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Rebecca Howarth
16th December 2009 15:40

Custom Cut Tourmaline Engagement Ring

 

This is a commission where we had the stone especially cut for the customers requirements!

Donna saw this beautiful aquamarine ready to wear engagement ring and loved the facetted topped stone. Unlike the more conventional oval cut this stone has what is called a chequerboard facetted top - the stone is still oval in shape but the top facettes are tessellating squares hence the name chequerboard. She loved these extra facettes as she wanted a very sparkly green stone!

She tried this other ready to wear ring on and loved the shape of the band. So with these two starting points we began to design her bespoke engagement ring.

custom cut aquamarine
custom cut aquamarine and shank
custom cut aquamarine engagement ring

Donna wanted an engagement ring with a green stone. She wears a lot of bright green and has beautiful red hair which just goes so well with green!

Firstly we talked about the cut of the stone. We combined the chequerboard facetted cut on top but with a more square proportioned shape rather than oval. Donna felt a straight sided square stone would be a little harsh so decided that she would like to have the stone with softened corners - this creating a square cushion shape with a facetted top! You can see the options are endless and when you are commissioning a piece, why compromise a thing when you can choose! Now finding a good quality bright green tourmaline with this cut is not impossible to find but can be tricky so we decided that custom cutting was the way forward. We searched for a green tourmaline of the right colour that could be cut to shape.

We custom cut the green tourmaline from a larger cushion stone to create the look. The lapidurist squared up the proportions and then facetted the top of the stone. The initial stone was 1.72cts and ended up at 1.05ct. after being cut. The twist engagement ring, simple in style holds the tourmaline for a modern design.

Not only can you have the design of the ring any shape you would like we can often cut stones whatever shape to like too!

Becky

Rebecca Howarth
 
Jodie Gearing
16th December 2009 12:12

Bespoke palladium, amethyst and diamond engagement ring, designed by Alice Rochester

 

I wanted to highlight a lovely commission Alice did earlier this year for Carly and Rolph. I picked this one not only because it's beautiful, but it also has a lovely story behind it and it has very interesting ethical credentials. Working closely with Alice these past few months has really got me thinking about the ethical and ecological impact of jewellery which is also very important to a lot of our customers so I wanted to use this opportunity to highlight a beautiful, ethically sourced ring!

Palladium and amethyst engagement ring

This striking engagement ring was made using Carly's grandmother's 10mm (3.63ct) brilliant cut pale lilac amethyst. This stone was given to Carly when she was born in a large, square ring. We set it into double claws as Carly had seen and really loved some of our previous commissions using this lovely setting style. The setting shows off the shape and size of the stone really well and floods it with light from all angles. The pair of 2.7mm princess cut diamonds set in the shoulders were once in a pair of earrings that Carly had. Our clever stone setter Vic has set them into the band with little star shaped points to give the sparkly stones a vintage feel. I think commissioning a new piece of jewellery is such a lovely way to give a new lease of life to stones people have a sentimental attachment too. If you're thinking about re-using your sentimental gold and stones we are happy to design something that is appropriate for you.

The unusual, pale lilac colour of the amethyst is highlighted and complimented by the crisp white of the courting profile palladium band. The combination of recycled stones and palladium make this a very ethically minded design. We have used recycled stones in some ready to wear designs and many commissions. This blog by Michelle is about one of our current ready to wear designs that uses a recycled diamond. The recycled stones we use are generally taken from old jewellery like earrings, bracelets and necklaces rather than engagement rings.

Palladium is a really interesting metal that is so popular with our customers. It is not mined specifically for itself, but is actually a by-product of platinum mining which means that there is no environmental impact to get hold of palladium itself. Not only can you get a warm fuzzy feeling for commissioning a ring considering its environmental and ethical impact, but it can also do less damage to your bank account! Palladium is currently working out somewhere between 9 and 18ct white gold in price, so you can achieve the bright white appearance of platinum for a lower cost. It is unlikely to remain at this price for long after its voluntary hallmark becomes compulsory in January 2010. Recycled stones work out cheaper than buying a new stone too!

I look forward to seeing many more commissions like this in the future!

Jodie x

Jodie Gearing
 

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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