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The first one is an example of a two strand ring that is similar to what we make, but we make them a little tighter. 

This second image shows the sterling silver mockup of a ring we are making in platinum. You can see that we wind the strands a little bit tighter than the one shown above. However, the ring below is two gauges heavier than the platinum ring will be.

 

Hello, Stacey,

For a puzzle ring with a princess-cut or a round sapphire, then there are three potential styles for you to consider.

So let me take you on a tour – though I will caution you that some pictures won’t have a sapphire, as I want to show you the different styles, and not all  have been photographed with a sapphire. Indeed, not all of these styles will be shown with an open weave, and that is the weave preferable for mating with a shadow band.

 

 

 

As for pricing: Please feel free to call me toll-free from the U.S. and Canada at 1-866-573-7381.

Mostly what is available in sapphire right now is AA.  Though AAA is a technically a slightly higher grade, you really need to be a trained gemologist to tell the difference. Truthfully with a lot of stones, we like to use AA, because it saves you money and most of us can’t tell the difference. 

We can also source larger, certified gemstones, if you prefer. Certified stones are certainly desirable – they usually have some outstanding characteristics. They are normally larger – about 3/4CT and up.

Simply stunning is a 0.70CT, AAA-grade, marquise aquamarine on a four-band, Celtic knotwork-inspired, puzzle engagement ring is paired with a fitted, diamond shadow band holding one-half carat total weight diamonds. Light blue stones are believed in folklore to represent love, devotion, loyalty, and communication for a perfect “quadrafecta” (not sure that’s a word, but let’s say it’s more than a trifecta!) for marriage. 

So fresh and sparkly – a princess-cut blue diamond (full disclosure – this is a heat treated diamond) on a genuine, 4-band puzzle ring is shown with a very narrow shadow band. All platinum, but available in 14K rose or yellow gold or palladium (a naturally white, platinum-family metal). This bridal set is made to order with your choice of diamond size, metal(s) and shadow band design.

 

In June, 2014, Dan E. of New York City approached me about creating a diamond puzzle engagement ring for his beloved, Kelly V. Dan wanted the diamond to be about 1CT, and he wanted it to have beautiful specifications while also saving money on the stone and ultimately the ring.

I told Dan that his request was right up my alley, because I specialize in hand-selecting diamonds with an eye to achieving our client’s objectives. As it turned out, the diamond that we placed in Dan’s ring was one of the most gorgeous diamonds I have ever seen, and here is the story of how we created not only the engagement ring but a bridal set which Kelly now wears with pride.

The diamond was to be a marquise, and so I set about examining diamonds in the 1CT range. The one that Dan and I selected was 0.93CT with an excellent length and proportions: 10.59mm x 5.24mm.  I love to place very long marquise diamonds, because they often look like a larger carat weight than they really are. This occurs when the depth of the diamond is a bit shallow, so there is more “real estate,” so to speak, in the length and the width.

This diamond had the almost perfect 2:1 length to width ratio that is considered ideal in a marquise diamond, and it had the visual appearance of a diamond of a little over 1CT. Granted, you may find diamonds bigger or smaller for varying carat weights, but this size does appear to be typical of diamonds slightly over 0.93CT.

I usually pledge that your diamond will have D-E-F color, but if there is a strong reason to accept a G or H color, we may propose this. In this case, the diamond was absolutely perfect in every way for my customer, so I did suggest that he accept the G color.

In fact, two of this diamond’s characteristics resulted in savings: One was the 0.93CT weight, which was a little under 1 whole carat; and the second was the color, which was G. Top of the range is D-E-F, which are the “colorless” ratings, but “G” is the very top of the near-colorless rating, and to the untrained eye, there is no difference to be discerned. It takes a trained gemologist with the proper equipment to discern such minute differences in color.

The savings on the color and carat weight were spent on the VS2 clarity rating of this diamond. The diamond had an EGL certificate, not a GIA certificate, but I guarantee that the specs for every diamond will be confirmed by a GIA analysis, should you ever decide to have one done. And if the specs are not confirmed, I’ll replace your diamond for you.

I often marvel that diamonds are not rated for beauty and sparkle on the hand, when those are the most important things. But who would buy a diamond with a low sparkle rating? So we are all subject to the famous 4 C’s: color, cut, clarity, and carat weight, and then we must evaluate sparkle for ourselves when we get the diamond in. The verdict on this diamond? It sparkled immensely! It was downright gorgeous and was one of the most sparkling diamonds I had ever seen.

I sent the diamond to Dan, who took it to two diamond dealers in Manhattan’s 47th St. Diamond District. Both of them declared the diamond specs and the price to be just right, so back the diamond came to me for the ring to be made.

Shortly after Dan took delivery of the finished, 14K yellow gold, four-band, marquise diamond puzzle ring, he sent me pictures of his proposal and his beautiful fiancée. Below see the ring in the glass slipper on a bed of rose petals.

 

 

In early 2015, Kelly approached me about creating a claddagh shadow band accented with diamonds to go with her puzzle ring.

Kelly wanted a diamond in each cuff of the claddagh symbol, and after some back and forth with regards to design, Fedex picked up her ring, so we could make her band.

The first step was a hand-carved wax, from which the wedding band would be cast.

January, 2018 update: At this moment, we do not have a hand-wax carver with the skill to make this shadow band. We will update this page the moment that changes. 

 

Once Kelly and I had approved her wax, it was cast in 14K yellow gold, and two 0.06CT diamonds were added into the cuffs.

Now, a little less than a year later, the happy couple has shared wedding pictures