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 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 :)

"Will you marry me?" says Prince Charming on his white horse

Buy this Fragrance & experience the romance of riding white horses with your loved one...

One of my all time favorite true proposal stories I love to tell... depicted by this beautiful image.

The picture of Ralph Lauren's Women's fragrance Romance brings a smile to my face. (By the way it is not quite easy to kiss and ride two horses yet look feminine, romantic and elegant all at the same time. So credit to Ralph Lauren's marketing team for capturing such a brilliant picture. )

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Perhaps it's the fairytale of Cinderella, Snow White... blame Disney Princesses! But something about white horses galloping gallantly away into the sunset conjures romantic happy ever after imagery.

He was a quietly confident man, soft-spoken and gentle in demeanor. Ordinary yet quirky at the same time. Sitting down in our jewellery boutique, he started to relate his engagement proposal as they all do, when they feel so comfortable like we as consultants have become their mate. It was a quiet late afternoon after a busy lunch time and the team on the floor started to gather around him as he shared his experience. Adding the 'Oooo..'s and the 'Aahhh... 's at the appropriate time like it was perfectly rehearsed.


"... I first planned to rent a Horse Drawn Carriage to ride up to my girlfriend's house and propose, but I decided to go that step further, learn some horse riding , then lease a nice white horse.... which I did..." he spoke so excitedly. His girlfriend is a teacher at the local primary school, so he thought to it innovative to take it that step further, seeking permission from the school principal and staff to propose to his beloved at morning assembly in front of the whole school.

I can hear all our hearts racing as me and my team listened intently to his story. I know many ladies including myself, would have died (of shock? embarrassment? horror?) if my boyfriend asked to marry me in front of a few hundred people, young or old, dressed in a rented gleaming crisp white suit, and riding to morning school assembly on a pristine white stallion (or as in the movie Shrek... a noble steed). Coming down from his horse, going down on one knee, and saying those words through a microphone already waiting for him, as he pulled out the ring box...

Well that is exactly what he did. It really takes one to know another. It takes someone so brave and mad dare I say to carry out what he planned. It also takes a girl so brave to say 'YES' in front of so many and probably recount this tale to the last day of her life, laughing or cringing? Perhaps she can still hear the thunderous applause and cheering that must errupt from the assembly of students, in awe of what they had just witnessed. Oh bless the little girls who love Disney...

He thanks us for all the help for his beautiful engagement ring and strides out of the boutique grinning ear-to-ear, beaming a smile he cannot wipe from his face.

Cheers to romance!

Will you buy a 'man-made' diamond? - Gemesis Presents 'World’s Largest, Whitest Lab-Created Diamond'

Gemesis Diamond Company, the world’s principal distributor of high-quality lab-created diamonds and jewelry, currently offers a 1.29-carat, E color, VVS2 clarity, emerald-cut diamond – the world’s largest, whitest lab-created diamond – on Gemesis.com.  This  diamond’s retail value is $7,633.64.

According to the international color scale, colors D to F are very rare, with D being the highest level of colorlessness. Certified by the International Gemological Institute (IGI), this diamond – as with all Gemesis colorless lab-created selections – is classified as the purest type IIa, which is extremely rare in nature. Additionally, Gemesis now sells several different lab-created emerald, princess and round-cut diamonds in colors D, E and F on its eCommerce website.

"This is a significant milestone," stated Gemesis' director of marketing, Martin DeRoy. “Gemesis is proud to offer this new choice – lab-created diamonds that possess the same exceptional quality, color and clarity as mined diamonds. We look forward to continuing to produce high colors (D to F) in larger sizes, with increased regularity in the near future.”

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 "Will you choose a laboratory created diamond for your engagement ring?"
For the purpose of saving the environment or for its conflict free associations?
Having said that, there is currently a 1.27ct E-VVS2 Emerald cut diamond listed on the international market that will easily retail for well over the US$10,000 mark. It is also GIA certified. The most recognised diamond grading laboratory in the world.

