How to clean a diamond ring can be tricky
Jewellery makes for one of those special gifts, perfect for just about any occasion. Afterall, who doesn’t love receiving dazzling jewels to show off?
It can highlight how much you care for a person, and the recipient can show you how much they appreciate the gift by wearing it regularly. Most jewellery, particularly well-crafted pieces, will also turn into a gift that keeps on giving. A person can hand something treasured down through generations as a family heirloom, and you will always be part of that story.
So, how do you make sure that your present will hit the right spot? Follow these 5 valuable tips to picking the perfect jewellery gift and you will nail that gift every time.
1. Pay Attention to the Person You are Shopping For
When you start to research your gift, the person wearing the jewellery is more important than the jewellery itself. Pay attention to what they already have and what they like to wear. Obviously, it is not a good idea to get them something too like what they already own, but you can certainly draw inspiration from their favourite pieces.
Next, take note of what jewellery they wear. If the person wears a necklace that never gets taken off, buying them another one may not be a worthwhile gift as they are not likely to wear it. However, if they love to chop and change between different rings on their fingers, a special addition to their collection will likely go down a treat.
Finally, look at their style and fashion choices. Are they more into keeping up with current trends or do they prefer a timeless and classic look? Do they like big and shiny bling, or is understated and simple more their thing? All of this will help you narrow your search to a style.
2. Make Sure The Gift Matches The Relationship
Buying someone a diamond ring for their birthday when you may have only been dating for a short time is probably not going to go down well. On the other hand, a plain chain for a 25-year anniversary is not suitable either. You need to think about how well you know the person, what you mean to each other and what the occasion is.
Jewellery, especially something of quality, is often a statement about the relationship you have with the recipient. You wouldn’t necessarily buy the same item for a parent as you would for a significant other, even if both are celebrating a birthday. This is because different types of jewellery have different meanings or symbolism. A ring is seen as a commitment or a promise to someone and is usually reserved for romantic relationships.
The occasion for giving a gift is always a major consideration when shopping. If it’s a milestone anniversary or a big birthday you should definitely consider spending more or going for something a bit more timeless. For the years in between, you could have a bit more fun and think outside the box.
3. Remember That Size Matters
This goes back to considering the person you are buying the gift for and their specific tastes in fashion and jewellery. Say you have done your research and you have decided on a bracelet as the perfect gift. You need to make sure that your gift fits!
Firstly, the bracelet should fit comfortably around the wearer’s wrist – not too loose or too tight. Secondly, think about the size of the chain and the stones that make up the bracelet. Should they be small and delicate, or big and chunky? Neither is right or wrong on their own, but they can look very wrong on the wearer if they don’t suit their style.
Remember, bigger is not always better if the person will not want to wear it, and this goes for all jewellery types and gemstones too. While you may love the idea of splashing out on a huge sparkler, the recipient may not be wild about wearing such an obvious piece and would prefer a smaller, more subtle gift.
4. Get the Best Quality for your Money
If you are giving a gift that you want to be around for a long time and worn regularly, then quality is of utmost importance.
For one thing, a plated metal will not look good with regular wear. It will start to chip or flake off over time, leaving the cheaper metal below exposed. The worst part about this is the cheaper metal is usually copper or brass, which can leave a nasty green or blue stain on the wearer’s skin. It is much better to go for pure silver if you cannot afford gold or platinum instead of getting something that’s gold plated, as plated will shine nicely to begin with but will not stay that way for long.
5. Ask The Experts
If you are going to make a big purchase, it is always a good idea to get an opinion from an expert with credibility whom you can trust. They can help you appraise the quality of the stones, how secure the settings are, and how well the item will wear over time. You can then buy the piece knowing that you are getting the best value for your preferred price.
When it comes to buying diamonds and other precious stones, it is good to ask for information on the stone. An expert should be able to give you the full report on the stone and offer you alternate options. They should be able to offer you total transparency, and if they cannot divulge the details, it is best to look elsewhere and know exactly what you are buying.
Jewellery makes a wonderful gift for just about every occasion. With this guide, you can ensure that whatever you buy will be treasured and worn for years to come.
5 Tips for Successful Jewellery Gifting
Jewellery makes for one of those special gifts, perfect for just about any occasion. Afterall, who doesn’t love receiving dazzling jewels to show off?
It can highlight how much you care for a person, and the recipient can show you how much they appreciate the gift by wearing it regularly. Most jewellery, particularly well-crafted pieces, will also turn into a gift that keeps on giving. A person can hand something treasured down through generations as a family heirloom, and you will always be part of that story.
