The Incredible Journey of Designing a Bespoke Engagement Ring

A Truly Unique Ring (Experience)

Each piece of jewelry we work on is unique in both look and process. Especially the customized engagement rings each have an interesting story of origin. Thanks to Graham and his fiancée, Karina, we had the opportunity to create yet another one-of-a-kind natural color diamond engagement ring recently.

When Graham contacted us, he had a very specific look in mind for the ring he was going to propose with. He envisioned an opal diamond in a marquise shape, set in a ring that lets the diamond take center stage. 

What are opal diamonds?

Luckily, thanks to our very large and diverse stock, we had quite a few diamonds to show Graham. But what exactly are opal diamonds and why did they capture Graham’s and Karina's interest? 

All natural diamonds have imperfections. They were made by nature in a wild game of pressure, temperature and time and not in quality-controlled, standardized factories. That’s also what makes them beautiful and rare. Occasionally, a diamond will have small clouds of pinprick inclusions that make it appear hazy, cloudy, or milky – in other words, opal. The effect of these clustered imperfections gives the illusion of a fog, which tones down the brilliance and sparkle of the stone. For this reason, an opal diamond will have a very soft and hazy look. For a natural color diamond this effect can give the color a pretty pastel tone, which is very charming. In fact, the esteemed Parisian jeweler, Joel Arthur Rosenthal of JAR, has created several masterpieces using and embracing the beauty of opal diamonds.

The opal diamonds look absolutely stunning especially in vintage or antique looking jewelry. Antique diamonds are known for their more understated brilliance and will often have a softer, less intense sparkle. This is due to the fact that the facets were arranged differently in former times, before diamond polishers had access to advanced scientific theories of light reflection and precise mathematical calculations for optimizing fire and brilliance in a diamond.  

Finding the right diamond for Graham and Karina

After receiving the request from Graham, we quickly found a selection of opal, marquise diamonds to show him. Each natural color diamond has its own, very specific shade of color. In this case, they didn’t fully match what the couple was looking for. So, our diamond consultant  went back to the beginning and looked at our stock with a different perspective altering the selection a bit. Before long, she had found the almost-perfect diamond: a beautiful 1.13 ct. opal diamond. The distinction was the diamond’s shape, it was an oval, but with  the possibility of being recut into a marquise shape. 

Graham and Karina fell in love with the stone the minute they saw the photos and videos and agreed that this was the perfect centerpiece for their engagement ring. The diamond was immediately sent to our  diamond polisher, who, with great talent, managed to polish it into the desired shape, only losing 0.02 ct. of its weight, bringing it to a 1.11 ct. total weight.

While the diamond was changing identity from oval to marquise, we worked on 3D renderings of Graham's and Karina's vision. For the goldsmith to perform his craft exactly in accordance with the customer’s idea, we needed to produce detailed drawings, so they could see the ring from all angles and agree on the final look. 

With the diamond ready and the drawings approved, we could send the project off to the goldsmith for the jewelry making process to begin. 

The world’s best goldsmiths

As you might know, Antwerp has been the center of the global diamond trade since the 15th century. The diamond business also attracted silver and goldsmiths, who established a guild in Antwerp more than 600 years ago. The best craftsmen and artisans have been drawn to the city for all these centuries, which means that we have the very best goldsmiths working with us for every  project. 

After having received the 3D designs and the diamond, our jeweler worked for three weeks to create a ring that wowed all of us. 

We were very excited to share pictures with Graham and Karina before we shipped the ring and were even more curious to know if the ring designed had lived up to their vision in every way. 

We have to admit that Graham’s feedback put a smile on our faces and warmed our hearts: 

‘It looks beautiful, you all did an amazing job. Honestly I can’t thank you enough, the photos did not do it justice. I know she will love it and cannot wait till I give it to her’.Thank you for all of your help making this happen, you have made this process very easy.’

Create your own bespoke jewelry

Thanks to our vast stock, expertise, and network, we can undertake any unique project you have in mind, and we aim to make the process as enjoyable, thrilling and engaging as the final result. For more ideas and inspiration on creating your own bespoke piece, take a look at our website for some of the pieces we have created for other happy couples or read an article in which we share more about the creation of a bespoke natural color diamond ring.  

If you are not as certain as Graham was on your ideal shape of a diamond, then go ahead and enjoy the many different shape options for natural color diamonds here.

We are grateful to Graham and Karina for trusting us with the vision and the creation of the most important piece of jewelry in a lifetime.