Diamonds & Gemstones

We would be delighted to help you find the right gemstones for your jewelry. We pride ourselves on delivering top quality stones that respect your style and budget. Teaching our customers about stones is very important to us so that the investment in them is understood completely. We do not keep stones in inventory which allows us to get exactly what you want. Whenever possible, we encourage clients to reuse stones from inherited heirloom pieces or other jewelry. 

Conflict-Free Diamonds

We work exclusively with diamonds from importers who adhere to the Kimberley Process - a global initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds.

How to buy a diamond, 4Cs, diamond grading, diamond clarity, diamond cut, diamond shape, diamond color, diamond carat, engagement ring

Alternative Engagement Stones

ruby engagement ring, non-diamond, alternative bridal

 

There is no law that says an engagement ring can only be a diamond!  Gemstones are a bold, unique, personal and colorful way to celebrate something as exciting as your engagement!  We have collected a great round-up of some of our favorite Alternative Engagement Rings, including the Baguette Spark Engagement ring (pictured left), using colored stones and be sure to check out the Selecting Gemstones page which is a wonderful resource to learn more about a variety of birthstones.

Beyond aesthetics, history, and traditional meanings, one thing to take into consideration when choosing stones for a ring is the hardness.  The Mohs Scale of Hardness helps to understand the durability of various materials compared to one another.  Emeralds, opals, and pearls are wonderful in necklaces, earrings, and special occasion cocktail rings, but these materials are soft and prone to scratches and damage when worn as an everyday ring.

 

Lab-created diamond engagement ring, moissanite

 

Lab-Created Gemstones

 

If you love the look and sparkle of a diamond but hope to bypass the sometimes-murky ethics of the diamond trade, moissanite is an excellent alternative.  It is a perfect molecular match to a diamond with the same sparkle and durability, plus the lab creation produces a pristine stone - bright white and blemish-free. If all these amazing qualities were not enough, let's bring it down to the bottom line.  A moissanite can be as low as 1/10th the cost of a diamond in the same size. 

We designed the Radiant Halo Engagement Ring (pictured right) for a customer who wanted to utilize only lab-created stones.  We used a 1 carat round moissanite and created a beautiful halo around the center stone using 1mm round lab-created pink topaz stones.  Any jewelry design project can be crafted with moissanite.

If you are drawn to colored stones, lab-created gemstones are physically, chemically, and visually identical to their natural stone counterparts, only created within in the controlled environment of a laboratory.  Ruby, sapphire, emerald, alexandrite, opal, and aquamarine, under the brand name Chatham, are created within a lab are very common and are a fraction of the cost of the natural stone version.

 

Growing Together heirloom diamond engagement ring

Heirloom Diamonds

 

A great way to minimize you environmental impact while maximizing your humanitarian impact is to use material that is already out of the ground.  Heirloom diamonds are a wonderful way to not only totally bypass the entire diamond industry but can also have a meaningful connection to the materials in your jewelry.  By working with stones you already own - whether from an old underused piece of jewelry or something passed through generations of your family - you are reducing your impact by reusing these valuable materials.  With the Growing Together Engagement Ring (pictured left), we created a meaningful design around the customer's grandfather's 1 carat round diamond.

More than half of the custom jewelry design projects Rebecca has worked on have utilized heirloom stones.  Because we are directly involved in every step of the process, we have come to specialize in designing around your unique stones.  If you are interested in working with Rebecca to create something new from something old, reach out and tell us more about your ideas!