{"id":17722,"date":"2012-11-08T17:07:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T21:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=17722"},"modified":"2012-11-08T22:10:32","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T02:10:32","slug":"gravitys-manicure-and-thoughts-on-engagement-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/gravitys-manicure-and-thoughts-on-engagement-rings\/","title":{"rendered":"Gravity’s Manicure and Thoughts on Engagement Rings"},"content":{"rendered":"

My favorite metal is 18K yellow gold<\/a> — I think it works best with my history-inspired designs — but I use platinum<\/a>, 18K white gold<\/a> and silver<\/a> in my jewelry as well. My “Gravity” wedding\/engagement designs, for instance, all got their start in platinum. The Gravity name came from the unusual heft of the first ring.<\/p>\n

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Original Gravity wedding band. Weighs as much as a small child, I swear. Click to see the yellow gold and black diamond version.<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2010, when I introduced a Gravity band with a heart-shaped diamond, I considered changing the name of the collection and asked for everyone’s input, but I never made a decision! There were so many good suggestions in the comments of this post<\/a> … I’m looking at them all again with fresh eyes.<\/p>\n

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Click for original post about this ring.<\/p><\/div>\n

This ring looked especially good with my latest nail look by celebrity manicurist Tracylee Percival<\/a>. I hadn’t seen Tracylee in a long time and my nails were broken and extra-short, so I skipped the nail art\/designs<\/a> and went for a solid — Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips in “Metal Head.”<\/a><\/p>\n

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I normally wear this ring on my thumb.<\/p><\/div>\n

I think the wedding-jewelry designs that I do for my line are a good illustration of my contrarian nature<\/a>. A lot of non-wedding jewelry I see is too simple for my taste — a gem set in four prongs — so when I’m designing a regular piece, I give people unexpected, intricate detail.<\/p>\n

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A close-up of my Empress Wu dragon earring. Click for more information.<\/p><\/div>\n

But a lot of wedding jewelry looks too fussy and delicate to me, so then I go the opposite route. My preferred bridal looks are simple, bold and strong. I’m not a huge fan of the extra-skinny, micro-pave<\/a>-diamond, engagement-ring shank<\/a> that seems to be the hot celebrity style lately<\/a>. Beauty is about proportion, and large center stones can overwhelm fragile-looking metal work.\u00a0 Besides, I know how hard people are on their engagement rings<\/a>. I like a ring that’s up to the task, not one where the metal — which does all the hard work of keeping the stones in position and the ring on your finger — is an afterthought.<\/p>\n

When it comes to custom orders, I’ll do anything from classic to crazy, but I will always strive for a good balance of gems and metal. Yes, I will make you a ring with a traditional four-prong setting, but I won’t miniaturize the shank to try to make the stone look bigger.<\/p>\n

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One of my classic looks. Nicely proportioned, if I do say so myself. Click for more information.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you have avant-garde taste, I can accommodate that too. One of my favorite custom designs is the engagement ring I did for my graphic designer Lori (who is about to get married any day!). She was so happy to have something that reflected her personal taste rather than someone else’s notion of what an engagement ring “should” look like.<\/p>\n

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Click to read about Lori’s ring.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you’re in the market for wedding jewelry, bring me your dreams and I’ll turn them into a ring that fits your<\/em> life, style and finger perfectly. It will be all about you — as it should be — and not about what works for a celebrity or a magazine editorial or advertising campaign.<\/p>\n

You can browse more of my custom engagement and wedding rings here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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My favorite metal is 18K yellow gold — I think it works best with my history-inspired designs — but I use platinum, 18K white gold and silver in my jewelry as well. My “Gravity” wedding\/engagement designs, for instance, all got their start in platinum. The Gravity name came from the unusual heft of the first…<\/p>\n

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