Happy Wedding Anniversary to Inka & Ronald!

The phone rings. A familiar name, a familiar voice. I can always tell from the tone of the voice, even before the word is spoken. It is as if I can almost see the smile behind the voice and feel the nervous excitement and hope radiate through the phone line from Dubai. 

“… Faith… can I ask you about engagement rings?” It is our old friend Ronald’s turn.

I get lots of phone calls by the way and I can say I remember distinctly each one of them. Keeping the boyfriends’ secret from my girlfriends is often most thrilling, yet nerve wrecking at times.

Ronald and Inka are my special friends. We go back a long way now. More than 10 years of friendship and one of the first friends I’ve met and kept since I arrived in Australia. A beautiful couple that compliment each other in so many ways, a real match made in heaven. Designing their engagement ring was a real honor for me but choosing the diamond was a real highlight.

Being at the frontline of ‘fine jewellery consulting’, I get asked a lot of personal questions from the awkward, like “…how much did you pay for your ring?”, to the extreme. There’s often the query whether a guy should spend three months of his salary on the engagement ring – I seriously have no idea who came up with that or how relevant it is to the whole scheme of things.

“…Or he can spend the equivalent to the investment in his new Harley Davidson!” (according to a very witty lady client I once met).

The amount spent on the ring really isn’t what that matters most. And I was glad Ron didn’t ask me the questions above, but he did ask my opinion. I did guide him to finally pick the absolutely brightest and whitest color and highest clarity (pretty much flawless) diamond on the grading chart. I must say, his careful thought, process and deep sincerity of the proposal was what truly takes the cake. For the engagement ring is a promise. A promise that he will cherish and love Inka always. Protect her, guide her, keep her warm and make her laugh even when skies get grey.

In addition, the thumbs up of approval from the in-laws was the extra icing on the cake. Being aware that they are true appreciators of diamonds and its rare beauty, Ron’s choice of the premium jewel truly went that extra mile, symbolising he will strive and promise the best life and future holds for his wife to be, with their union.

To finally hear that, “SHE SAID YES!” was really just so awesome. And look at them now, five years on and a love stronger than ever, with two beautiful daughters to complete the truly happy family picture. One that inspires and touches the hearts of family and friends from around the globe. Well done my friends! Jakarta, Melbourne, Dubai and now New York… can’t wait to hear more about your new lives and adventures. Thank you for sharing all your special moments through your beautiful photos. Its just so heart warming watching Kira and Lana grow into gorgeous little girls.

Happy anniversary Ronald and Inka! Thank you for your friendship :-)

Cheers to many more special memories to come. Here's to forever..

God bless your beautiful family always…

Mysterious Black Diamond on Black Gold Ring

It's been a long awaited post!

Thank you for all the support that came my way. We have had so many enquiries on the 2 carat diamond ring below (that looks very much a 3carat!)

I just had a new baby and the last year has been really pretty crazy.

Here are some amazing pieces I have designed for special clients.

Amazing 2ct black princess cut diamond came my way and I had this specially made for a lovely lady.

Black diamond on Black gold.

Black Diamonds are essentially white diamonds that are treated to turn into its beautiful black lustre.

Paired with white diamonds on the side. They totally pop and look just so mysterious and stunningly beautiful. To make this gorgeous centre stone pop, I have chosen quarter carat (0.25ct side diamonds x 2) one on each side to really bring out its massive candy sized proportion.


Black gold is essentially white gold (or yellow if you like) plated with black rhodium. Again just stunning when used with white diamonds like those on the shoulder of the band, carefully handpicked G-H color white round brilliant cut diamonds.

It was an awesome experience getting this stunning jewel handcrafted to perfection. Happy days! :)

Feel free to check out my shop on Etsy.
I would love to hear from you and custom design a special jewel for you!

Engagement ring design - The Stunning 2 carat diamond ring

It has been quite an amazing few weeks since my last post. I had much interest and enquiries for anniversary jewels and engagement rings. Thank you for the many feedback and comments that came my way.

Today I am proud to showcase one of the prettiest pieces completed for my client. This is a stunning 2.01ct round brilliant diamond in E-colour set with a beautiful halo design with a lovely row of diamonds down the band. The diamonds on the band are 0.02ct each and are a lovely size to fit next to a round diamond this size (Enquire here for pricing details for a ring of this quality). 