So, how do you make sure that your present will hit the right spot? Follow these 5 valuable tips to picking the perfect jewellery gift and you will nail that gift every time.
When you start to research your gift, the person wearing the jewellery is more important than the jewellery itself. Pay attention to what they already have and what they like to wear. Obviously, it is not a good idea to get them something too like what they already own, but you can certainly draw inspiration from their favourite pieces.
Next, take note of what jewellery they wear. If the person wears a necklace that never gets taken off, buying them another one may not be a worthwhile gift as they are not likely to wear it. However, if they love to chop and change between different rings on their fingers, a special addition to their collection will likely go down a treat.
Finally, look at their style and fashion choices. Are they more into keeping up with current trends or do they prefer a timeless and classic look? Do they like big and shiny bling, or is understated and simple more their thing? All of this will help you narrow your search to a style.
Buying someone a diamond ring for their birthday when you may have only been dating for a short time is probably not going to go down well. On the other hand, a plain chain for a 25-year anniversary is not suitable either. You need to think about how well you know the person, what you mean to each other and what the occasion is.
Jewellery, especially something of quality, is often a statement about the relationship you have with the recipient. You wouldn’t necessarily buy the same item for a parent as you would for a significant other, even if both are celebrating a birthday. This is because different types of jewellery have different meanings or symbolism. A ring is seen as a commitment or a promise to someone and is usually reserved for romantic relationships.
The occasion for giving a gift is always a major consideration when shopping. If it’s a milestone anniversary or a big birthday you should definitely consider spending more or going for something a bit more timeless. For the years in between, you could have a bit more fun and think outside the box.
This goes back to considering the person you are buying the gift for and their specific tastes in fashion and jewellery. Say you have done your research and you have decided on a bracelet as the perfect gift. You need to make sure that your gift fits!
Firstly, the bracelet should fit comfortably around the wearer’s wrist – not too loose or too tight. Secondly, think about the size of the chain and the stones that make up the bracelet. Should they be small and delicate, or big and chunky? Neither is right or wrong on their own, but they can look very wrong on the wearer if they don’t suit their style.
Remember, bigger is not always better if the person will not want to wear it, and this goes for all jewellery types and gemstones too. While you may love the idea of splashing out on a huge sparkler, the recipient may not be wild about wearing such an obvious piece and would prefer a smaller, more subtle gift.
If you are giving a gift that you want to be around for a long time and worn regularly, then quality is of utmost importance.
For one thing, a plated metal will not look good with regular wear. It will start to chip or flake off over time, leaving the cheaper metal below exposed. The worst part about this is the cheaper metal is usually copper or brass, which can leave a nasty green or blue stain on the wearer’s skin. It is much better to go for pure silver if you cannot afford gold or platinum instead of getting something that’s gold plated, as plated will shine nicely to begin with but will not stay that way for long.
If you are going to make a big purchase, it is always a good idea to get an opinion from an expert with credibility whom you can trust. They can help you appraise the quality of the stones, how secure the settings are, and how well the item will wear over time. You can then buy the piece knowing that you are getting the best value for your preferred price.
When it comes to buying diamonds and other precious stones, it is good to ask for information on the stone. An expert should be able to give you the full report on the stone and offer you alternate options. They should be able to offer you total transparency, and if they cannot divulge the details, it is best to look elsewhere and know exactly what you are buying.
Jewellery makes a wonderful gift for just about every occasion. With this guide, you can ensure that whatever you buy will be treasured and worn for years to come.
In recent times almost every industry has either gone through or is about to go through massive disruption, on a scale never seen before. The diamond industry is by no means immune to the changes that are coming with man made diamonds.
We have seen a marked increase in the enquires around created diamonds in the last month. Some is general curiosity, but most are as a genuine interest in purchasing a man made diamond. Up until recently, there has been little information about them to give a client the complete confidence in their purchase choice. The important thing to remember is that is exactly what it is – a choice. I honestly don’t believe that one will replace the other, just as Uber hasn’t completely replaced Taxis. If you are making an informed decision, you can be comfortable with whichever choice you go for.
Before going into the characteristics of laboratory created diamonds, it is important to understand that there are two main ways to create a man made diamond. High Pressure / High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapour Disposition (CVD). HPHT process mimics the high pressure that created diamonds in the earth crust. It uses a metal catalyst (graphite/carbon) to dissolve the carbon onto a diamond seed, essentially drawing the carbon out of ferrous metals. Whereas the CVD process in contrast uses low pressure but employs a vacuum which is fuelled with hydrogen and methane. Which means that it derives its carbon source from a vapour. The CVD method starts with a diamond seed crystal to grow the diamond, much the same way you might have grown crystals as a child at school in your science experiment.
