Suggestions from the Pros
There are lots of suggestions that we will make during the ring design process. We've done the best we can with letting you choose freely without intervening too much. However, during our collaboration together, your jewelry professional will guide you along and make suggestions to ensure feasibility and structural integrity in your ring.
Our Values
The jewelry world is full of contradictory values and agendas. It shows in what retailers market, as well as what they sell online and in stores. Regardless of how much research you can do online, sometimes you can't seem to settle on point consistently told across the board. There seems to be the opposite point being made, whether on purpose with an agenda or in an innocent way. We have seen it all in our 50 plus years in manufacturing and retail.
It's important to understand our background and where we come from; since we make everything ourselves, we are in a position to be straight forward and realistic in our approach to jewelry.
It's our attention to detail that got us to this point and the ability to be honest and blunt with our customers. We do not take shortcuts, and while it's important to get the ring your significant other requested, it is NOT worth compromising on quality, feasibility and structure in a ring. Not everyone is willing to tell you that, but we are. Below are some do's and do not's that we firmly stand by:
Do's
Stone Selection:
choose a stone that has proper hardness: diamond, ruby, and sapphire are the most popular options. And you have heard of them for a reason! Some other options are alexandrite, spinel, and zircon. Even those stones can scratch overtime depending on wear and usage, so we suggest diamond (if you do choose a stone other than diamond, we will make suggestions to securely keep your stone in place and set properly).
choose a stone based on your goals: variables may include: color of the diamond, clarity of the diamond and price. It's best to order these in importance. Creating a custom ring with us allows you to choose your goals and avoid compromising on one or the other.
choose a diamond based on efficiency price wise versus for investment purpose. 0.90 ct versus 1.00 ct can be $2000 more (same clarity, color) and very little difference diameter/millimeter wise. That's because we use a different wholesale spreadsheet to price those diamonds. We sell all diamonds for what is listed as wholesale on the spreadsheet.
never compromise on quality because a stone is out of your budget. Simply let us choose a stone for you that matches your goals. We only sell stones above certain specifications, which are stated in blue on the 4 C's learn page. All diamonds have a GIA certificate. We simply will not sell you a bad stone.
Head/Prong Selection:
platinum is the best metal option for securely setting your stone. It's 2x as heavy as gold, but much more strong and durable. That doesn't mean you have to have the entire ring in platinum: we can make the ring in with a platinum head, and a yellow or rose gold band.
if it's a must to have the entire ring in yellow or rose gold: we can create a head/prongs with a half moon bezel, bar prongs, thicker prongs or get creative and design something like a bypass ring.
Design the Right Ring, the Right Way
Design the Right Ring, the Right Way
Our Values
The jewelry world is full of contradictory values and agendas. It shows in what retailers market, as well as what they sell online and in stores. Regardless of how much research you can do online, sometimes you can't seem to settle on point consistently told across the board. There seems to be the opposite point being made, whether on purpose with an agenda or in an innocent way. We have seen it all in our 50 plus years in manufacturing and retail.
It's important to understand our background and where we come from; since we make everything ourselves, we are in a position to be straight forward and realistic in our approach to jewelry.
It's our attention to detail that got us to this point and the ability to be honest and blunt with our customers. We do not take shortcuts, and while it's important to get the ring your significant other requested, it is NOT worth compromising on quality, feasibility and structure in a ring. Not everyone is willing to tell you that, but we are. Below are some do's and do not's that we firmly stand by:
Do's
Stone Selection:
choose a stone that has proper hardness: diamond, ruby, and sapphire are the most popular options. And you have heard of them for a reason! Some other options are alexandrite, spinel, and zircon. Even those stones can scratch overtime depending on wear and usage, so we suggest diamond (if you do choose a stone other than diamond, we will make suggestions to securely keep your stone in place and set properly).
choose a stone based on your goals: variables may include: color of the diamond, clarity of the diamond and price. It's best to order these in importance. Creating a custom ring with us allows you to choose your goals and avoid compromising on one or the other.
choose a diamond based on efficiency price wise versus for investment purpose. 0.90 ct versus 1.00 ct can be $2000 more (same clarity, color) and very little difference diameter/millimeter wise. That's because we use a different wholesale spreadsheet to price those diamonds. We sell all diamonds for what is listed as wholesale on the spreadsheet.
never compromise on quality because a stone is out of your budget. Simply let us choose a stone for you that matches your goals. We only sell stones above certain specifications, which are stated in blue on the 4 C's learn page. All diamonds have a GIA certificate. We simply will not sell you a bad stone.
