Pomelo
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2015
- Messages
- 539
After 6 years, my 3.48ct OEC toi et moi engagement ring is here!
Before I go into the story, I just wanted to say that I have learned so much from Pricescope. This is a wonderful community and opened my eyes to the not just diamonds, but also beautifully designed jewellery. Thanks to everyone who contributes on here and for the fantastic conversations!
There are lots of (poorly taken) iPhone pictures at the bottom - please scroll to the next post if you want to skip to the good part! This turned out to be a novel
TLDR: it took me 3 years to find a 4.49ct OEC that was subsequently stolen when our home got burgled; in the last six years I have been taking mental notes of modern, uncommon settings and finally have my dream ring: a toi et moi with 3.48ct OEC and 0.30ct asscher, set in a yellow gold bezel “open” setting.
The background is that my husband and I met during my first year at university (college for the US crowd on here ) and have been together for twelve nears now. After graduating, we went into high pressure jobs in the finance industry where both of us would regularly work 80-100 hour weeks, and we supported each other through the highs and lows.
Conversations of engagement was triggered when we started thinking about buying a flat together, and that was when I got into diamonds. I knew that I wanted a well-cut diamond and I didn’t want a ‘standard’ setting: I wanted something no one else had, and started devouring design ideas.
The first celebrity ring I fell head-over-heels for was Solange Knowles’ engagement ring (in 2016): her modern take on toi et moi, with the gap between the two stones, was elegant yet so fresh.
Solange Knowles' engagement ring
However, I wasn’t keen on a step-cut for an engagement ring - I wanted a little more sparkle. So I started looking into other rings that have a ‘gap’, such as the Katkim Crescendo ring.
It wasn’t until I saw Jemma Wynne’s toi et moi with an emerald and pear shaped diamond that they created for Maria Dueñas Jacobs (previously Elle’s Accessories Director) that I knew having two very different stones can work together. The problem was, I didn’t want an emerald (despite it being my favourite gemstone) because it’s too soft for everyday wear, and I had learned how beautiful OECs were through Pricescope - I loved the chunky facets and flashes of light.
Jemma Wynne Toi et Moi ring
OECs are harder to come by in the UK and the only place I could find them were at auctions. So whenever there were auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Bonhams and other small auction houses, I would pop along at the weekend to try on various pieces.
In 2019, after nearly three years of going to auctions and training my eyes to what ‘good’ looks like, I found a stone - it was an Edwardian ring, 4.49ct M+ SI2 (eye clean) in its original delicate 8-prong platinum setting. At 10.7mm spread, it looked like a 5 carat, was fairly shallow but looked very white face-up.
The "original" that only came out for special occasions - 4.49ct M+ SI2 OEC, eye clean with nibbles at the girdle
Despite the adrenaline rush of having a 5ct-sized ring, I was uncomfortable wearing it everywhere. So I put off resetting it, and dipped my toe into creating an ‘everyday’ engagement ring. Staying true to designing something uncommon, I bought a 1.5ct step-cut triangle diamond at auction and set it in a simple yellow gold bezel.
The setting mattered just as much as the stone because I’m a bit lazy and don’t take care of my possessions as much as I should! Therefore, my goals for the setting were: (1) uncommon design, (2) comfort, (3) set low and (4) bezel rather than prongs so it doesn’t catch on anything. If these conditions were satisfied, then I would happily wear the ring every day for most activities.
The 'everyday' engagement ring, worn here with a Shaun Leane ring
I continued with the 'original' and 'everyday' ring for about two years, always putting off resetting the OEC because I'd taken it to a couple of jewellers who urged me to keep it in its original, hand-forged antique setting.
However, in early 2021, we were away for a week when burglars broke into our house and took our entire safe. They didn’t even break into the safe, they just took the whole thing! Sadly, I had taken the decision to “secure” all my jewellery - including my engagement rings and our wedding bands - in the safe before we left.
