Best Engagement Rings with Different Gemstones

Round Blue Sapphire Antique Engagement Ring with Pave Diamonds in 18k White Gold (8 mm)

A lovely medium blue sapphire stands proud as the centerpiece with round brilliant diamonds spilling elegantly over the white gold band. A truly sophisticated piece, that exudes sheer elegance.

*****

Cushion Ruby Ring with Pave Diamonds in 18k White Gold (9X7 mm)

Exquisite and elaborate, the cushion ruby captures center stage, while brilliant pave set diamonds on both sides add to its shimmer. Double prong setting adds a unique look to the ring.

*****

Solitaire Round Emerald Sleek Curved Shank Ring in 14k White Gold (6 mm)

The dainty design showcases a lovely emerald. You'll be flattered by the scrumptious display of color and luster as the round emerald catches the ray of light.

*****

Oval Tanzanite and Diamond Three-Stone Ring with Diamond Accents in 14k White Gold (6X4 mm)

This three-stone ring with diamond accents is elegant and fun. Two round brilliant diamonds and diamond accents on the sides create the perfect complement to the vibrant tanzanite. An ideal piece for everyday wear.

*****

Round Diamond Five-Stone Ring in 18k White Gold

Bar-set baguette and round diamonds add character and appeal to the full cut round diamond in the center. She will be flattered by the look of all diamonds and no visible metal on her finger.

*****

Best Engagement Rings with Different Gemstones

Round Blue Sapphire Antique Engagement Ring with Pave Diamonds in 18k White Gold (8 mm)

A lovely medium blue sapphire stands proud as the centerpiece with round brilliant diamonds spilling elegantly over the white gold band. A truly sophisticated piece, that exudes sheer elegance.

*****

Cushion Ruby Ring with Pave Diamonds in 18k White Gold (9X7 mm)

Exquisite and elaborate, the cushion ruby captures center stage, while brilliant pave set diamonds on both sides add to its shimmer. Double prong setting adds a unique look to the ring.

*****

Solitaire Round Emerald Sleek Curved Shank Ring in 14k White Gold (6 mm)

The dainty design showcases a lovely emerald. You'll be flattered by the scrumptious display of color and luster as the round emerald catches the ray of light.

*****

Oval Tanzanite and Diamond Three-Stone Ring with Diamond Accents in 14k White Gold (6X4 mm)

This three-stone ring with diamond accents is elegant and fun. Two round brilliant diamonds and diamond accents on the sides create the perfect complement to the vibrant tanzanite. An ideal piece for everyday wear.

*****

Round Diamond Five-Stone Ring in 18k White Gold

Bar-set baguette and round diamonds add character and appeal to the full cut round diamond in the center. She will be flattered by the look of all diamonds and no visible metal on her finger.

*****

Best Engagement Rings with Different Gemstones

Round Blue Sapphire Antique Engagement Ring with Pave Diamonds in 18k White Gold (8 mm)

A lovely medium blue sapphire stands proud as the centerpiece with round brilliant diamonds spilling elegantly over the white gold band. A truly sophisticated piece, that exudes sheer elegance.

*****

Cushion Ruby Ring with Pave Diamonds in 18k White Gold (9X7 mm)

Exquisite and elaborate, the cushion ruby captures center stage, while brilliant pave set diamonds on both sides add to its shimmer. Double prong setting adds a unique look to the ring.

*****

Solitaire Round Emerald Sleek Curved Shank Ring in 14k White Gold (6 mm)

The dainty design showcases a lovely emerald. You'll be flattered by the scrumptious display of color and luster as the round emerald catches the ray of light.

*****

Oval Tanzanite and Diamond Three-Stone Ring with Diamond Accents in 14k White Gold (6X4 mm)

This three-stone ring with diamond accents is elegant and fun. Two round brilliant diamonds and diamond accents on the sides create the perfect complement to the vibrant tanzanite. An ideal piece for everyday wear.

*****

Round Diamond Five-Stone Ring in 18k White Gold

Bar-set baguette and round diamonds add character and appeal to the full cut round diamond in the center. She will be flattered by the look of all diamonds and no visible metal on her finger.

*****

Shirl has tatted another bookmark to keep on hand for gifts. This one measures 5 1/2 inches in HH Lizbeth thread size 20 color 691.