Head/prong Selection:
platinum is the best metal option for securely setting your stone. It's 2x as heavy as gold, but much more strong and durable. That doesn't mean you have to have the entire ring in platinum: we can make the ring in with a platinum head, and a yellow or rose gold band.
if it's a must to have the entire ring in yellow or rose gold: we can create a head/prongs with a half moon bezel, bar prongs, thicker prongs or get creative and design something like a bypass ring.
Design the Right Ring, the Right Way
Our Values
The jewelry world is full of contradictory values and agendas. It shows in what retailers market, as well as what they sell online and in stores. Regardless of how much research you can do online, sometimes you can't seem to settle on point consistently told across the board. There seems to be the opposite point being made, whether on purpose with an agenda or in an innocent way. We have seen it all in our 50 plus years in manufacturing and retail.
It's important to understand our background and where we come from; since we make everything ourselves, we are in a position to be straight forward and realistic in our approach to jewelry.
It's our attention to detail that got us to this point and the ability to be honest and blunt with our customers. We do not take shortcuts, and while it's important to get the ring your significant other requested, it is NOT worth compromising on quality, feasibility and structure in a ring. Not everyone is willing to tell you that, but we are. Below are some do's and do not's that we firmly stand by:
Do's
Stone Selection:
choose a stone that has proper hardness: diamond, ruby, and sapphire are the most popular options. And you have heard of them for a reason! Some other options are alexandrite, spinel, and zircon. Even those stones can scratch overtime depending on wear and usage, so we suggest diamond (if you do choose a stone other than diamond, we will make suggestions to securely keep your stone in place and set properly).
choose a stone based on your goals: variables may include: color of the diamond, clarity of the diamond and price. It's best to order these in importance. Creating a custom ring with us allows you to choose your goals and avoid compromising on one or the other.
choose a diamond based on efficiency price wise versus for investment purpose. 0.90 ct versus 1.00 ct can be $2000 more (same clarity, color) and very little difference diameter/millimeter wise. That's because we use a different wholesale spreadsheet to price those diamonds. We sell all diamonds for what is listed as wholesale on the spreadsheet.
never compromise on quality because a stone is out of your budget. Simply let us choose a stone for you that matches your goals. We only sell stones above certain specifications, which are stated in blue on the 4 C's learn page. All diamonds have a GIA certificate. We simply will not sell you a bad stone.
Head/prong Selection:
platinum is the best metal option for securely setting your stone. It's 2x as heavy as gold, but much more strong and durable. That doesn't mean you have to have the entire ring in platinum: we can make the ring in with a platinum head, and a yellow or rose gold band. Platinum also makes the diamond look less yellow!
if it's a must to have the entire ring in yellow or rose gold: we can create a head/prongs with a half moon bezel, bar prongs, thicker prongs or get creative and design something like a bypass ring.
The prong shown here is set properly, flush to the diamond, with no wiggle room to become loose
The rail underneath the diamond is for needed for support
The rail underneath the diamond is for needed for support
Band Selection:
choose a band that is thick enough: it's that simple; this is the easiest one. We make all of our rings with a minimum height and width. This is to ensure the band is not likely to bend or break. We very rarely get a ring back that we made that needs to be repaired. As far as band shape, the style or profile is your choice.