Here's where it's rather mis-leading and a few cans of worms I must open.
The IGI laboratory is not quite on the same par as GIA laboratory. In the diamond industry, their grading has always been looked as a 'loose opinion' of a diamond's true grade.
One of my many first hand experiences involving the differences in laboratory grading includes this time when a client purchased a beautiful diamond stated a F - colour, VS2 -clarity on an IGI cert. They were uncomfortable or unfamiliar with IGI, and requested for this very same gem to be sent to GIA for a re-grade. It returned as a H - colour, SI2 - clarity by GIA. That difference is significantly remarkable and will also result in a distinct difference in PRICE.

So did they buy a F-VS2 or a H-SI2? What do we do with that near $4000 difference in price point with the drop in colour and clarity?! The ending was not pretty and an encounter to mark and prove that just because a diamond comes with a laboratory certificate, it does not mean it really is what the paper says it is. Hence why jewellery shops, professionals, graders still operate and the human eye and shopping experience cannot really be replaced by buy a diamond online...
I am not here to even say that GIA is a perfect laboratory on its own.... the story goes on...

And so does the allure of the natural diamond... formed underground.. millions of miles away, millions of years old and millions more to go... forever.. befitting the core significance of the engagement ring...

Blue Diamond for your Engagement Ring

The allure of coloured precious (and semi-precious) can never be underestimated.
I often meet clients who ask me about sapphires, rubies, emeralds and also coloured diamonds and their worth. Indeed an engagement or a gemstone purchase can be viewed as also an investment for the future. The war times in the 20s and 40s where we may have heard our grandparents and parents knowing someone who has sold their precious stones in order to start a new life still rings in our ears.

The beauty of a coloured diamond lies inexplicably in the rareness and the wonder of its creation.
A gift from nature, a freak of nature that colour is introduced to its lattice structure of pure carbon chemical bonds... The pink diamond and today, let me give you a peek of the Blue diamond.

An extremely rare 5.30ct, fancy deep-blue diamond sold for £6.2 million ($9.5million or $1.8million per carat) to Graff the eponymous name in the jewellery trade, at the Bonhams London auction house.
Auctions are absolutely thrilling and even more so when less than 1% of the world's coloured diamonds, pink, purple or blue are worthy of even making it to the market in the obvious sizes as side diamonds from 0.01ct (barely 1mm in physical diameter measurements) to less than a 1.00carat finished diamond.

It is no surprise that the auction house stated that bidding on this gemstone came from around the world through 25 telephone lines as well as from those in the packed sales room. A stone with no comparable 'value' attached to is set to make history.

The cushion-shape blue diamond is set horizontally with a mount pave-set with brilliant-cut diamonds and some beautifully placed baguette-cut diamonds in a Trombino ring made by Bulgari,  circa 1965. The ring went to bid with a high presale estimate of $2.3 million.

"We are delighted with the price it has made," said Jean Ghika, Director of the Bonhams Jewellery Department for the UK and Europe, after the auction. "It was a sensational stone which charmed everyone who viewed it prior to the sale. Blue diamonds, especially those over 5.00 carats, are extremely rare to see on the market and continue to be highly sought-after. We are honoured to have handled the sale of such a unique gem."

Contact me if you like to own a version of this stunning Trombino ring today. 

- Faith from Faith Jewels

Custom Made Engagement Ring Design Sketch for a special Proposal

Flying is such therapy.
Listening to the purr of the plane engine and oblivious to the world.
Sketching on the plane was surprisingly fun and efficient use of my time!

A stunning engagement ring for a very special and beautiful couple.
He proposes tomorrow! Who is the lucky girl? :)
My client muses that she keeps the diamond and he keeps the framed hand sketch of chosen ring design.

 

 (Hand Crafted custom designed engagement ring. By appointment only - Faith Jewels )

A Proposal on the way!

Really looking forward to a grand proposal next weekend!

A trip to my jeweller to pick up the completed engagement ring I designed for my client awaits me in the next week.
After hundreds and hundreds of couple I have met over all these years, there's still the thrill of helping a guy pick the most beautiful engagement ring to propose with.
 
Every proposal is special and every couple is unique. I feel joy when I see love and I pray that the couple remembers this beautiful moment for the rest of their lives even at the darkest moments that sometimes descend through life. 

An engagement ring carries with it hope for a future, for a new chapter and sometimes in the midst of winning a sale or a client for the sake of business, it is easy forget the romance and the true essence of why we are here. 

I want to remember everyday that love is what keeps the world going round... 
Let's share some today!