LauraRose has tatted Jon's Quantiesque snowflake in another Perle 8 thread.

Wanda tatted a horseshoe to go with her horse's head, although it looks a bit more like a U. That kind of thing happens when the family is visiting. She plans to re-do it and tweak the design since the colour doesn't go well with the horsehead she's done.

TattingChic found a wonderful antique tatted collar comprised of medallions with needle lace centres. The individual motifs have been tied together as you would expect in an antique piece, but the outer border is a cloverleaf edging that uses the standard joins. This looks like it might be a transition piece created just at the time when tatters started using joins.

A White House Wedding!

Before you get too excited, the wedding didn't take place at The White House (how cool would that be?) but the bride is the President's Director of Domestic Policy so it seemed like most of The West Wing turned out for the event. This is a continuation of the original blog I posted right after the wedding when it appeared in the Post and the NY Times. Now I have photos!

The wedding of Melody and Marland capped off an amazing Spring/Summer wedding season for me. I have had the most amazing clients and truly wonderful events all year long and this wedding was the cherry on top. First off, I adored the couple and had the best time working with them. They were both funny and fun and knew exactly the type of wedding they wanted (which makes my job so much easier). They were also fast decision-makers and had exquisite taste (two more big pluses in my book). Plus, they were very conscious about being as eco-friendly as possible and insisted on sourcing as much locally as possible.

Melody and Marland wanted a beautiful and joyfully reverent ceremony followed by an elegant yet fun reception, both with some surprises for guests and plenty of WOW factor. And that is exactly what they got!

June 13th was a gorgeous day and everything was going well: the set-up at The Mellon was buzzing right along, the bride was calmly having makeup done by Carl Ray and we were on schedule. We knew that the Gay Pride parade would be blocking off streets between the hotel and church so we had already rerouted every limo and shuttle to avoid hold-ups. With the help of the amazing Park Hyatt staff and security and my fabulous assistants Alison and Grace, everyone was loaded smoothly into cars and made it to the church early and before any roads were closed.

The ladies at Peoples Congregation United Church of Christ helped ensure that the ceremony went off without a hitch. The church looked stunning with flowers coordinating with the stained glass windows and the ceremony music was gorgeous. At the end of the ceremony, we surprised the guests with the St. Martin's Catholic Church gospel choir singing "Rejoice" from the balcony as the bride and groom kissed. Guests were clapping and singing along with the choir's amazing energy. I've never seen people come out of a ceremony smiling so wide! Another special detail about the gospel choir: they use all proceeds for community outreach in the city.

After the ceremony, the couple took the wedding party and did some shots at the monuments with Greg Gibson while guests enjoyed cocktails at The Mellon.

As you probably know if you've been following the blog, I love The Mellon! Each wedding I have done there has been so different. What I loved about this wedding was the simplicity of the decor. The bride and groom love a clean modern look so Jeff with Capital Decor and Events created three different tablescapes that incorporated orchids, river rocks, bamboo and water. We used a mix of steel gray linens on rounds and long rustic wooden tables with rock runners. Then John Farr Lighting made everything look sultry and amazing with just the right lighting.

For a fun detail, some tables had a single orchid tucked into the napkins, some had a smooth black rock on top and some had crisscrossed bamboo across the plate. The natural elements mixed with the modern created a fabulous look! We even clustered couches and mirrored cube tables around the dance floor to create a sleek lounge environment.

Carolyn Bushmeyer designed the wedding cake with scrollwork taken from the bride and groom's custom invitations. The couple chose carrot cake for the inside (yum!) with one layer of plain vanilla for those less carrot-inclined. The unflappable Joel with Occasions Caterers worked with us to create an amazing menu (the bride and groom are true foodies) and one that was completely locally sourced. Nothing came from more than 100 miles away! The couple wanted the dinner to be memorable; we even served the entree in black bento boxes. After dinner, waiters passed mini ice cream cones and tiny cherry cobblers. I am a huge cobbler fan (as is the bride) so this was right up my alley!

After dinner and some lovely toasts and dances, local celebrity hip-hop DJ Chuck "Dirty Hands" took over and kept the dance floor hopping.

When guests needed a break from the hip-hop scene, they could retreat upstairs to the balcony lounge we set up with funky furniture and lighting (and some low-key jazz). The weather was perfect and what view could be better than looking out at the monuments?