I often have clients pondering if they should increase the side diamonds for more impact and effect. I strongly believe this balance is most perfect and flattering without distracting the eye from the main centre show piece. 

In the last image you will also see that the setting of the main diamond is very high. I do particularly favor tall settings as it not only help to clear a wedding band if need be to sit next to each other, but most of all, height if done beautifully, gives the wearer the maximum impact.

Compare that with my 1carat engagement ring (see middle image) this size difference is immediately apparent. Mine is a baby next to the mama! :) 

The ring is just so stunning and beautiful I could hardly take my eyes off it! I can't wait to meet my lucky lady... have a great day everyone! :)

The 'Gatsby Oval Ring' by Faith Jewels

Stunning 'Gatsby Oval Ring' ready to Wow...

My 'Oval Gatsby Ring' is complete. Absolutely out of the world. 

Three-dimensional and truly truly stunning!

I hope you like a showcase of some images attached. It was a real dilemma deciding what centre diamond to fit into this jewel. We had a choice of 3 different one-carat oval diamonds for the centre. All three diamonds were around 1.00ct, 

GIA certified, D-SI2, F-SI1 and G-SI1.

With varying quality in Polish and symmetry features and measurements. 

I promised a price point to meet my client's needs for this jewel, 

and the decision lay in my completely in my hands,

as she trusted me whole-heartedly to find the best diamond perfect for this design.

In the end I went with the D-coloured diamond as I loved the pure river white colour you only capture in a D-coloured gemstone and it also came with an exceptional length in measurement to truly flatter this design. The SI2 clarity which I generally avoid, was comfortably accepted, as this diamond had barely any imperfections on the table. Truly rare gem that could not be missed, and so timely sourced from my favourite diamond cutter and associate from New York. 

Surrounded by a further 1.00ct total of side diamonds of varying sizes to fit into the petal features, this amazing ring totals just over 2.00cts. 

I was inspired to name this the 'Gatsby Oval Ring' as my client recently glimpsed this image on the paper of Tiffany's celebration of the Great Gatsby movie, now on show. 

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the ring, as it is indeed rather identical to my client's. Details of the jewel pictured: Ring of pavé diamonds and a center diamond of 5.25 carats, in platinum. From The Great Gatsby collection by Tiffany & Co. Price upon request. 

Coming from experience in the jewellery trade, I can already pretty accurately guess the price tag. Which makes me really proud to successfully achieve such a stunning show of diamonds in my Gatsby ring version for under USD10,000 to work to my client's budget. 

So for readers concerned that my jewels and designs are out of reach, I can assure you I treasure most about the design process and essence of each jewel's significance.

It has been such an enjoyable journey creating this jewel for a most special lady, whom I know will wear this ring with pride and joy at the most special of occasions! 

Thank you Mdm Leong... Happy 83rd Birthday!

It is most exciting to see a ring made up. I have a ring almost ready for a lovely lady who kindly allowed me to share some photos. I have this sample ring with a 1.20ct round brilliant cut diamond set in the centre with lovely open leaf diamonds. This amazing ring is a gorgeous flow of curves.

We are setting a lovely oval shaped centre diamond for her actual ring. Photos to follow soon.

Watch this space. 

 

Tiffany 6-prong Setting or Solitaire?

Tiffanys love stories.

Since its creation over a century ago, the Tiffany Setting has been the world’s favorite engagement ring. The ring of rings, as it has been called, is the most brilliant ring ever. It is also the most beautiful classic and elegant. And various versions have been copied, interpreted and re-designed taking from its essence world wide.

It is a ring design I have sold thousands of times over and over. And for the first ring on the hand, its symbolism as as solitaire is rather alluring. And us in the jewellery trade do have Tiffany's to thank for as they have spurred a multi-billion dollar industry with stronger than ever demand for engagement rings today.

The six-prong/ claw setting/ mount is safest for the round brilliant cut diamond as it protects 6 corners of the gem stone and gives it a truly elegant symmetry when viewed from the top. In addition to strength and security, it also enhances the size of the stone as the eye is unconsciously drawn the the corners of the 6 claws. I favour and suggest this setting for at least half a carat and over.

