The big green
20th September 2019
This is by far the largest and most valuable natural Emerald I have ever set. The gemstone is a cabochon cushion cut and like most natural Emeralds displays the flaws of creation quite proudly.
Natural Emeralds are flawed even when they are of the highest quality. You either love this about Emeralds or just do not see the attraction. I find them fascinating especially when they are a beautiful rich green colour like this one is.
The design - top view
The general shape of the ring from the top.
This is the top view of the design we came up with. Once I created this layout I tried to source the tapered baguette diamonds in the size shown.
In our shrinking Australian jewellery industry this was not possible so I had 4 diamonds custom cut to size for the ring. Each one of the baguettes weighs .20 carats giving a total diamond weight of .80 carats.
The side view
Some options for the side view.
With the top view decided on I discussed with the customer what they desired the side of the ring to look like. Some times for design I use a sketch, Photoshop, CAD or a combination of any or all three.
With an Emerald this large it would need to be set as low as possible so it was mainly the area of the diamonds to the side that we had to work with.
No mistakes, check the design and size with the draft.
Once the gallery was decided on I made a draft to confirm the design and finger size. The draft is roughly made in sterling silver and for this ring I gold plated it to simulate the appearance (somewhat) of yellow gold.
I definitely did not want to be resizing a ring with a large valuable gem like this set into it. Have a great weekend.