This was truly a magnificent event and one I was honored to be a part of. Thanks to Melody and Marland for letting me be a part of their gorgeous wedding day.

A huge thanks to the amazing Engaging Affairs team who helped me throughout the day and night: Christine, Ashley, Maeve, Grace, Erica and Alison. Big shout-outs to the fabulous vendors who make my job fun: John Farr Lighting, All Stage and Sound, UniPark Valet, makeup artist Leah McKay (who took care of all the bridesmaids), American Sedan who provided all the transportation and successfully navigated around a parade, Sugarplum Tents for the catering tent at The Mellon, and The Park Hyatt and Amal Zaari for taking great care of the guests and hosting a flawless rehearsal dinner and brunch.

And lots of hugs and kisses to phenomenal photographer Greg Gibson, who graciously maneuvered around lots of newspaper paparazzi to get the most amazing shots so he could share them with us. Thank you!

Laura

10k White Gold or Yellow Gold Channel-Set Diamond Band (H/I2-I3, 1/2 ct. tw.)

White Gold or Yellow Gold Channel-Set Diamond Band

Women's Wedding Bands: White Gold Channel-Set Diamond Rings

Wedding Bands: Yellow Gold Channel-Set Diamond Rings

High-polish gold ring featuring channel-set round diamonds. These gorgeous bands compliment engagement rings perfectly. Diamond weight is 1/2 carat. Clarity is I2-I3 which means flaws will be visible with naked eye.

view customer reviews at Amazon

List Price: $550.00
Price: $259.00
You Save: $291.00 (52%)

10k White Gold or Yellow Gold Channel-Set Diamond Band (H/I2-I3, 1/2 ct. tw.)

White Gold or Yellow Gold Channel-Set Diamond Band

Women's Wedding Bands: White Gold Channel-Set Diamond Rings

Wedding Bands: Yellow Gold Channel-Set Diamond Rings

High-polish gold ring featuring channel-set round diamonds. These gorgeous bands compliment engagement rings perfectly. Diamond weight is 1/2 carat. Clarity is I2-I3 which means flaws will be visible with naked eye.

view customer reviews at Amazon

List Price: $550.00
Price: $259.00
You Save: $291.00 (52%)

Diamond Clarity - Flawless, VVS2, Or SI1? A Rating Guide

What does Clarity mean?

When you are shopping for a diamond engagement ring, a diamond pendant, diamond earrings, or any piece of diamond jewelry; one important factor is the "Clarity" of the diamonds that you choose. Clarity is one of the 4Cs that are used in setting the price of diamonds. The definition of clarity is "the quality or state of being clear". Having a diamond without anything inside of it is extremely rare, especially in larger diamonds. Because of this rarity factor, as a diamond becomes "cleaner" it also becomes more expensive.

Of all the diamonds that are mined every year, only about 20% are "clean enough" to be used in diamond jewelry with the other 80% of the diamonds being used for industrial purposes. So if you have a diamond with the highest possible clarity grade then it really is one in a million, making it even that much more special!

What makes up the Clarity of a diamond?

The two factors that will determine a diamond's clarity are the things that are on the outside, these are called blemishes, and the stuff on the inside of the diamond, these are called inclusions. A diamond will almost always have some other things that were caught up inside of it as it was growing below the surface of the earth. Because diamonds are on average 3.3 billions years old, they have grown very slowly. As they grew, the diamond encountered other materials in their neighborhood where they were formed. The process of having something "included" inside of a diamond crystal took hundreds, thousands, or millions of years to happen. So when you see inclusions inside of a diamond it is like looking back in time over millions or even billions of years. Diamonds most commonly have other diamonds captured inside of them... that's pretty cool, you get more than one diamond with your purchase!

Common inclusions are as follows-

* Clouds

* Feathers

* Included crystals or minerals

* Cavities

* Cleavage

* Bearding

* Internal graining

* Needles

* Twinning wisps

Blemishes are the things on the outside of the diamond. Most of these are a result of the diamond cutting process and could be removed by a diamond cutter. These are not such serious items and usually don't play a major part in determining the clarity grade of a diamond.

Common blemishes are as follows-

* Polish lines

* External Graining

* Naturals

* Knots

* Scratches

* Nicks

* Pits

* Chips

* Fracture

* Extra facets

* Cavity

The clarity grades are as follows-

FL (Flawless)- No inclusions or blemishes of any sort under 10x magnification when observed by an experienced grader.

