Blog — engagement rings

The alternative title for this blog post is "My First Engagement Ring". So glad it was for my sister! On Halloween weekend in 2009, my sister Tania and her boyfriend Chris came to the city for a Halloween house party in South Philly. Tania's always been a little craftier than me, so while she helped my boyfriend whip together a last minute costume, Chris and I went out to the corner store. On that walk, Chris asked if I'd be willing to design an engagement ring for Tania using a diamond he had researched and sourced from Blue Nile. My...

What's a halo? Most people think of a crown surrounding the head of a saint, prophet or angel. In the jewelry world, a halo refers to a circle of diamonds surrounding the center stone of a ring. Sometimes, a halo will be made from colored gemstones, or small metal designs like in this custom engagement ring, which has a beaded halo: You can have more than one halo in the same ring. This round brilliant diamond is surrounded by a cushion-shaped double halo. Setting styles can vary in halo rings. This halo ring has a half bezel setting for the...

Ever wonder what all of the different diamond shapes are? Today we're going to talk about ten of the most common shapes. This first image shows ten different shapes of diamond, all approximately 1 carat. You can see that they appear to be very different sizes, yet they're all the carat same weight. Carats are a unit of weight specific to gemstones. Round - This is the most classic, timeless shape. Because round brilliant diamonds are perfectly symmetrical, they have the brightest sparkle of all the gemstone shapes. Oval - A close cousin of the round, ovals give you a...

I design engagement rings for a living, so this is a topic that comes up on a regular basis. How can women make sure they receive an engagement ring they love, while still getting a surprise proposal?   This might be easier than you think. Start a Pinterest board! Figure out the essential style elements that are important to you:   What shape stone do you like? Round, princess cut, marquise, oval... Yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, or platinum? Is a classic solitaire important to you, or do you crave more bling? Are you a vintage lover, or are...