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2 Stone Round Brilliant Heirloom Engagement Ring

We decided to repost this ring for those of you who had not seen it since it is a stunning heirloom piece. This unique engagement ring comes to us from a Miami bride-to-be who will be getting married beach-side in the Philippines this May. The diamonds have been handed down over the generations, and this particular ring was completely redesigned to fit the tiny, delicate hands of this beautiful bride. We love the double stone, angled setting and just found out the inspiration for the setting was modeled after a ring of the groom's grandmother.

Cut: Round brilliant

Carats: 1.75
Setting: 2 antique solitaire diamonds unusually designed at an "intertwined" angle in 18k gold prong setting

Jeweler: La Estrella del Norte, Manila Philippines
About the engagement ring: "This engagement ring is a family heirloom that has been worn by 4 generations of women on my fiance's side of the family."

Emerald and Diamond Antique Heirloom Set

We must admit, we got a little emotional when we saw this stunning emerald collection that is over 70 years old! This antique emerald and diamond ring was given to a very special lady in the 1930's in Paris - her husband was clearly well ahead of his time in taste. The Art Deco Movement of the 20's and 30's introduced new styles in jewelry that featured bold colors and geometric shapes such as these. This was the new "modern" look. Collections like these bring a whole new meaning and appreciation to heirloom jewelry.

Cut: Emerald Center stone with round brilliant hexagonal halo setting

Jeweler: Renee Puisant of Van Cleef & Arpels

About this ring: This ring comes as part of a complete, and just as gorgeous set. Below are the bracelet, necklace, and earrings.

Emerald and Diamond Engagement Ring

Keeping in the spirit with St. Patty's Day festivities, today we feature a famous emerald and diamond ring - the ring of the memorable Jackie Kennedy. The world first caught a glimpse of this ring on June 4, 1953 when JFK proposed...and from the moment she slipped it on, emeralds became the most popular choice of engagement rings in mid 1950's. At the time, the design of the ring was considered very modern, but like everything she did, she did with a flawless sense of style.

http://www.diamondsourceva.com/Education/images/jackie-kennedy-ring-sm.jpg

Cut: Square cut diamond (princess, emerald, or radiant) and emerald cut emerald

Carat: one 2.88 carat diamond next to a 2.84 carat cut emerald with tapered baguettes.

Jeweler: Van Cleef & Arpels

About this ring: JFK's father, Joe Kennedy Sr., picked this ring out for Jackie. In 1962, the ring was reset to include 0.66 total carat weight of round diamonds and 1.46 total carat weight of marquise diamonds.

Stay tuned...we have lots of green goodies for St. Patrick's Day!

Heirloom Engagement Ring Fun Facts

While antique rings are very popular among celebrities, there aren't many sporting family heirloom engagement rings. The Royal Family, however, has a history of passing down their jewels...

The platinum heirloom engagement ring given by Prince Philip to his fiancé, now Queen Elizabeth II, was created with heirloom diamonds from his mother's tiara. Prince Charles gave Camilla Parker Bowles an heirloom ring owned by the Queen Elizabeth II. The engagement ring has an emerald cut center diamond with three diamond baguettes on each side of it.

So not exactly royalty, but Ross McCall (he's a Scottish actor from Band of Brothers) gave Jennifer Love Hewitt an heirloom ring that had been in his family for over a hundred years. They never got married, but it is a beautiful and unique piece, and definitely worth taking a look at!

Round Brilliant Heirloom Engagement Ring with Baguettes

This stunning heirloom diamond engagement ring has maintained the same setting and band size for over three generations. Unlike her sister, this bride decided to keep the original setting of the diamond as it was so timeless and elegant. The round brilliant center diamond paired with the tapered baguettes make a dazzling combination, maintaining a definite symmetry and balance. This ring manages to uphold a certain charm and quality that is visible to any onlooker.

Heirloom rings that are untouched like this are very unique. Oftentimes, heirloom rings contain stones that have been fashioned from other pieces of jewelry, such as necklaces, earrings, brooches etc. Split rings, where the diamonds from one heirloom has been refashioned and used into multiple rings, are common as well.

Cut: Round Brilliant with Tapered Baguettes

Carats: 4.10 center + 0.50 baguettes

Setting: Four prong and end-prong set in platinum

Jeweler: Harry Winston

About the Ring: This ring was my maternal grandmother's engagement ring, given to her by her second husband in 1965. My mom inherited the ring when her mother passed and saved it for my engagement. The ring happened to fit perfectly; I did not even have to have it sized!