IF (Internally Flawless)- Has no inclusions when examined by an experienced grader using 10x magnification, but will still have some minor blemishes.

VVS1 and VVS2 (Very, Very Slightly Included)- Contains minute inclusions that are difficult even for experienced graders to see under 10x magnification.

VS1 and VS2 (Very Slightly Included)- Contains minute inclusions such as small crystals, clouds or feathers, when observed with effort under 10x magnification.

SI1 and SI2 (Slightly Included)- Contains inclusions (clouds, included crystals, knots, cavities, and feathers) that are noticeable to an experienced grader under 10x magnification.

I1, I2, I3 (Included)- Contains inclusions (possibly large feathers or large included crystals) that are obvious under 10x magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance.

It is the combination of the inclusions and the blemishes along with their size, their number, their position, their nature, and their color that will determine a diamond's clarity. There are a lot of variables involved in making a diamond a certain clarity... it is because diamonds are kind of like snowflakes, where each one is different.

A bit of history about the Clarity system.

Currently we have a diamond clarity grading system that everyone understands and has worked well for many years... it wasn't always this way. Years ago, if someone was describing the clarity of a diamond and they said that it was a "clean", a "piqué", or a "loupe clean" diamond, would you know what they meant?

Richard T. Liddicoat of the Gemological Institute of America introduced the current system in 1953 and it was immediately adopted as the universal system to classify the clarity of a diamond. The eleven different clarity grades communicate the clarity quality of a diamond regardless of the geographic location or the language of the consumer.

Along with the definition of these eleven clarity grades, GIA also states that the clarity grading be done by a trained person using a controlled "darkfield" lighting environment, and a 10X magnification corrected for spherical and chromatic aberration. Wow! that sounds pretty technical! however it's relatively easy to understand this system.

How will you be able to know the Clarity of a diamond?

You, a person who is not fully trained in this system, probably might not be able to accurately determine the clarity grade of a diamond. A Gemologist who has been trained as to all the variables involved will be able to determine the clarity grade and they will also be able to show you why a diamond is a certain clarity.

The best way to be assured of the clarity of a diamond will be to have a diamond grading report issued by a credible gemological laboratory. The best reports will be from GIA, AGSL, or GCAL. These nationally known and well respected labs do use a number of graders who must agree on all of the qualities of the diamond before a report is issued.

What is the best Diamond Clarity for me?

The price of diamonds will change, go up or go down, as the clarity moves higher or lower. For diamonds in the most common color, cut, and weight range, as a general rule, look for about a 15 to 20% change in pricing for each change in clarity. A diamond with a clarity grade of FL (Flawless) is no more beautiful than a diamond with a clarity grade of SI1 (Slightly Included 1) but a FL clarity can be more than twice the price of a SI1 diamond.

From the FL to the SI1 clarity grades, any inclusions and/or blemishes are only visible when you look at them using 10X magnification. I don't know of anyone who walks around with a 10X magnifier in their pocket in order to look at people's diamonds... sorry, let me correct that, I don't know of anyone except for jewelers and Gemologists (including myself) that walk around with a 10X magnifier in their pocket.

You will need to see for yourself what these different clarity grades actually look like. I know many people who have looked at the clarity grading chart and see that the VVS2 or VS1 are "in the middle" of the chart so they think it is what they would like to consider when buying a diamond.

There are only a few diamonds that can fit into the nearly impossible FL and IF grades and just a few more diamonds that are able to fit into the extremely tight VVS1 and VVS2 grades... a single tiny, microscopic, pinpoint inclusion will easily move a diamond out of these grades. As you move down into the VS, SI, and I grades it widens out and many move diamonds will fit into these grades. SI1 is more "in the middle" than either VVS2 or VS1.

Find a good Gemologist to teach you or do some research online about diamond clarity grades, it's really not too complicated. When you buy larger diamonds, make sure they come along with a diamond grading report that you trust.

Buy Bud Boland

Diamond Choice

The precision of the cut determines the maximum amount of light that will be reflected through the diamond. When a diamond is cut to good proportions light is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the crown or the top of the stone. Put another way, when light shines on a diamond, the light bounces through the diamond and reflects back out the top. The diamond will sparkle, is lively and dancing with spectral color or some use the term "fire". The best cut or Ideal Cut Diamond is not cheap but is worth every extra dollar.