Though the 4-claw settings or 4-double claw settings have definitely become a bigger favorite, allowing more of the diamond to be seen from every angle and lots more room for design features especially for over 1.50ct up (see right example). It also makes it easier to keep clean and a glorious view for the tip of the diamond that I absolutely love...

Sotheby's Geneva Sale Features Rare, Nobel Jewels

The Magnificent and Noble Jewels auction on May 14 at Sotheby's Geneva offered more than 650 lots of aristocratic jewels, diamonds and gemstones.

Auctions are amazing and riveting to say least when pieces designed and crafted by the old world jewellers, who made their name since the 50s and 60s become showpieces.

It is a sad, undisputed truth today amongst us in the fine jewellery trade to see so many precious jewellery making techniques no longer passed down. Today's fine jewellers pushes the bottom line, the sales figures, the mass market of middle-upper class who jump on the brand bandwagon.. with not much left for art and craftsmanship. Pick up a 1960s - 80s made Bulgari jewel and a 2010 made one and hold it in your hand... it is different. The feel, the weight, and hand made finish. Same with Cartier and many countless other established jewellery houses. Hence making auctions of such scale and caliber truly in demand.

The centerpiece of this auction includes a group of 23 pieces from the collection of actress, photojournalist and sculptor Gina Lollobrigida. Much of this collection was designed by Bulgari in the 1950s and 1960s and the jewelry was worn by the actress at key events earlier in her career. She is selling her diamond jewelry to raise money for stem cell research, saying now is the time to give back for the fortunate life she has had. Read about it here.

Highlights include a pair of natural pearl and diamond pendant earrings, circa 1964, which is estimated to fetch up to $1 million; sold for 2.29 million francs ($2.37 million), an auction record.
The earrings beat the $1.98 million figure set in 2011 from the sale of natural pearl and diamond earrings by Bulgari, owned by late actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Other highlighst included a a 19.03-carat diamond ring, circa 1962, with a pre-sale estimate of up to $800,000 and a diamond necklace-bracelet combination from 1954 that was projected to sell for as much as $500,000.

Noble and historic jewels play a prominent role in this auction, such as a 74.53-carat fancy yellow cushion-shaped diamond that once belonged to the late Imperial Majesty Sultan Ahmed Shah Qajar, the seventh and last ruler of the Qajar dynasty of Persia. This piece had a high presale estimate of $1.8 million and was sold for 2.85 million francs ($2.95 million), an auction record for a fancy yellow diamond.


An important light pink diamond and diamond necklace formerly belonging to a lady of title, is estimated to fetch up to $2.5 million. The necklace (pictured) features a  detachable pendant set with two marquise diamonds, a 6.93-carat brilliant-cut light pink diamond and two circular-cut diamonds of 34.78 carats and a 11.38 carats.

Sotheby's will auction a 27.90-carat, D, internally flawless cushion modified brilliant-cut diamond ring with a high presale estimate at $6 million.

The diamond received the highest color and clarity grade from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and is in the type IIa subgroup, which comprise of less than 2 percent of all gem diamonds and often have extraordinary optical transparency.

Colored diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and Burmese rubies also appear in the sale alongside jewels designed by  Suzanne Belperron for her close friend Cecyle Simon. Sotheby's sale of jewels from Belperron's personal collection fetched $3.5 million at the Geneva auction last year.

The Magic of the One Carat Round Diamond

Which 1.00ct diamond will you choose? 

                 

There is rarely the opportunity to compare apple with apple, especially with diamonds. Each stone varies in so many ways from another even though seemingly exactly the same. 

Today most clients go shopping armed with knowledge they acquired from google, wikipedia and family friends. See GIA Diamond grading report above.

Deciphering it is one thing, understanding what you buy is another and trusting that the diamond you receive is what the certification says is again another dimension to consider. 

Both these diamonds have been handpicked for a client. We are looking at nearly twice the expense of the H-colour diamond vs the D-colour. Contact me for pricing details. 

At an immediate glance, the you can observe in the images that D is whiter than H. 

Perhaps you can also notice that the SI2 diamond on the left is remarkably clean on the photo image. This is a RARE find as most SI2 diamonds today are heavily included with imperfections that can be easily visible to the naked eye. So I am confident to say this diamond is great value and bound to be snapped up in a flash.

