Rezi''''s Suokko masterpiece :)

[Rezi]

Hi all!

And greetings from sunny Finland! Until today I haven't posted once, but coudn't resist when seeing Morticia's fabulous Ritani ring. And then Ana requested that I'd share info of my own ring. Oh, very well then..


So, here are some pictures of my wedding ring.

I guess this is the first piece from Suokko Jeweler presented here?

The diamond is 0.45ct, G VS1 Hearts&Arrows by Suokko and the ring itself is 18K yellow gold & called "Julia". This stone is uncertified and don't know the measurements. Looks good through Ideal-Scope though

Iiro has made art of diamond selling - I can say for my self that it is virtually impossible to leave his store without buying anything.

He's is also the first company in Finland (to my knowledge) to establish an own diamond brand. All in all, I warmly recommend doing business with him.

 

[valeria101]

Thank you !

Nooooo... what size is the ring ? I could have never guessed "half carat" there. The heart shaped prongs look great. I am not very familiar with Finnish jewelry, but the little I know (some modern designs, all great crafmanship) makes me very curious. your ring just adds to the temptation... This summer I should pass by Helsinki where one of my friends is doing his PhD.

 

[Rezi]

Thanks for the compliments

My ring size is 6½, in terms of diameter 17mm.

In Finland people haven''t traditionally been very much interested in decorating themselves or spending much money on jewelry. The style of jewelry has been very plain, small diamonds if at all, and nothing too extravagant. I think is has something to do with the down to earth nature of Finns. Nevertheless, I predict that the things are going to change gradually.

We already have a small domestic forum for diamond addics such as me: http://www.goldnet.fi/timanttifoorumi/

Unfortunately the talk isn''t as vibrant as in here.

 

[Maxine]

You''v got to be kidding!!! Ana is right, that thing looks MUCH bigger!!! I love it, by the way....
Very nice!!!!

 

[Rezi]

OK, that proves it - there must be something wrong with my macro lense

But thanks!

Here's one more pic which could maybe better demostrate the true size of the stone. The diameter is ~5mm. It would have still been nice if the jeweler had made a mistake and given me 1ct diamond instead of the 0.45ct.

Too bad that the local jewelers don't have upgrade policies, it would be really nice to get something bigger. Like in the style of Ritani Endless love. Or I guess a girl can have more than one diamond rings, can't she?

 

[Maxine]

There is no limit to the # you can have....especially if you stick around here!!!!

 

[bluedawg]

Welcome, Rezi. Thanks for sharing your beautiful diamond ring photos! You have lovely taste.

I am curious to know your thoughts on diamond/engagement ring trends in Europe. Is it true that diamonds are not traditionally given often? And that the size remains under a carat-- usually under 0.5ct? What about yellow gold vs platinum for the rings? And finally, which hand do most women wear the wedding rings on?

I am always fascinated by cultural/geographical differences. A friend of mine left NYC to marry a British man. She was given a 1ct engagement ring and says it is considered "normal" size where she now lives in London. But I have read quite a few posts here that describe the more modest size of diamonds (if they are worn at all) on mainland Europe.

 

[Kaleigh]

Rezi,
Your ring is just beautiful and looks huge!! I love the setting, it''s lovely!!!

 

[Catmom]

Rezi~

Welcome to Pricescope!

Your ring is lovely and I love the heart shaped prongs!

 

[Patty]

Your ring is beautiful Rezi!

I love the yellow gold and the heart shaped prongs!

 

[Rezi]

Thank you for the compliments kaleigh, Patty and Catmom! It is nice to feel welcomed

Maxine, I wish my husband would also see that I need more rings and other blingbling

bluedawg, you asked about engagement ring trends in Europe. Well, at least here in Finland, the engament rings are often really plain gold bands - maybe with a few small diamonds (like 0.01ct). When a couple gets engaged, both the man and the woman gets a ring. When the couple gets married, usually only the bride gets to have a wedding ring. So it is like vice versa to how you handle it. We wear these rings in our left ring finger, same as you. Platinum isn't yet very popular material because of its price: usually the rings are made of yellow or white gold.

So, the engagement rings are usually more simple than the wedding ring. Though wedding rings are usually quite simple too. The 0.45ct diamond which I have in my ring is bigger than anyone's in my family or friends. Many have asked if it is a CZ, which tells you something about our relationship with diamonds. Of course there are also people who buy the 1ct diamond, but to my knowlege they are still a minority.

Here in Finland diamond prices are quite high because of the taxes and seem even higher compared to the heavily taxed wages. And we don't yet have the culture for diamonds. Here diamond isn't really a status icon - at least not in all circles. People don't necessary have any idea what diamonds cost. It is also totally normal to see a woman driving a brand new expensive Mercedes and carrying plain jewelry with very small diamonds.

Of course, like I said, things are changing little by little. I would guess that Finnish people are buying bigger and more diamonds than 20 years ago. But I cannot say for sure - I don't have any statistics on the matter.

 

[bluedawg]

Thanks for your answers, Rezi. Very interesting that most people are not excited by diamonds (yet).