Round Brilliant Heirloom Engagement Ring

Heirloom engagement rings embody family history and tradition being passed down from generation to generation. Couples who have heirloom rings become a part of a history that precedes them, embodying the hope that their ring will one day be passed on to their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Today we feature two heirloom engagement rings that were in fact passed down through generations landing on the hands of two very lucky identical twin sisters. These two brides were married months apart from each other in 2004 and both were skeptical when their mother first told them about the old family rings she wanted them to have for their engagements. Thinking they were antiquated and outdated, both girls were pleasantly surprised when they first laid their eyes on these two absolutely beautiful, knockout diamonds - their own little pieces of family history.

This is a ring you definitely cannot stop staring at when you see it up close. The stunning diamond stands alone on the platinum band. It is elegant, timeless and its value is unparalleled, simply because of its significance to the bride's family.

Cut: Round Brilliant

Carats: 4.05

Setting: Four Prong Set in Platinum Solitaire Mounting

Jeweler: Kern's of Burlingame (setting only, diamond is family heirloom) - http://kernjewelers.com/

About the engagement ring: "This is my paternal great-grandmother's ring which she received in the 1930's. It was passed on to my father when she passed, and he had it reset in the current setting before giving it to my husband the day he asked for his blessing in marrying me."

Round Brilliant Engagement Ring with Halo Setting

This beautiful diamond ring was slipped onto a bride-to-be's hands just six days ago in Santa Cruz, CA in front of the harbor lighthouse looking out on the bay and wharf at sunset. She fell in love with this custom halo setting and was drawn to the originality of this ring. We love the ring's elegance, simplicity, and modern aesthetic.

Cut: Round brilliant

Carat: .75

Setting: White gold custom halo setting. Having the bottom open allows more light into the stone and it makes it sparkle like you can't believe

Jeweler: Gemologist Rafi Chabo. (Note: some jewelers are academically trained gemologists and are qualified to identify and evaluate gems).

About the ring: This is perfect for a teacher because it won't scratch or snag children!

Update from the groom that we received via email this morning. This made our day: "I love her with all my heart and I can't wait to grow old with her. I love her so much."

Round Brilliant 6 Prong Engagement Ring

This looker comes from a bride from Manila, Philippines married in September of 2008. Her round brilliant diamond is set in a 6 prong platinum setting and looks absolutely stunning on her delicate hands.

People often ask what the difference is between a 4 and 6 prong setting. Some say that 6 prong settings emphasize the roundness of the diamond and offer the diamond more security, while a 4 prong setting shows off more of the diamond and tends to make the diamond appear more square. It really is a personal preference, but definitely is something to note when considering prong settings.

Cut: Round Brilliant

Setting: 6 prong Platinum Carat: 1.75 Jeweler: Dehres, 3501 Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark, Cetral, Hong Kong

Round Brilliant Engagement Ring + Pave Wedding Band

This gorgeous ensemble is worn by a Chicago bride of one year. Her husband surprised her with this round brilliant diamond on their engagement day, and complimented it with this timeless pave wedding band when they exchanged their vows. Her four prong setting really shows of the beauty and luster of the diamond.

Cut: Round Brilliant

Carats: 2.8

Setting: Four Prong Set in Platinum Solitaire Mounting

Jeweler: Smart Jewelers, IL

Wedding Band: Platinum 1ct Rounded Diamond Wedding Ring with 3 rows of integrated pave set diamonds

About the engagement ring: "My husband and I never had one conversation about a ring style, shape, size...anything. I always believed that if he knew me, he'd know the ring. After 5 years together, he got down on one knee in the main square of Krakow, Poland one fine fall day in September 2007, and I knew he hit it out of the park. It also helps to marry a Jewish guy, they get good taste from a long line of selective jewelry connoisseurs like their mother."

The Round Brilliant Diamond

Round brilliant diamonds will catch your eye from across the room. They will dazzle in the sunlight like no other cut. And they definitely look bigger for their carat size than other diamond cuts. It's no surprise then that round brilliant diamonds are the most popular cut because of their shine, but also...

1. Round brilliant diamonds are cut into 56-58 facets

2. Round brilliant diamonds are also referred to as the "diamond" cut or the "ideal" cut because of its attempt to cut the diamond into the best proportion to achieve the maximum amount of brilliance.

3. This cut resembles that of a cone and is meant to maximize the light reflected through the top of the diamond.

4. The round brilliant cut was developed in 1919 by Marcel Tolkowsky, an engineer whose family was in the diamond cutting business. 5. 75% of diamond sales today are round brilliant cuts.