All the pieces I had collected over the last decade, plus ten years of anniversary and birthday presents, disappeared overnight. Luckily we weren’t in the house when they broke in, but I was very very upset. Thankfully my husband assured me that whilst those pieces had sentimental value, we will continue to make memories for the rest of our lives - which I took as a commitment to the jewellery fund
So, I needed to start the search for a diamond again! But this time, having lived with a 4.49ct OEC for two years, I knew what I wanted in my next stone: slightly deeper (as my original stone was quite flat) with a steeper crown for more rainbow flashes, and slightly smaller because I was so self conscious about the large stone - maybe I’m one of the few PSers who is immune to DSS
After attending multiple auction viewings, I identified a 3.49ct K-L OEC at 9.8mm. It was a lovely stone - chunky crown, faces up very white, gorgeous flashes. I liked it more than my original stone and was thrilled to win it at auction.
It was in an incredibly high prong setting that doesn’t suit my lifestyle and taste at all, so I was spurred into action to get it reset. Before resetting it, I got a GIA certificate done (which was a logistical complication because London doesn’t have a GIA grading lab - luckily my husband travels to NYC often so he could get it done there!) and the result came out as 3.48ct L SI1 (0.01ct lighter than the auction house's scales). It’s eye clean with lots of nibbles on the girdle.
The 'new' - 3.48ct L SI1 OEC, in its original solitaire setting
The next step was to find the “moi” to the “toi”. As I love a mix of diamond shapes and cuts, I was fairly sure I wanted a step cut to pair with the OEC. I’ve always loved asschers - especially set with the corners pointing NSEW like a kite rather than flat like a square, but bought two stones from Blue Nile just to make sure: a 0.3ct asscher and a 0.39ct round brilliant, just in case I fancied more symmetry between the two stones.
When the pairing stones arrived, I spent an hour trying them on with the OEC and, despite the RB being a lovely little stone (that’s now been repurposed into a necklace!), I knew that the little asscher was for me.
Comparing OEC with asscher (LHS) and round brilliant (RHS)
I worked with my jeweller to come up with the setting: there were three design iterations in total but he worked quickly and we managed to go from design to finished product in four weeks! What helped was that I knew what I wanted - each design iteration was a small tweak and that’s probably because I’d spent the last six years studiously making notes on what settings I liked and why!
(continued onto next post due to post limitations)
Before I go into the story, I just wanted to say that I have learned so much from Pricescope. This is a wonderful community and opened my eyes to the not just diamonds, but also beautifully designed jewellery. Thanks to everyone who contributes on here and for the fantastic conversations!
There are lots of (poorly taken) iPhone pictures at the bottom - please scroll to the next post if you want to skip to the good part! This turned out to be a novel
TLDR: it took me 3 years to find a 4.49ct OEC that was subsequently stolen when our home got burgled; in the last six years I have been taking mental notes of modern, uncommon settings and finally have my dream ring: a toi et moi with 3.48ct OEC and 0.30ct asscher, set in a yellow gold bezel “open” setting.
The background is that my husband and I met during my first year at university (college for the US crowd on here ) and have been together for twelve nears now. After graduating, we went into high pressure jobs in the finance industry where both of us would regularly work 80-100 hour weeks, and we supported each other through the highs and lows.
Conversations of engagement was triggered when we started thinking about buying a flat together, and that was when I got into diamonds. I knew that I wanted a well-cut diamond and I didn’t want a ‘standard’ setting: I wanted something no one else had, and started devouring design ideas.
The first celebrity ring I fell head-over-heels for was Solange Knowles’ engagement ring (in 2016): her modern take on toi et moi, with the gap between the two stones, was elegant yet so fresh.
Solange Knowles' engagement ring
However, I wasn’t keen on a step-cut for an engagement ring - I wanted a little more sparkle. So I started looking into other rings that have a ‘gap’, such as the Katkim Crescendo ring.
It wasn’t until I saw Jemma Wynne’s toi et moi with an emerald and pear shaped diamond that they created for Maria Dueñas Jacobs (previously Elle’s Accessories Director) that I knew having two very different stones can work together. The problem was, I didn’t want an emerald (despite it being my favourite gemstone) because it’s too soft for everyday wear, and I had learned how beautiful OECs were through Pricescope - I loved the chunky facets and flashes of light.