The Cut of the diamond can be also graded into groups: Ideal, Premium, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

An Ideal Cut or Excellent cut diamond will give you the maximum brilliance or sparkle. Diamond jewelry with Ideal round cut Diamonds are some of the finest money can buy and wonderful to own.

A Premium cut, also known as Fine, is a diamond that is graded just below the ideal cut. A premium cut diamond is still one of the finest and will give you maximum brilliance or sparkle. A Diamond Pendant with a premium cut round diamond will be beautiful, will sparkle and be a joy to own.

A Very Good cut is a grade just outside the tolerance of an ideal/premium cut and will reflect most of the light that goes into the diamond. In some cases a decision was made to create a larger diamond rather than to cut into the diamond to create the proper proportions that would give an ideal cut. The price of this diamond will be slightly lower than a premium or ideal cut diamond.

When a diamond is graded as Good much of the light will be reflected to give a sparkle. Diamonds cut with a good proportion have been cut to maximize the size of the diamond and not the brilliance. Diamond Jewelry with good diamonds will be offered with great cost savings. If you are looking for a larger diamond and want to stay within a budget this would be a good consideration that will give you size and also quality.

Fair to Poor cut diamonds are below average and will reflect only a small amount of light. These diamonds have been cut to maximize the size with little consideration to quality.

Diamonds are cut in different shapes. Some of the most popular shapes are brilliant, marquise, pear, emerald, oval, heart, square. The shape of the diamond you choice is just that your choice. The only other thing to consider is a round cut diamond will give you the more sparkle as compared to a pear shape.

COLOR grading scale varies from totally colorless which are rare beautiful diamonds to a light fancy. Our online jewelry store, Golddiamondspro offers you some Diamond Rings with colorless graded diamond with the majority of our Diamond Jewelry offered with diamonds graded G-H Color.

Grading

D, E, F - Colorless, exceptional white, highest color grade and a rare diamond

G, H, I, J - Near colorless and exceptional value

K, L, M, N - Slightly tinted giving you good value

M, N - Tinted

O, P,Q - Very light yellow

R, S,T - Light yellow

U, V, W - Yellow

X, Y, Z - Light fancy

CLARITY is graded with the use of a magnification corrected loupe 10x magnification by a trained professional. With this magnification they are able to see characteristics or inclusions that make every diamond quite unique. These inclusions are nature's fingerprints and neither detracts from its beauty nor jeopardizes its durability. It is the number, nature, position, size and color of these inclusions and how easily they are to see that will determine the grade of a diamond. Clarity is graded from flawless to heavily included inclusions.

Pure flawless diamond has no internal faults or inclusions when examined by a professional using 10x magnification loupe.

VvS1 - Very, very Small Inclusions with internal faults that is difficult for a professional to observe but with a minor fault cannot be designated as flawless.

VvS2 - Very, very Small Inclusions with internal faults but minor and cannot be designated as flawless.

VS1, VS2 - Very Small Inclusions in a diamond that is difficult for a professional to find using a magnification loupe. They may fine a few somewhat larger internal characteristics or several very small ones.

SI1, SI2 - Professional Grade using 10 x magnification loupe may, without difficulty, find internal characteristics or inclusions which may only have insignificant single fault.

I1, I2, I3 - Professional Grade I is used for diamonds which a professional observer with a naked eye can see internal flaws and/or have such major faults which reduces the value of the diamond.

CARAT-WEIGHT or size of the diamond is divided into 100 "points" which is One Carat. A diamond of 25 points is described as quarter of a carat or 0.25 carat, 50 points would be .50 carat or ½ carat, and ¾ carat in weight is 0.75 carat. There are five carats in a gram.

Which Diamond Should you buy? Size is one of the most obvious factors in determining the value of a diamond but now you know that two diamonds of equal size can have very different values depending on their quality. The cut, color, and clarity are important factors to consider when looking at the value of diamond jewelry. To purchase the best diamond ring, bracelet, earrings or necklace look for the least amount of color and an ideal cut. This will be the most expensive but beautiful and definitely the finest you can buy. If your funds are limited then buy the finest cut you can. Buy now at GoldDiamondsPro choicing the factors that are the most important to you.

By Elsie Coates