Don't Do's
Quality Without Compromise
do not make a ring in white gold: most of the jewelry retail world will tell you that platinum is more expensive. We do not produce rings in white gold because the metal tarnishes, and needs rhodium plating. Gold is naturally yellow, so when white gold wears off it shows yellow and needs plating, which costs around $150 every time. That's like having a mortgage on your ring. Platinum is the much better, stronger and cheaper solution. It also looks extremely close in color when polished properly. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
do not compromise on quality: we simply have high standards on what comes out of our factory, into your hands and given to your significant other. Yes, there will be cheaper rings online, but that's for a reason. In our many years of repairing jewelry in our retail stores, we know the cause and effect of why rings deteriorate. Here are some of the repairs we see the most of:
poorly made prongs
loose stones
die-struck prongs that lead to loose stones (die-struck prongs are mass produced in incremental sizes- so if they made a 6 mm die-struck prong and paired it with your 5.79 mm diamond, that creates space in between the prong and the edge of the stone, allowing the diamond to swivel eventually. We prevent this by putting your diamond in our cad software the exact dimensions and making a head/prongs for your stone.
thin bands that break where they were sized
retailers that get the ring size wrong
Most of the repairs add to more than the difference of simply buying the properly made ring the first go around. That's why we do not compromise on quality.
Stone Selection
do not buy a lab grown diamond: this is probably the biggest debate in jewelry history. Our position is that there is extremely poor value in a lab grown. Retailers are buying lab grown diamonds for less than a few hundred dollars, and selling them for 3X or 4X the amount in some cases. They are made for 3% of the wholesale value of a natural diamond.
in the last few years, the value has only plummeted, so we don't feel that it is fair to sell you a near valueless stone that will only decline in value. Lastly, retailers who sell lab grown diamonds have a policy that they will not buy them back - showing that there is not any value for them to buy back.
there is a ton of marketing supporting lab grown diamonds mostly because of the fact that they make more profit, have very little expense and it is easier.
today, the mistake of lab grown diamonds is becoming more evident in large corporations: DeBeers, who has the most market share in diamonds, opted out of the lab grown industry and other major retailers are doing the same.
do not buy a diamond with bad market value: some natural diamonds have inclusions, like etched channels, dark inclusions, florescence, etc. that bring down a diamonds value. Most retailers do not disclose this, or do not disclose the fact that they should be valued lower based on those aspects.
Conclusion
We tried our very best in giving you a little insight into the jewelry world today. Lots of what we learn ourselves is by attending trade shows every year in Italy, Miami, Tucson, and Las Vegas. This keeps us as current and up to date as possible on pricing, machinery and fashion trends. It might not be easy to navigate online or in store and make decisions based on lots of conflicting information, but we stand by our values firmly.
Band Selection:
Choose a band that is thick enough: it's that simple; this is the easiest one. We make all of our rings with a minimum height and width. This is to ensure the band is not likely to bend or break. We very rarely get a ring back that we made that needs to be repaired. As far as band shape, that is your choice
Dont's
Quality Without Compromise
Do not make a ring in white gold: Most of the jewelry retail world will tell you that platinum is more expensive. We do not produce rings in white gold because the metal tarnishes, and needs rhodium plating. Gold is naturally yellow, so when white gold wears off it shows yellow and needs plating, which costs around $150 every time. That's like having a mortgage on your ring. Platinum is the much better, stronger and cheaper solution. It also looks extremely close in color when polished properly. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
Do not compromise on quality: We simply have high standards on what comes out of our factory, into your hands and given to your significant other. Yes, there will be cheaper rings online, but that's for a reason. In our many years of repairing jewelry in our retail stores, we know the cause and effect of why rings deteriorate. Here are some of the repairs we see the most of:
poorly made prongs
loose stones
die-struck prongs that lead to loose stones (die-struck prongs are mass produced in incremental sizes- so if they made a 6 mm die-struck prong and paired it with your 5.79 mm diamond, that creates space in between the prong and the edge of the stone, allowing the diamond to swivel eventually. We prevent this by putting your diamond in our cad software the exact dimensions and making a head/prongs for your stone.
thin bands that break where they were sized
retailers that get the ring size wrong
Most of the repairs add to more than the difference of simply buying the properly made ring the first go around. That's why we do not compromise on quality.