You can watch how an Altr created diamond is grown here.
Born of Fire, Born Perfect : The making of a Type IIa ALTR Created Diamond from ALTR Created Diamonds on Vimeo.
Diamonds naturally occur in nature as either a Type 1 (a/b) or Type 2 (a/b) crystal. The most purist and transparent form of Carbon crystal in the world is the Type 2a crystal, it has almost no impurities which leads to the colourlessness and only accounts for 1.8% of the world’s supply and is a rare quality gem.
Every Altr created diamond begins with a Type 2a seed crystal and is guaranteed to be only a CVD diamond, so it’s quality can be assured. Type 2a diamonds have much less nitrogen so they face up looking whiter and crisper, which is in line with their “Shine Brighter” campaign.
So that is most of the technical information out of the way. The simplest take way is that Altr created diamonds have;
When I am showing a client an Altr created diamond, the first thing I will say is one was created below the ground, the other was created above the ground. That is essentially the only difference. Just like if you had two siblings, one was made by IVF and the other through the traditional way, you wouldn’t look at your sibling and call them a synthetic human. They just had a different start, but they are identical to you as a human in every way.
A man made diamond is a very different stone to a Cubic Zirconia or a Moissanite stone, both of which are softer and have different optical properties. Both a cubic and a moissanite are known as stimulants, which means that they are like a diamond, but not the same.
The first thing to look out when shopping for a Laboratory created diamond is whether there is accurate disclosure around the way that it was created. Cheaper versions are made through either straight HPHT, or a combination of HPHT and CVD. If the stone you are looking at purchasing can’t guarantee the method of its creation, then it is most likely a cheaper combination creation stone.
The second thing to look out is for where the diamond was certified. If it is certified by IGI (International Gemmological Institute) it will be a cheaper stone, as the grading parameters for IGI are not as strict as the GCAL (Gem Certification and Assurance Lab). An IGI laboratory has been known to be a colour &/or clarity grade out compared to that of a GIA laboratory. Also, an IGI cert won’t tell you whether your diamond was created through HPHT or CVD.
As mentioned previously the GCAL is one of the strictest grading laboratories’ in the world and completely stands behind their grading. A GCAL cert in addition to the normal 4C’s information also has several additional features
Man Made diamonds GCAL certificateAll Altr created diamond presses are powered by the earth’s natural wind cycles through the power of wind turbines. This renewable energy source creates the power required to form these amazing gems, ensuring that there is minimal impact on the environment.
Because HPHT created diamonds derive their carbon from a metallic source like iron, the inclusions found in them are often metallic in nature. These inclusions are often easily distinguishable and can even result in the diamond having a magnetic attraction to a magnet.
At the end of the day whether you choose a mined diamond, or a laboratory created diamond, will just come down to your own personal preference. Ultimately the choice will come down to whether it is more important to you that the diamond was created below the ground or whether you would rather have a larger diamond for the same budget. At the end of the day, the best way for you to decide is to compare them side by side and make the choice for yourself. So why not book an appointment and see the diamonds first hand and see if you can tell the difference.
We even have a special promotion on at the moment to celebrate the launch of the Altr created diamonds. You can WIN a .50ct F Colour VS clarity Altr created valued at $2900. All you need to do is book an appointment to come in and see them, to go in the draw to win this amazing diamond.
man made diamond promotion
Just as no two individuals are alike, no two jewellers are the same. Every successful jewellery retailer operates in a particular niche. There are some that cater for the mass market, while some are more bespoke. I am not suggesting that everyone must go for the bespoke jeweller. Rather it is important to discover the jeweller who is right for you. Outside of buying a house or car, your jewellery is one of life’s most expensive and important purchases. Although I would argue, it is the most important, as it is rarely ever sold or traded.
Mass market or chain stores will usually have a price advantage because they are working on large quantities of scale. They actually analyse units of cost right down to the gram. Because they know, if they can save half a gram on a ring, then over 10,000 units it will make a significant difference to their bottom line. The unfortunate thing is, this prematurely shortens the life of the ring. The diamonds that are used tend to be from parcel groups. While there are savings to be made from buying diamonds in bulk, what you lose is the ability to hand pick the diamonds.
