{"id":484,"date":"2008-03-25T21:16:00","date_gmt":"2008-03-26T04:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=484"},"modified":"2012-04-30T00:04:04","modified_gmt":"2012-04-30T04:04:04","slug":"engaging-engagement-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/engaging-engagement-rings\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging Engagement Rings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contrary to popular belief, engagement rings don’t have to be boring. A round solitaire is about as traditional a stone as you can get, but even those can be spiced up. I encourage clients to be creative. In 2007 or so, my gorgeous client Deb and her husband asked for an engagement ring in which two dragonflies were supporting a center stone. What can I say? The girl likes bugs. (If you like bugs too, I encourage you to get a ring from Lisa Krikawa<\/a>, who is the originator of the look and executes it way better than I do.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The ring enjoying its life in Saipan with Deb.<\/p><\/div>\n

Deb was trying to keep costs down so instead of using a diamond for her center stone, I cut a white sapphire to the measurements of a one-carat diamond. White sapphire is much less expensive than a diamond so Deb could get a sizable stone. It’s also the next hardest stone after diamond and\u00a0 can hold up to daily wear. I prefer it to more fragile semi-precious stones because, as I’ve mentioned<\/a>, people are not always very nice to their jewelry. Also a lot of people don’t know about white sapphires so it’s fun to tell them about that if you like a conversation piece.<\/p>\n

For some peculiar reason, I went for a traditional round diamond solitaire myself. I’m not exactly the traditional type, so I compensated with an eye-catching design that I’ve posted before<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Ring \u00a9 Wendy Brandes 2007-2008<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nPhotography by SquareMoose<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

I dare you to tell me that ring is boring. Seriously, I dare you, because I am dying to give someone a beatdown with that thing. People kvell<\/a> over it all the time, including people who have seen — and worn — much bigger stones than my center stone. It’s the design that makes it so eye-catching.<\/p>\n

If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably pick an oval stone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>63.93 carats<\/a> might be overdoing it though<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Oval would be my #1 recommendation to anyone who is turned off by a round stone. I love cushion-cut stones too. You can see the different diamond shapes here<\/a>. Any stone shape can be made into a fascinating, nontraditional ring.<\/p>\n

Feel free to contact me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com if you want to discuss a custom engagement ring. Just keep in mind that I don’t do “surprise” rings. The woman’s going to wear it, so my rule is she’s got to be involved in the design. That way everyone is happy. Especially me, and that’s important because you don’t want to see me unhappy. All must fear the wrath of the beatdown ring.<\/p>\n

By the way, the diamond IS the hardest naturally occurring substance<\/a> but that doesn’t mean it is indestructible. If it was, we wouldn’t be able to shape it, would we? (Before lasers, diamond shapes were created by tools that used other diamonds.) Stay tuned for another diamond post in which I’ll clear up other common misconceptions. <\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contrary to popular belief, engagement rings don’t have to be boring. A round solitaire is about as traditional a stone as you can get, but even those can be spiced up. I encourage clients to be creative. In 2007 or so, my gorgeous client Deb and her husband asked for an engagement ring in which…<\/p>\n

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