Comfort and style : essential in a unique design

While design is usually subjective as it involves personal tastes and preferences, there are certain guidelines that will help create a piece of jewellery that is not only functional, comfortable and easy to wear, yet sparkles like the sun. Because who wants a piece of jewellery that is pretty but not being able to wear because it feels odd ON you rather than off you?

Especially in custom-order pieces, where design is usually unique and one-of-a-kind, comfort is almost an essential part of the entire jewellery-customisation experience.

If you have experienced wearing rings where you feel like the sides of the band is just “too scratchy” or the sides of the band are just too angular. Perhaps you feel too much of the ring, or for some odd reason, it just does not feel right. Well, you are not alone. How about earrings that make your lobes feel painful or heavy after wearing them for too long or just simply a couple of hours a day?

Firstly, the quality of the gold used is important. As well, the expertise in bench jewellery craftsmanship and also expertise and skillset in executing a proper polish of the gold plays a significant role in ensuring one feels comfortable every single time you put your ring on, or wear that pair of special earrings.

Ever experienced wearing a band and not liking the feel of the ring because the band of the ring is either too narrow, too thick or too wide? Then, you are not alone. Read on below.

At times, a design calls for an asymmetrical look. And an asymmetrical design not executed well may result in the ring feeling heavier on one side than the other, due to weight of stones. Experience and skill is required to find the centre of gravity of the ring.

In this post, we feature asymmetrical designed rings that not only looks elegant, but feels very comfortable to wear. As seen from the reflection in the photo, there is a certain thickness and width to the band that is ideal given the relative overall size and weight of the “head” of the ring. The head of the ring is where the gemstones and diamonds sit. There is no set / given formula or ratio to follow on what the ideal width of the band should be. However, being able to handcraft a uniquely-designed ring that looks nice and feels great requires a bench jeweller or a master craftsperson with decades of experience under his / her belt.

Contact us at heritagegems@gmail.com today to have a chat about creating your unique one of a kind, in a great comfortable wear. Did we mention it’s non-obligatory? 😉

Sapphire ring with Diamonds and Grey Sapphire side stones in 18K White Gold
Aquamarine with Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond side stones in 18K Rose Gold
Aquamarine with Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond side stones in 18K Rose Gold

Unheated Purple Sapphire Earrings

Purple sapphires are a beauty in their own right.

In the local jewellery scene, both online and in real life, we don’t see purple sapphires featured often enough. But it is a beautiful colour to wear. The jewellery piece should be designed and styled to fit the owner and the of course, the gemstone.

Design Brief:

Our client came through with a request for green and purple with wholly natural, unheated gemstones, but “I don’t want it to look too loud”. It was a design task that needed some planning.

Set in a classic style, with a combination of colours that are not only bold but in fact, complement each other. A lot of thought has gone into the design of this pair of earrings, to create that effortlessly simple yet classy look.

Design Outcome:

Featured in this pair of earrings is a pair of unheated purple sapphire, with green tsavorites and diamonds.

Against a backdrop of glistening diamonds, the rich hues of the tsavorite with the cool purples of the sapphires make for a pretty pair. Bold, yet so easily wearable.

Notes about Purple Sapphires:

Until we actually set our minds to sourcing for a pair of unheated purple sapphires, one would never know the difficulty in finding such a pair. Firstly, as most would know, Sapphires are more often seen in blue, red, pink or yellow. Purple sapphires are in fact, not as common. In addition, sourcing for an unheated, matching pair required a fair bit of time and luck.

Unheated purple sapphires are a beauty in their own right because a vast majority of purple sapphires available in the jewellery market is heated. Heating is done to improve colour saturation of a gemstone. That being said, purple is a saturated hue that is not easy to come by. So, you can imagine the delight in stumbling upon this pair of unheated purple sapphires.

Yellow Sapphire and Ruby Nesting Rings

Below features a nesting ring that stacks a beautiful trillion shaped yellow sapphire alongside diamonds and rubies. A beautiful colour combination of yellow, with flashes of red and that extra sparkle from diamonds. We can see how the yellow sapphire and ruby nesting ring looks like, both together and separately.

Nesting rings allow owners a fun way of expressing their personalities through design and colour. There are very few “don’t”s in ring stacking. Feel free to incorporate coloured gemstones in your upcoming ring stack. You could add your birthstones, or select certain coloured gemstones that have a special meaning to you, for example: an anniversary date or month. If it was an anniversary ring, the gemstones could be a combination of both you and your partner’s birthstone. Or, it could also be a family stacking ring, representing birthstones of your partner alongside your children.

Stacking / nesting rings are a great way of commemorating and honouring a certain special occasion or a significant life event. Or even simply a particular coloured gemstone you identify with, despite not having any special significance.

Some folks select their gemstones based on their children’s birth month and corresponding birthstone.

Nesting rings do not need to all fit perfectly. As long as when all the rings are worn, they should create a fairly cohesive look. For example, nesting ring stacks do not all have to be of the same width. As seen in the photos above, some portions of the ruby and diamond ring are of different widths. But as a whole, when both rings are worn, they look like they belong together as a set.

Nesting and stacking rings help us create keepsakes that tell our moments and our stories we hold close to our hearts.