Other details to look out for: 

1. Grading on Cut grade, Polish and Symmetry.

FYI: Cut grading alone took GIA over 5 years to establish. Read about the components of cut grade, and understand the diamond anatomy here. If you are a physicist or scientist or engineer, you will probably appreciate this information, where brilliance can be measured by pure mathematics - check out the diagram of percentages and measurements on the bottom middle of the cert.

2. Fluorescence - GIA blog gives some good information about it.

Most of us in the industry prefer no fluorescence as it will assure the client will not see strange glows of strange yellows, greens, pinks and the most common, blue fluoro under lighting conditions that has UV. 

Diamonds with no Fluorescence therefore, also carry a higher price tag, as more than 35% of diamonds in the market do exhibit some fluorescence. Hence my word of advice for buyer beware is to not pay the price of a no fluorescence diamond, if you are offered one WITH fluorescence especially in a retail environment.

More tomorrow! Thanks for reading :)

Ring Design Sketch Draft

An idea always begins with a sketch. 

I love to draw all angles of various views of the ring at the same time. 

Top, front, side and 30 degree angle to scale 2:1.

It is from understanding how high a diamond needs to sit above the hand, how the curves in the shoulder of the band sweep to meet the main gem stone that creates a beautiful ring. The front view of a sketch often throws many off as it is probably the least easy to appreciate. 

You see the full ring size engulfing (or sometimes seemingly to dwarf) the main diamond and the view is less flattering as we rarely look at a ring straight on from the front. 

The top view is the money-shot, made famous by Tiffany's solitaire engagement ring image.

 

So the top view is where women fall head over heels for. Is this a top view you like to see on your hand everyday? The height of the ring in any design is really crucial and that is also where proportions of the ring will change and be enhanced, even by that mere 1mm. I will share more designs as we go. Thanks for reading :)

Fancy Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring

Have you seen a stunning Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond up close?

In natural light, they exhibit a beautiful blue sparkle that will take you by surprise as the diamond is essentially yellow coloured.

Yellow diamonds, and fancy-colored diamonds in general, continue to grow in popularity. Larger yellow diamonds have made headlines in recent years for their natural beauty and gemological rarity. With natural fancy-colored diamonds, the value increases with intensity of color and how evenly distributed the colour runs through the rock. See GIA Color Scale Chart below:

Diamonds that display color purity--or the absence of modifying colors, Meaning the Fancy Intense and the Fancy Vivid--command the highest prices in the marketplace.
 
They are the Canary Yellow diamonds coveted and adorned by the celebrities of Hollywood. Carrie Underwood, Heidi Klum, Paris Hilton... just to name a few.

How a diamond is faceted also affects the brilliance and fire of the color bouncing back to your eye. If you are looking for a fancy colored diamond, being able to view the stone and have a second opinion from a reputable jeweller is a must. See how the color chat also links us back to the white diamond color chart?

Have you found the dream engagement ring design?

 

Every other day, I will meet a client who will be beaming as he or she shows me a picture cut-out from a magazine, or on their iPad or iPhone with an image of the most beautiful ring they had seen. 

This stunningly rare 16.01-carat yellow diamond ring unveiled by Birks Jewelry Store is a fine example. Bear in mind an image that takes your breath away is often done so with clever photoshop and most of all its proportion in size of the centre gem. 

It is a designer's dream to design with a large diamond for it does allow more room to play with especially details in the bezel setting. Look close to see more yellow diamonds and a lovely petal shape formation underneath the main stone. This unfortunately cannot be achieved with a stone under the 1.00ct. And sometimes my job to bring a happy lady back down earth. My finished sketch for the client is of a 5 carat Cushion cut center diamond with just beautiful proportions. I had so much fun and look forward to see the finished product.

To be honest a 1.00ct to 1.50ct diamond is much easier to wear everyday than a 5.00ct (lifestyle depending of course). So if a 5.00ct or a 16 carat diamond is not for now, a smaller gem will can still be crafted to a stunning, gorgeous finish custom designed ring.