Your diamond is just gorgeous-- the picture really shows the symmetry and beauty of your stone.

 

[fountainfairfax]

What a beautiful stone and ring design! Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[stretch4]

Gorgeous stone and setting!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Gorgeous!

cheers--Sharon

 

[FireGoddess]

I just LOVE the heart prongs!!!!! What a unique and wonderful ring!!! Thanks for posting pictures...and welcome!

 

[headlight]

STUNNING set, Rezi!
Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Jennifer5973]

Your rings are beautiful!

And I enjoyed reading about what it's like in Finland--very interesting!

 

[rms]

Rezi,
your rings are so lovely. I especially find the color of the gold very intriguing. It looks so deep and rich. Is it definitely only 18k gold? Soooo beautiful.

 

[headlight]

Date: 5/7/2005 8:43:48 PM
Author: rms
Rezi,
your rings are so lovely. I especially find the color of the gold very intriguing. It looks so deep and rich. Is it definitely only 18k gold? Soooo beautiful.

Yes, I too was admiring the gold -- there is definitely something very special about it.
And those arrows...!

 

[jennalyns]

ooohhh, the heart prongs are so cool!!!

your ring is beautiful, and it''s interesting to read about how diamonds are viewed in other cultures. gorgeous ring!!!

 

[belle]

thank you for posting your ring rezi, it''s a beauty!!

 

[Dancing Fire]

very beautiful ring.

it looks more like rose gold because of the deep yellow color.

 

[lmurden]

Looks big and bright!

 

[HOUMedGal]

Mmmmmmm, gorgeous, Rezi! The setting is so rich and classy, and your stone absolutely beautiful! It''s very interesting to me to hear about different cultural ideas about diamonds. My bf is British and I did notice when he and I visited England and Europe last summer that diamonds weren''t very prominent in womens'' jewelry. We were actually looking at lots of jewelry stores because we were looking for a promise ring for me (hehe!) and I definitely didn''t see very many stones that were near 1 ct, and hardly any that were bigger than that! Most were in the .2 to .4 range, I''d say.

 

[heart prongs]

Hi there...just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your story. I too am Finnish (but born and raised in the US) and I also have a ring with heart prongs...must be in the blood! The gold is lovely...is it what they call rose gold?

Just a quick story...I was in Finland with my family a while back...and we saw a Finnish wedding...it was so simple and beautiful...not at all overdone as the can become here. Just a beautiful bride and groom in a horse-drawn carriage, riding off together...no big reception...just the two of them. It was over 10 years ago...yet the image will always remain with me of how happy and content they looked!

Thanks for sharing and welcome to PS!

klr

 

[Rezi]

Thank you all for your kind words! I wouldn''t have ever guessed that my small diamond ring would get this much attention

To all you who have been askind about the gold, yet, it is maybe a bit more yellow than what is common in most countries. Nevertheless, I''ve never noticed the color. I guess this shade of yellow gold is usual for Finnish jewelry. I asked Iiro about the this and he said that it can be described as being something between yellow and rose gold.

HOUMedGal - your perecption of small diamonds in Europe sounds about right. Maybe one reason to it could also be that jewelers don''t usually know much about diamonds, not to mention other gems. Quality is often described in terms of clarity, and cut is totally forgotten. And often even the bit bigger diamonds are uncertified - if you can find any at all from a typical jewelry shop. Maybe the consumer behaviour could be changed if the stores invested some in the marketing and educating themselves as well as the customers? Who knows.

Heartprongs - I think that the American way of having grand weddings isn''t so unknown to Finns anymore. Though one thing I cannot comprehend: why do people want to spend more money on their wedding dresses than their rings? Thousand euros or more to the dress and only few hundreds to the ring (which should be THE ring when the engagement ring is often only a band). I just can''t understand it. Don''t get me wrong - I have nothing against expensive dresses of cheap rings - just cannot understand the ratio.

 

[chellebelle]

Rezi~
Ohhhhh, a masterpiece indeed! I just wanted to say that your rings are beautiful! They are so classic and I especially love the profile view. The head and prongs just flow and the shank is smooth and rounded... the combination is so elegant! I agree with the color of the gold. It is such a beautiful, rich yellow. Do you have any handshots, by any chance?

I''m sure the set just looks stunning on.

Thanks for sharing!
Chelle

 

[AGBF]

Rezi-

If you hadn''t posted to the thread about gold designers in Jewelry Pieces, I would never have known that this thread was here. As I said in that thread, I admired your rings as soon as I saw them in your icon. The color of the gold is spectacular.

Deb

 

[hoorray]

Moi Rezi! Welcome to Pricescope.

Your rings are absolutely beautiful! I spent a fair amount of time in Finland a few years ago for work, and bought a beautiful white gold ring there. The little diamonds in the band were very high quality. (E/IF with beautiful arrows, like yours). The jeweler (a store in the Kamp Hotel shopping plaza) told me white metal was just starting to gain popularity in Finland. The color of your yellow is gorgeous, so I can understand how it has stayed to popular.

Enjoy!