When it comes to engagement rings, many of my customers don’t know exactly what they are looking for. Now, this changes from person to person. You may have a rough idea of the cut, clarity or colour you’d like, or you may be starting off with a blank canvas. It’s rare to have a customer know exactly what they want in an engagement ring. This was exactly the case for my customer in Blackrock Co. Cork.
She had a crystal clear idea of the exact ring she wanted: an oval cut diamond solitaire, in yellow gold. With the design already fully formed, my task was to look at the final details and ensure that the simple and paired back design was still a showstopper.
With this particular ring, we started looking at the diamond first.
We looked at a lot of oval cuts and it took a while to get the right diamond, but it was so worth it. Oval cuts are gorgeous, but there are a few things you need to consider in order to find the perfect one.
It was perfect.
You want a diamond that has beautiful light going through it. If there are shadows, you’re losing some of your sparkle. In an oval cut, these shadows often form what’s known as a bow tie. This shadow looks like two small triangles where both points meet in the centre — the shape of a bow tie. Ideally, you don’t want that. We want fire and brilliance.
Once we had the diamond, the rest of the design started coming together. Whilst it was going to be simple, we still needed to give thought to the claws and the band. What were they going to look like?
We considered two types of claws to hold the stone in place:
- A rounded claw: Rounded claws, as the name suggests, have prongs or claws that are smooth and rounded at the top. They create a soft and elegant look in jewellery. These prongs gently curve over the gemstone, securing it in place without sharp or pointed edges. They provide a secure hold while minimising the amount of metal visible around the gemstone.
- A talon claw: Talon claws, on the other hand, have pointed ends that are elongated and taper down to a fine point, resembling sharp talons and giving the ring a more distinctive look. This works really nicely with an oval cut because of the long oval shape.
Ultimately the customer opted for a talon claw, and then, it was just about having a really simple gold band and letting as much light as possible in under the diamond.
With the shape of the setting, we looked at how it would sit with a wedding band — something that is often overlooked when shopping for an engagement ring. We didn’t want to limit her choices of wedding bands in the future, so I kept the bottom of the ring, very, very thin so that the setting didn’t come right down. This means that a flat wedding band can sit next to it and it will work really well.
If we had gone with a lower setting, or if we put the setting right down without tapering it in, my customer would have had to have a shaped wedding band around her engagement because of the size of the stone.
Your wedding ring is not typically the first thing you think of when you’re shopping for your engagement ring, but it should be a consideration — you’ll be wearing your wedding band every day alongside your engagement ring. If you’re looking at an engagement ring, don’t be afraid to try on the wedding bands so that you can see what works best.
In this case, my customer not only has a beautiful engagement ring that she loved, but one that will allow her to choose a wedding band she also adores. I’m really happy with this one and it was worth going through lots of oval cuts to find the perfect one. If you are looking for your own custom engagement ring in Ireland I would love to help bring your vision to life. Get in touch on eileen@eileenmoylan.com.