So you might end up with the best diamond in the parcel, or the worst. Most of the chain stores will also have a very limited warranty period. Most offer after care plans that you have to purchase to help maintain their products. As without this, the clients are likely to run into issues. These product care plans also form a significant recurring revenue stream for these jewellery retailers and can cost you a lot of money in the long run. The type of experience usually received is transactional in style. The staff are trained to show you the items in their cabinet and to help facilitate the transaction, giving you some basic diamond information.
The designs will also more likely be more unique, rather than a vending machine style process, where as soon as you take one out of the cabinet, it is replaced with an identical copy.In a diamond specialist boutique, the diamonds are more likely to be hand selected.
Having your diamond specially selected for you means that you have more control over the diamond parameters, so that you end up with a diamond that’s perfect for your partner. 
With bespoke jewellers, you should expect things like a lifetime manufacturing warranty come as standard on the jewellery they craft. It always amazes me when I hear someone who is willing to spend a considerable amount of money on an item that they will have for the next 50 years from someone who is only willing to guarantee it for 12 months. A bespoke jewellery store should offer more of an experience that a mere transaction. It should be less about just forcing you to choose something out of the cabinet because it is convenient, and more about finding the piece that is the perfect fit for you, with an experience you will always remember. Bespoke jewellers generally have more expertise than a generalist jeweller and should be able to answer any diamond questions that you have, so you have complete peace of mind.
At the end of the day, which store you choose is entirely up to you. As long as it is an informed choice, you can always look back without regrets. Take the time, do your research, have a look at the Google reviews and find the jeweller that’s right for you. If you would like more help in how to choose the perfect diamond and engagement ring, you can find out everything you ever needed to know from the international award winning book – Rock Her World “The ultimate guide to choosing the perfect engagement ring”
Confused by the diamond certificate?Have you ever looked at a diamond certificate and had no idea what all the numbers and percentages mean? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Starting out can be a bit daunting, not only do you have to find the ring that she likes but you need to make sure the rock you are putting your hard earned cash into is going to be worth it. The first thing that you are probably familiar with, if you have been paying attention to her subtle hints or done even just a little research is this thing called the 4C’s. They are Cut, Colour, Clarity and Cut Grade. The big question is which one is the most important? You can see my short video series here.
Is only talking about how well the diamond is cut – which ultimately means how much it is going to sparkle. It is that twinkle that her friends will see from across the room. Tip – Aim for an Excellent cut grade. Diamonds like a Passion8 diamond sit in the top 1% for diamond cut and will outsparkle normal excellent cut grade diamonds.
Is only talking about how white the diamond is. This is talking about the body colour of the stone and has nothing to do with the colour. The colour grade starts at D and goes down to Z. Tip – Aim for the top 3 colour grades – D, E, F. Any colour that is G in colour or lower will pull a lot of yellow.
Is only talking about the natural inclusions you can see with a 10x magnifying lens. Tip – Aim for eye Clean SI clarity. As everyone’s eyesight is different make sure you look at the diamond with a lens before purchasing it. Looking at the plot on the diamond certificate will not tell you how good or bad the inclusion is.
Is only talking about the physical size that you see. While this might seem like the most important to some ladies, it isn’t if it is coming at the expense of quality. Smaller more perfectly cut diamonds will actually have the same diameter as larger average cut diamond. Tip – Always go for a diamond that is slightly smaller of better quality. After all, do you want a diamond that looks better or one that weighs more? So now that we have that sorted, let’s look at what all the percentages mean. I wish it was as simple as looking at an excellent cut grade. The truth is the goal posts have widened significantly in the last 5 years. Today more and more diamonds are falling into the excellent category than ever before. 
In a recent price comparison on diamond certificates, I found as much as a 28% price difference between two identical diamonds (based on their paperwork). Both stones had been graded as a triple excellent cut grade. So it is vital to make sure you have a cut specialist look over your diamond. Just like going to a heart surgeon instead of a GP when you need specialist surgery, a diamond cut specialist will be able to show you where your diamond sits in the cut spectrum. Tip – Aim for a 57% table percentage – It will give the diamond more dispersion. (The blues, reds and yellows) If you want to make the best-informed decision on how to pick a stunning diamond and design a ring that will really blow her away – you can learn more about how to choose the perfect diamond by getting a free copy of the international award winning book and Amazon best seller – Rock Her World here.
By now you have probably recovered from your New Year’s festivities and made a few New Year’s resolutions. Ironically there are probably a number of them that you have recycled from last year. All those things that you want to change or improve, but never got around to doing. Whether it is something physical like losing a few kilos or business orientated like reaching more clients, having an incentive to achieve your New Year’s resolution is sure to increase your chances of success.