2.00ct Diamond Stud Earrings for your Engagement

I once had this conversation with a fellow jewellery designer that after sketching and helping so many clients with their engagement ring, that her choice of an 'engagement gift' is not the ring, but a stunning beautiful pair of diamond studs. I know the struggle first hand when the time came for me to choose my own ring design. My now husband got away with this one! But studs! Remember you get TWO diamonds... That's just brilliant an idea! For the modern, strong woman, who loves her hands free, plays lots of sports or music and is probably left handed.. (the ring gets so in the way).

Here's story to share.

It's one of those days... where size is clearly relative. My one carat round brilliant cut engagement ring all but looks a baby next to this lone stud earring, of a 2.00ct diamond size (each) with a further enhancement of the halo ring effect adding a definite impact to them.

Those are my client's every day earrings, which her young son had placed in his mouth, thinking they were lollies when he saw them in her jewellery box. True story! She had to have them cleaned (for obvious reasons, check out this photo) but thankful he spat them out. The son was a very normal four-year old who loves sweets :)

Beautiful pair of stud earrings, are they to die for?

The Diamond Stud Earrings

It feels like since eternity, there has been this infatuation and allure and the diamond stud earrings.
The classic, elegant accessory and must-have in every woman's wardrobe. Goes with everything you wear and of course the bigger the better.

What most love about it, including myself, is its understated elegance. A definite symbol of wealth, I get enquiries several times a day about prices, sizes, quality, design you name it...

No where else to put your hard earned $ but on your ears, and you cant even see it! That is until you walk right in front of a mirror or any highly reflective surface.

Check out these familiar stars, Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckam, Eva Longoria and how gorgeous those diamonds look.

I have a matching pair in 1.00ct F-SI2 GIA XXX - the DREAM DIAMOND STUD size made-up and ready for a client. With studs, my best advice is SIZE. Colour and Clarity can come secondary, since they are much further away than the ring on the hand. So grab a beautiful pair in brilliant round or Cushion cut and sparkle away! Enquire today.

Mining Pink Argyle Diamonds with Rio Tinto

There has always been stories I wonder how true, spun by diamond traders and merchants about the rarity of the amazing Pink diamonds and their source of origin - the Argyle Diamond Mine.

Argyle is known for its production of rare pink diamonds and is a large contributor to the ‎East Kimberley economy, with 70 percent of the mine's workforce from the local area.

Just days ago, Rio Tinto officially opened its Argyle underground diamond mine after a major capital improvement project that the company expects will extend the life of mine beyond 2020. ‎

‎“The new Argyle underground mine has allowed us to extend the life of this iconic asset ‎for Rio Tinto and Western Australia," said Alan Davies, the CEO of Rio Tinto's  ‎diamonds and minerals division.‎
What it means is this $2.2 billion underground project is expected to restore annual production to around 20 million carats, ‎compared with only 8.471 million carats mined in 2012.

Since its ‎launch about 25 years ago, approximately 800 million carats of diamonds have been ‎mined at the Argyle mine. ‎Rio Tinto explained that the underground mine uses the latest in block caving technology and is ‎the first of its kind in Western Australia.

It's common knowledge in the diamond trade that when pink diamonds were first discovered more than 25 years ago, it fell into the category of 'champagnes' and 'browns' for most did not know how precious and rare they are. It is only after much research and discovery of its scarcity that we can call it a 'freak of nature' for scientists cannot quite explain in chemistry why they turned pink in the ground. Afterall they hold the same chemical carbon composition like any diamond.

Read about the Argyle Diamond Tender, where the most exceptional and rare diamonds are sold by annual invitation-only tender. The Tender represents the opportunity to bid on exceptional diamonds that are not publicly available.  For every 1,000,000 carats (200 kg) of rough pink diamonds produced by the mine, only 1 carat (0.20 g) polished will be offered for sale at the tender. The invitation-only tender event is a highlight of the coloured diamond industry's calendar. An insight to how the tender is conducted, is like a blind auction where you place a closed bid and if you do not win the auction, you know it is sold for more than your bid price, but not what it went for.

Blame the Japanese and the crop of Chinese fascinated with the colour Pink. For most of the brightest and the best, mined from Western Australia, often that way before it comes onto the Australian market.There simply isn't enough demand compared to its allure to our foreign neighbours.

Despite the Argyle Pink diamond's exclusive rarity not available to the public, if you are interested in owning one, I have the means. Perhaps a rare beauty of a pink diamond for your engagement ring?