Stone Selection
Do not buy a lab grown diamond: this is probably the biggest debate in jewelry history. Our position is that there is extremely poor value in a lab grown. Retailers are buying lab grown diamonds for less than a few hundred dollars, and selling them for 3X or 4X the amount in some cases. They are made for 3% of the wholesale value of a natural diamond.
in the last few years, the value has only plummeted, so we don't feel that it is fair to sell you a near valueless stone that will only decline in value. Lastly, retailers who sell lab grown diamonds have a policy that they will not buy them back - showing that there is not any value for them to buy back.
there is a ton of marketing supporting lab grown diamonds mostly because of the fact that they make more profit, have very little expense and it is easier.
today, the mistake of lab grown diamonds is becoming more evident in large corporations: DeBeers, who has the most market share in diamonds, opted out of the lab grown industry and other major retailers are doing the same.
Do not buy a diamond with bad market value: some natural diamonds have inclusions, like etched channels, dark inclusions, florescence, etc. that bring down a diamonds value. Most retailers do not disclose this, or do not disclose the fact that they should be valued lower based on those aspects.
Conclusion
We tried our very best in giving you a little insight into the jewelry world today. Lots of what we learn ourselves is by attending trade shows every year in Italy, Miami, Tucson, and Las Vegas. This keeps us as current and up to date as possible on pricing, machinery and fashion trends. It might not be easy to navigate online or in store and make decisions based on lots of conflicting information, but we stand by our values firmly.
Band Selection:
choose a band that is thick enough: it's that simple; this is the easiest one. We make all of our rings with a minimum height and width. This is to ensure the band is not likely to bend or break. We very rarely get a ring back that we made that needs to be repaired. As far as band shape, that is your choice
Don't Do's
Quality Without Compromise
do not make a ring in white gold: most of the jewelry retail world will tell you that platinum is more expensive. We do not produce rings in white gold because the metal tarnishes, and needs rhodium plating. Gold is naturally yellow, so when white gold wears off it shows yellow and needs plating, which costs around $150 every time. That's like having a mortgage on your ring. Platinum is the much better, stronger and cheaper solution. It also looks extremely close in color when polished properly. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
do not compromise on quality: we simply have high standards on what comes out of our factory, into your hands and given to your significant other. Yes, there will be cheaper rings online, but that's for a reason. In our many years of repairing jewelry in our retail stores, we know the cause and effect of why rings deteriorate. Here are some of the repairs we see the most of:
poorly made prongs
loose stones
die-struck prongs that lead to loose stones (die-struck prongs are mass produced in incremental sizes- so if they made a 6 mm die-struck prong and paired it with your 5.79 mm diamond, that creates space in between the prong and the edge of the stone, allowing the diamond to swivel eventually. We prevent this by putting your diamond in our cad software the exact dimensions and making a head/prongs for your stone.
thin bands that break where they were sized
retailers that get the ring size wrong
Most of the repairs add to more than the difference of simply buying the properly made ring the first go around. That's why we do not compromise on quality.
Stone Selection
do not buy a lab grown diamond: this is probably the biggest debate in jewelry history. Our position is that there is extremely poor value in a lab grown. Retailers are buying lab grown diamonds for less than a few hundred dollars, and selling them for 3X or 4X the amount in some cases. They are made for 3% of the wholesale value of a natural diamond.
in the last few years, the value has only plummeted, so we don't feel that it is fair to sell you a near valueless stone that will only decline in value. Lastly, retailers who sell lab grown diamonds have a policy that they will not buy them back - showing that there is not any value for them to buy back.
there is a ton of marketing supporting lab grown diamonds mostly because of the fact that they make more profit, have very little expense and it is easier.
today, the mistake of lab grown diamonds is becoming more evident in large corporations: DeBeers, who has the most market share in diamonds, opted out of the lab grown industry and other major retailers are doing the same.
do not buy a diamond with bad market value: some natural diamonds have inclusions, like etched channels, dark inclusions, florescence, etc. that bring down a diamonds value. Most retailers do not disclose this, or do not disclose the fact that they should be valued lower based on those aspects.
Conclusion
We tried our very best in giving you a little insight into the jewelry world today. Lots of what we learn ourselves is by attending trade shows every year in Italy, Miami, Tucson, and Las Vegas. This keeps us as current and up to date as possible on pricing, machinery and fashion trends. It might not be easy to navigate online or in store and make decisions based on lots of conflicting information, but we stand by our values firmly.