When I sit down with clients we discover together what pieces are on their jewellery wish list and what major goals they would love to achieve for the coming year ahead. For some it might be a promotion or a number of successful client transactions, for others it is the completion of a project. Whatever your goal is, having a piece of jewellery to symbolise your achievement will not only give you the enjoyment of wearing it, but also spur you on to hit your next goal. One of the things that my clients often overlook is the power of goal setting – using diamonds as the carrot (pun intended). I always say that if a picture tells a thousand words, then your jewellery is a novel with a lifetime of memories. When I look at a piece of jewellery I am reminded of all the memories associated with it – how I designed it, where I sourced the diamonds from, how the jeweller made it etc…
One of my clients, Sally, had a goal of reaching 150 active recurring clients in her business. Sally’s incentive for working towards that goal was a new pair of gorgeous diamond studs. Throughout the year Sally worked tirelessly, putting in extra hours, sacrificing personal leisure time and even visited her diamond studs in the showroom as a motivator to stay on track. By the time the end of the year came around Sally actually ended up with 186 clients. Sally had been so motivated to achieving her goal that the extra momentum she had built up allowed her to blow her target out of the water. Now we use Sally’s earrings as a memory anchor to help her go after her next target of 250 clients. You see, every time Sally now looks in the mirror, she doesn’t just see her diamond studs, she sees everything those diamond studs represent. Sally is reminded of all the hard work she put in to achieve her goal, and ultimately how successful it makes her feel, which is a great sense of fulfilment for her. It also makes her excited about going after her next goal, which is a diamond bracelet. It doesn’t have to be a set of diamond studs for you; it might be a bracelet, a ring or a strand of pearls. Whatever your taste in jewellery is, link it to S.M.A.R.T. goal.
Set yourself one SMART goalI find limiting it to one main goal at a time works best, that is until you develop the skill set to handle multiple goals at once. That way you will avoid the vicious cycle of recycling your New Year’s resolutions. While the beginning of the year is a great time to set a goal, there is really no reason that you can’t do it at any time. Just follow the S.M.A.R.T acronym and link it with whatever is going to be your greatest currency, and you will be sure to achieve it. Accountability is also a great way to make sure that you stay on course to achieve your goal.
So what is your goal this year, and what is going to be on your jewellery wish list to motivate you to achieve it?
Like the old saying, “failing to plan, is planning to fail”. The time to set a new goal is now. So don’t wait another week or month to start putting your diamond S.M.A.R.T. goal together. I guarantee that when you look back in 12 months’ time, you will not only be amazed by the results, but you will have a lovely piece of jewellery to remember the journey.
About Karl
His recently released book, ” Rock Her World” is available now. If you would like help, in choosing the perfect diamond to help you achieve your goals for 2016, there is a lot of great information in “Rock Her World” or you can even listen to a sample chapter here. Karl believes that choosing a piece of jewellery should be a phenomenal experience, and over the last 21 years has helped more than 5800 clients choose a special piece of jewellery that tells their story.
Are you absolutely frustrated with not being able to find your dream engagement ring design ANYWHERE? Have you been through a 1000 shops and nothing is jumping out at you. It may mean that you need to have your engagement ring specially designed, exactly the way you want it.
The reason you haven’t travelled down the road of having your engagement ring specially designed could be that you are unsure what is involved? How much it costs to have an engagement ring specially designed?
The first stage is to choose your jeweller. Ideally you are looking for somewhere, where they custom make engagement ring designs onsite. You also need to be completely comfortable with the look and feel of the store, and feel like they really understand your vision for what your engagement ring is going to look like.
The second stage is to sit down with a professional jewellery designer. A professional jewellery designer will guide you through all the steps, and give you advice on how to personalise your engagement ring design so that it is totally unique and special to you. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions. They should ask you things like; What you do during the day? What your design preferences are? (heights and widths of your ring) Do you want your ring to look like this or that? (two options are always ideal) After all you don’t know what you do and don’t always like, which is why you are seeking the designers help.
The third stage is the creating phase. Here the jewellery designer will work with your master jeweller to make sure the designs are being followed according to all your tastes and style. An expert designer will make tweaks and adjustments as the ring is being made, to maximise the WOW factor. You might also ask for progress photo’s of your ring to be sent to you, so that you can see how your ring is progressing. It is very easy to make adjustments to an engagement ring as it is being made, if you catch it early enough.