Whimsical, bespoke and fun cocktail earrings

Did you know that fun cocktail earrings and jewellery is not just limited to engagement and wedding jewellery? It was truly a unique and bespoke piece of jewellery for a client whose style and personality is reminiscent of a time past yet ever so modern. A fairly abstract mix of jewellery is what our client loves to match-and-wear.

The gemstones were handed down to our client from her grandmother. Up until the time she met us, she was unable to decide what to do with her coloured stones! That’s when she enlisted our help So we started with the design discussion and consultation stage. Ideas flowed and what resulted was a whimsical, bespoke and bold piece of jewellery that she could wear with all her other jewellery handed down from her grandmother, in one great eclectic mix.

Fun cocktail jewellery hold special meaning to its owner. Who ever said fine jewellery is strictly limited to engagement and wedding occasions only? 🙂

As with every piece of handcrafted jewellery that goes through the hands of our artisans here at Heritage Gems, right from drawing board to the final piece that ends up in our clients hands, great care is taken every step of the way.

Work in Progress Photos

From the jeweller’s bench, artisans delicately handcrafts the pieces that come together to make the complete jewellery.

Before you know it, we’ve handcrafted a stunning, whimsical pair of earrings in a beautiful colourway of gold, black and red.

Voila! A pair of bold, whimsical earrings that our client is very happy with! Customised bespoke jewellery doesn’t have to be overpriced nor overly grandiose in design. It just has to be fitting and paired just right for its owner.

This is the beauty of customised pieces and what sets customised jewellery apart from ready-to-wear pieces. Customise your jewellery with the correct artisans and you will have a stunning piece of jewellery that fits like a glove and accentuates your best features.

Our client review below:

If you are considering to customise a bespoke piece of your own, a piece specially crafted for yourself, contact us at 97716923. It’s an obligation-free consultation.

inspiration on other projects that are also fun cocktail pieces? Click below:

Imperial Topaz Gold Ring

What is the most valuable type of Topaz?

Yes, you’ve guessed right. It is the Imperial Topaz, which typically comes in shades of rich golden yellow, orange, (think sunset colours), to the most prized colour of Imperial Topaz: the pink-red, red hues.

A request came from a client to have a matching Imperial Topaz ring to her current pair of Imperial Topaz earrings (also crafted in-house, by yours truly).

So, we set about sourcing a matching piece of Imperial Topaz for her.

Imperial Topaz Ring in 18K Natural Gold
Golden Sunset colour of the Imperial Topaz

We had crafted this beautiful golden sunset-hued Imperial Topaz in our in-house blend of natural gold, with gold purity at 18K (750). Making this ring in the traditional rich shade of 18K Yellow Gold would have been too much of a clash of gold hues with the centre Imperial Topaz.

Prices of Imperial Topaz

Often times, people are of the impression that the Topaz is an easily available, abundantly occurring, hence low-cost gemstone. This is however not at all true. Topazes come in several colours, including deep blue, teal, Swiss blue (bright vivid candy blue), light brown, brown-grey, taupe tones, as well as colour-less. Topazes in all the above-mentioned shades are not overly pricey and can be had for an affordable price. Prices of Imperial Topaz in a nice warm yellow colour for sizes below 5cts can range between USD 600 – 800/ct.

The joy in appreciating the beauty of the Topaz is that it is a naturally eye-clean and usually loupe-clean gemstone.

Imperial Topaz which are of a beautiful golden sunset colour and also those with orange / peach undertones, well-cut pieces will easily fetch prices between USD 900 – 1200/ct in sizes under 5cts.

Additionally, Imperial Topaz in the most rare colours of red and pink-reds will easily fetch prices of USD 3500 and upwards. Sizes above 5 cts are rarely seen.

Natural or Non-natural?

Most Blue and Brown Topazes seen in commercial shops are very often irradiated or heat treated to achieve these shades / colours. However, true Imperial Topazes are never irradiated / heat treated / chemical treated in any way. Hence the term “Imperial Topaz” is reserved strictly for Topaz in that distinctive golden yellow, sunset yellow, red and pink Topazes that are 100% natural with no heating, chemical treatment or irradiation.

Our client did not want for diamonds on her beautiful ring so instead, we decided to craft a ring for her showcasing a beautiful and elegant gallery (notice the curved, flower petal structure on the side view of the ring below the centre Topaz).

Check out a video of this mesmerising Imperial Topaz ring on our client here on Instagram (@heritagegems):

Join us at SJGF 2018, Marina Bay Sands, 26th – 29th October 2018. Exclusive Promotion awaits!

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We will be showcasing our latest collection of unheated Sapphires, Malaia Garnets, Tsavorite Garnets, Spinels, in a wide assortment of colours, including our new ready-to-wear collection.

26th October (Friday)  – 29th October (Monday), drop by Marina Bay Sands, Booth F112 to view.

Customise your art pieces with us at the show, in time for Christmas!

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Book a customised order with us at this fair from 26 – 29 October and take $300 off your total bill. Applicable to all customised jewellery, including wedding bands and wedding jewellery.

Quote “IGOCT2018” at booth #F112 this weekend. Valid only during above dates, only at Marina Bay Sands Expo Hall. Not valid post-event.

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