Here's a look at Carrie Underwood's rock...a stunning canary yellow diamond with the round brilliant cut.

http://icydk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Carrie_Underwood_arrives_at_the_People8s_Choice_Awards_ring.jpg

Cut: Round brilliant yellow diamond Carats: 5 carat center stone, more than 12 carats total Setting: halo with micro pave

About this ring: experts estimate it to cost well over $150,000

Three Stone Diamond and Sapphire Engagement Ring + Platinum Wedding Band

Today we feature a three stone diamond and sapphire ring from a bride of eight years from Boulder, Colorado. Her fiance pleasantly surprised her with these blue side-stone gems when he proposed, and she has since gotten many compliments on it! We love that her now husband went out on a limb with the sapphires! Its definitely an eye catcher and a timeless look! Cut: Round brilliant diamond and blue sapphire side-stones Carats: 1.8 carat diamond, 1.2 carat sapphires Setting: Platinum 4 prong Wedding band: 8 small round diamonds set in platinum

Cushion Cut Engagement Ring with Sapphires + Double Wedding Bands

Today's ring is not only unique, but absolutely elegant. It is worn by a Chicago bride of five years who has always loved sapphires and not so subtly requested that her engagement ring include them. Her cushion cut diamond is flanked by four sapphires and round brilliants, and when paired with her double wedding bands, is just stunning!

Cut: Cushion

Carats: center diamond 2.15

Setting: Cushion cut center diamond flanked by alternating sapphires and round brilliants set in platinum.

5 Things You Didn't Know About Sapphires

Sapphires are one of the most popular jewelry stones and we loved our last ring post so much that we decided to feature more sapphire rings this week.

1. While we typically think of sapphires as blue, they actually come in a variety of colors except for red, in which case would be a ruby. 2. A rare orange-pink variety, known as padparadschah, is even more valued than blue sapphire 3. Sapphires weigh more than diamonds, so a sapphire and a diamond of the same carat size will visually look different.

4. Sapphires are the birthstone for September, and are recommended for 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries. 5. Prince Charles gave Lady Diana a sapphire engagement ring.

http://sapphirengagementring.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/85-dianas-engagement-ring-11.jpg

Cut: Oval blue sapphire

Carats: 18 carat sapphire Setting: Sapphire surrounded by 16 small diamonds in a cluster setting Jeweler: Garrard Jewelers, London About this ring: It was chosen from the regular Garrard catalog and therefore could be purchased by anyone, for the price of 28,000 British pounds, or the equivalent of $65,000 (at 1981 exchange rates).

Diamond and Blue Sapphire Flower Ring

This is not your conventional engagement ring but this diamond sapphire piece is so stunning we had to feature it. We love to see the different ways gemstones are incorporated into these rings so stay tuned for sapphires, rubies and, of course, more diamonds!

Cut: Round brilliant and sapphire

Carats: Seven brilliant round cut diamonds .15k each encircled by 12 petal-shaped dark blue sapphires

Setting: Diamond and Blue Sapphire Flower ring set in 18K white gold.

Jeweler: Ding Velayo, Manila Philippines

About this ring: A Classic! This ring is part of matching set with earrings, given to my mother after I was born -- 30 years ago.

Three Stone Emerald Cut Engagement Ring + Infinity Wedding Band

This beautiful emerald cut ring is also one of our own. My husband knew I loved the emerald cut and its classic, timeless look and I am just as in love with this ring as I was when he proposed 3 years ago.

Cut: Emerald

Carats: Center stone 1.6 carats, side stones .35 carats,

Setting: Custom U shaped 4 prong platinum setting with 2 small rounds flanking center three stones

Jeweler: Khoren at Ritz Jewelers, San Francisco Gift Center

Wedding Band: Infinity band with alternating .15 carat aschers and .1 carat rounds.

Diamonds Aren't Meant to be Digital

We saw a photo of Nicole Richie's ring online yesterday and can only imagine what it looks like in real life. Rings are three dimensional, multi-faceted pieces. Photos almost never do them justice as you can never truly capture how the rings carry the light or appreciate the stone and setting from all angles. Nevertheless, we're committed to bringing you the best quality photos we can possibly snap of these beautiful and unique pieces!

Speaking of celebrities, it seems like they are getting engaged right and left.  People.com put together a nice little slideshow of the latest celebrity rocks - Click here to check out these celebrity engagement rings!

Cushion Cut Engagement Ring with Halo Setting + Double Wedding Bands

Our first ring, naturally, is one of our own - a lovely cushion cut diamond surrounded by tiny pave stones. My husband worked with the jeweler on this design knowing only that I liked Katie Holmes' engagement ring and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome.

Cut: Cushion Carats: 1.5 Setting: Platinum with pave diamonds surrounding the center stone, knife-edge band with beveling Jeweler: Finer Jewelry, Chicago IL Wedding Band: I opted for two wedding bands to achieve a balanced look, so my jeweler created two platinum bands with the same knifed edges of the engagement rings, with very tiny pave diamonds surrounding 2/3 of the band.