The fourth stage is the unveiling stage. One of my favourite parts of the whole process. Seeing the sheer joy on a fiancee’s face as she is almost brought to tears because the finished ring is even greater than she ever imagined it could be, is what drives me every day. Close enough is simply not good enough for me. I am aiming for nothing less than breathtaking.
If this is something that you would love to experience, please send me an email, or ring to make an appointment for a custom engagement ring design consultation.
Rhodium plating is something that is done almost every day in a manufacturing workshop. Because it is something that is done by hand, there are times when it doesn’t always work out as perfectly as you would like. Every good workshop should have someone who is appointed as a quality control agent. Here are the things that you should look for after having your ring rhodium plated.
This effect usually occurs when the ring has made contact with the metal electrode. It can sometimes look like a dark spot of the ring. This can usually be fixed quite easily by giving the ring a light polish in the affected area. If it is on the inside of the ring, the ring will usually not need re-plating.
Every time a ring is rhodium plated it draws some of the rhodium out of the solution (which makes the solution weaker) and makes the end result less white. This can be fixed by filtering the rhodium solution through a graphite powder filtre or topping up the solution with some new rhodium.
White gold solder generally has a slightly darker colour. When a ring is rhodium plated it masks this discolouration. If you can easily see the join line, it either means that the solder has been polished out though the process (as it is softer than the gold) or the rhodium plating hasn’t binded to the new ring properly. Unfortunately the only solution here is to re-do the whole process.
At Xennox Diamonds we make sure that all our work has been checked by our master jewellers to make sure your ring leaves our workshop as perfect as it can be. If for whatever reason you are not happy with any element of the ring, we will change it to make sure you are 100% happy with the finished piece. If would like an impartial second opinion on any piece of jewellery that you have serviced and are unhappy with the result. Please come in and see our jewellers any time, or email me at info@xennoxdiamonds.com.au Any other questions that you might have, please leave a comment below.
Diamond halo engagement ring designs are extremely popular at the moment. Whether it is a centre round brilliant cut diamond or fancy shape like this radiant, the range of halo designs is always expanding.
When deciding on a halo engagement ring design there are two main design styles to choose from – grain set and claw set. Don’t worry to much about worrying if you have made the right choice as ultimately there is no right or wrong style. It’s just a matter of personal preference, and which ring you think looks better on your hands. Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking for your diamond
1. Grain set halo engagement rings
A grain set halo engagement ring is typically a single row of 1 point diamonds (0.01ct) surrounding the centre stone. However lately double row halo designs are also becoming more popular.
Advantages
Grain set diamonds are embedded into the metal and are secured with small grains/beads that hold the diamonds in. Because there is more metal around the stones, you will save money of the overall diamond weight of your ring.
Disadvantages
The grain set diamonds create a diamond set border around your centre stone. In the case of a single row this may make your centre stone stand out more, because it creates a contrast. In the case of a double row, while it might create an overall larger look, it can tend to make your centre diamond look smaller.
2. Claw set halo engagement rings
A claw set diamond halo engagement ring, uses typically 2 – 3 point diamonds (0.02 – 0.03ct) set in claw settings around your centre diamond.
Advantages
Because the surrounding diamonds are much larger it tends to give a greater sparkle that blends in more with your centre stone giving an overall much larger diamond look. The design style is also great if you have a few inclusions towards the outside of your main diamond. The sheer volume of sparkle and bling tends to make it harder to focus on the the inclusions.
Disadvantages
The only apparent disadvantage of this style is that you might loose the individualism of your centre stone. Although this is a disadvantage that many brides are willing to live with.
Diamond halo engagement ring designs need to be made by exceptional jewellers.There are two things that you must look for when choosing your engagement ring.
1. Which ever design you choose make sure that the ring is made well and there isn’t any gaps between the halo diamonds as this will give you a really gappy look. This usually happens with the jeweller has either not calculated the right spacing around the main stone or the diamond setter has selected diamonds that are too small for the setting.
2. Ensure there is not a gap between the centre diamond and the surrounding diamonds. This will not only detract from that bigger diamond look that you are aiming for, but it is also a place that hand cream, soap and dirt will collect.
At Xennox Diamonds, I always like to draw a 3D sketch of our halo diamond engagement rings, so you clients can see exactly what your ring will look like. Drawing your engagement ring to scale is extremely helpful to see how big the diamond is, and what the overlapping effect will look like. If you would like to arrange an appointment to see me and have your halo engagement ring draw, please send me an email at design@xennoxdiamonds.com.au
