Featured here is a yellow sapphire ring set in a 3D spiral concept in 18K white gold and diamonds. Unique, beautiful and an eye-catcher from all angles.
Each spoke is individually hand welded onto the frame of the ring, which is then followed by a diamond at the end of each spoke. Seated in the centre is a round yellow sapphire, akin to a budding flower.
With so many choices of gemstones out there, why stick to just sapphires for an engagement ring?
Spinels have long been used in fine jewellery. With lustre and brilliance that is comparable and sometimes even rivals that of sapphires, it is not surprising that its popularity has been rising in recent years as people become more aware of this precious gem. Unlike sapphires, spinels are typically unheated as well.
Since ancient times, spinels have long been used on royalty crowns and jewels. And back when technology was not as advanced, people often mistook spinels for corundums (sapphires/rubies) because of its high lustre, being very similar to sapphires.
As far as hardness on the MOH scale, spinels do not fall far behind sapphires, which makes them just as suitable as engagement rings and rings that one would wear on a more regular occasion.
Set in 18K rose gold that beautifully complements the deep red of this spinel, this spinel engagement ring is definitely one of a kind.
A recently completed set of jewellery for an esteemed client who was looking for a complete set of jewellery for her engagement. Our client does not reside in Singapore.
She was intrigued by pink colour gemstones but was not sure of which gemstones were a good colour with nice lustre and brilliancy for her specific budget. After much detailed discussions and understanding her requirements, we finally decided on sourcing Pink Tourmalines to make a pair of earrings and a ring.
We managed to source an almost identical pair of Pink Tourmalines. However, due to our strict in-house Quality Control and exacting standards, we were unable to set this into a pair of earrings for our client since the original size of the gemstones were not an exact matching pair in terms of size. At Heritage Gems, re-cutting gemstones is not an issue. Photo above was before re-cut.
While the gemstones were being sent to the re-cutting process, we proceeded on design & sketches for the complete set of jewellery.
The final set below, completed. Sweet, beautiful and simple. Pair of drop earrings and ring set in 18K white gold with Brilliant Pink Tourmalines.
A beautiful bride and a loving mother. Necklace and Bracelet in 18k white gold and diamonds.
We had a client come to us late last year, with a specific request for a pair of yellow sapphires to be made into earrings. She was after pear-shaped sapphires, in a nice bright yellow hue that would complement her nice tan, in an ideal size that would complement her frame and build. The key factors in looking for matching pair of gemstones to be set into earrings are:
1. identical shape & size
2. both gemstones should ideally be of matching hue and saturation (for certain types of gemtones, this criteria borders on near-impossible. Eg: Emeralds. This criteria is even more difficult to fulfill if the client would like for the gems to be unheated/non-treated). Reason: 100% natural gemstones may not be exactly identical in hue and saturation due to the fact that these gems are obtained from different locations within the same mine. Being 100% natural, no two gemstones will be exactly alike – Similarly, no two fingerprints will be exactly identical.
3. almost similar levels of clarity
So, our client’s request certainly was difficult, but for Heritage Gems – it was not impossible. In the early weeks, we chanced upon this pair of oval-shaped yellow sapphires, that were not in the shape as per client’s request.
However, this was not a problem for us as we have the facilities to re-cut, re-facet and re-polish the gems to her requirement. So our design discussions with our client began. She wanted the yellow sapphires to be the feature colour of her earrings. Preferring that pave diamonds (if any) would not distract the attention away from the beautiful colour of her sapphires. She’d envisioned the finished look to be simple, classy, yet stunning. Final look of the earrings are below.
Timeline for customised fine jewellery, depending on client’s requirements and level of complexity can range anywhere from 3 months – 9 months.
A close-up shot of one side of the earrings
A discerning client had chosen to have her bridal jewellery done by Heritage Gems. A stunning, fairy-like diamond necklace and bracelet, adorned the bride on her special day, complementing her bridal gown. Needless to say, this was a stunning bride. A complete set of necklace and bracelet in 18K white gold, totalling 7.07 carats worth of diamonds.
Our bride was quite particular about her jewellery. It had to be a matching set with her own pair of earrings that she had already intended to wear on her big day. It required one month from conceptualisation of design, going through a few revisions and finally the bride was happy with what was on the drawing board. The entire set was handcrafted in 3 months. Our pave diamonds are individually hand-picked to ensure a consistency in colour, clarity and exactness in size.
This being a custom-made order, our measurements of the jewellery were done with utmost precision. Notice how the necklace sits perfectly on the bride’s collar-bone, and the drop of the necklace sits beautifully just above the cleavage, complementing her bridal gown perfectly.
Photo courtesy of the bride’s friend. Diamond Necklace in 18k white gold, 4.5carats of hand-picked diamonds.
Diamond Bracelet in 18k white gold, 2.57carats of hand-picked diamonds.
We are featuring a pair of Yellow Sapphire Drop Earrings this week. Stylish and versatile enough for day-wear or that glamorous night out. Perfect for the splash of colour to your outfit. SGD6,500.
DAY WEAR
NIGHT GLAM
A glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes; one of our craftsmen, hand-mounting individual diamonds.
The finished product: a beautiful pair of diamond earrings. 3.25cts
Some people have come to me with their diamond rings and showed me that their solitaire diamond has chipped at the sides, or the girdle (in gemmology terms). They’re baffled and can’t understand why, as diamonds are “supposed” to be extremely hard.
Well, it is true that diamonds are hard, but they are not as tough. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, diamonds rank 10 which is the hardest possible, followed by Corundums (commonly known as Sapphires) which rank 9, followed by Quartz being a 7 and finally Talc rank 1, which is the softest possible. Hence, diamonds are hard: defined by being resistant to scratching, which means that a diamond can only be scratched by another diamond.
However, a diamond is not as tough as it is hard. Toughness is defined in gemmology as the resistance to breaking, chipping or cracking. Truth be told, because of diamonds’ crystalline structure, which has certain cleavages along certain planes; when hit at the correct angle, can actually cause the diamond to fracture or chip.
Bottom line: all forms of jewellery is an art form meant to be cherished, appreciated and well taken of. At all times, try not to wear your diamond or engagement ring when doing “heavy-duty” work. Take care when lifting or shifting any heavy-duty objects. If you suspect something does not look right with your jewellery, bring it to a jeweller you can trust (may or may not be the same jeweller who sold you the jewellery). Try to have your more precious jewellery cleaned, inspected and repolished every 1.5-2.5years. Yes, that includes platinum jewellery. Although, as far as we know, most jewellers will charge a nominal fee for repolishing. (Think of it as regular car-servicing sessions. You may not know there may be something wrong with your engine oil, or brake pads etc. But your technician will be able to tell. )
In designing this ring, I drew inspiration from the rich history depicted on the stained glass windows of the magnificent yet romantic churches in Italy. During the medieval times, apart from churches and public developments such as town halls, only the very wealthy could afford stained glass windows as part of their architecture in their homes. As well, the most appropriate gemstone to be paired with the romance of this ring was to go in search of a wine-coloured gemstone – and no other type of gemstone exudes this exact shade of berry wine colour, except the Rhodolite Garnets.
For a piece of Italy on your finger, retailing at SGD2,980.
18k white gold featuring a 6.6carat Rhodolite Garnet surrounded by diamonds.
