920's, then dismantled into a brooch to go with the current fashion and now an engagement ring for a great-granddaughter. They could have also been lost or been the cause of a family rift and even stolen to be later found on the black market. They could have endured so much love, scandal and heart-break. They are a part of our history.

So whether I am showcasing a new gem hot off the polishing wheel or Great-Grandma's sapphires, their story and my client's ideals are at the core. 

Jewels and gems hold so much emotion and history. They elevate us, inspire nostalgia and will be around for much longer than we are. Let's love them dearly so they can tell a good one!

Alice x 

Cushion Diamond Selection for a client. Comparing a solitaire setting vs a diamond halo and square cushion vs rectangular. Diamonds are the hardest known natural material. Their octahedral rough crystals are formed beneath the earth's surface under immense pressure and take 1-3 billion years to come into being. It's not only the formation under mother earth's precise conditions that marvels me, but also the science behind the cutting and polishing of these crystals to realise the breathtaking gems we set into our jewels. More on this technology another time maybe...

A Yellow Diamond's value is in its intensity of colour as opposed to lack of it as in the white diamond grading. Gemstones have personal traits that will set the tone for the design. So shape, hue, type of cut and therefore brilliance and refraction can all make a gemstone sing, or not. The different play on light from the varying cuts, can also give a different feel to the design.