Jemma Wynne Toi et Moi ring
OECs are harder to come by in the UK and the only place I could find them were at auctions. So whenever there were auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Bonhams and other small auction houses, I would pop along at the weekend to try on various pieces.
In 2019, after nearly three years of going to auctions and training my eyes to what ‘good’ looks like, I found a stone - it was an Edwardian ring, 4.49ct M+ SI2 (eye clean) in its original delicate 8-prong platinum setting. At 10.7mm spread, it looked like a 5 carat, was fairly shallow but looked very white face-up.
The "original" that only came out for special occasions - 4.49ct M+ SI2 OEC, eye clean with nibbles at the girdle
Despite the adrenaline rush of having a 5ct-sized ring, I was uncomfortable wearing it everywhere. So I put off resetting it, and dipped my toe into creating an ‘everyday’ engagement ring. Staying true to designing something uncommon, I bought a 1.5ct step-cut triangle diamond at auction and set it in a simple yellow gold bezel.
The setting mattered just as much as the stone because I’m a bit lazy and don’t take care of my possessions as much as I should! Therefore, my goals for the setting were: (1) uncommon design, (2) comfort, (3) set low and (4) bezel rather than prongs so it doesn’t catch on anything. If these conditions were satisfied, then I would happily wear the ring every day for most activities.
The 'everyday' engagement ring, worn here with a Shaun Leane ring
I continued with the 'original' and 'everyday' ring for about two years, always putting off resetting the OEC because I'd taken it to a couple of jewellers who urged me to keep it in its original, hand-forged antique setting.
However, in early 2021, we were away for a week when burglars broke into our house and took our entire safe. They didn’t even break into the safe, they just took the whole thing! Sadly, I had taken the decision to “secure” all my jewellery - including my engagement rings and our wedding bands - in the safe before we left.
All the pieces I had collected over the last decade, plus ten years of anniversary and birthday presents, disappeared overnight. Luckily we weren’t in the house when they broke in, but I was very very upset. Thankfully my husband assured me that whilst those pieces had sentimental value, we will continue to make memories for the rest of our lives - which I took as a commitment to the jewellery fund
So, I needed to start the search for a diamond again! But this time, having lived with a 4.49ct OEC for two years, I knew what I wanted in my next stone: slightly deeper (as my original stone was quite flat) with a steeper crown for more rainbow flashes, and slightly smaller because I was so self conscious about the large stone - maybe I’m one of the few PSers who is immune to DSS
After attending multiple auction viewings, I identified a 3.49ct K-L OEC at 9.8mm. It was a lovely stone - chunky crown, faces up very white, gorgeous flashes. I liked it more than my original stone and was thrilled to win it at auction.
It was in an incredibly high prong setting that doesn’t suit my lifestyle and taste at all, so I was spurred into action to get it reset. Before resetting it, I got a GIA certificate done (which was a logistical complication because London doesn’t have a GIA grading lab - luckily my husband travels to NYC often so he could get it done there!) and the result came out as 3.48ct L SI1 (0.01ct lighter than the auction house's scales). It’s eye clean with lots of nibbles on the girdle.
The 'new' - 3.48ct L SI1 OEC, in its original solitaire setting
The next step was to find the “moi” to the “toi”. As I love a mix of diamond shapes and cuts, I was fairly sure I wanted a step cut to pair with the OEC. I’ve always loved asschers - especially set with the corners pointing NSEW like a kite rather than flat like a square, but bought two stones from Blue Nile just to make sure: a 0.3ct asscher and a 0.39ct round brilliant, just in case I fancied more symmetry between the two stones.
When the pairing stones arrived, I spent an hour trying them on with the OEC and, despite the RB being a lovely little stone (that’s now been repurposed into a necklace!), I knew that the little asscher was for me.
Comparing OEC with asscher (LHS) and round brilliant (RHS)
I worked with my jeweller to come up with the setting: there were three design iterations in total but he worked quickly and we managed to go from design to finished product in four weeks! What helped was that I knew what I wanted - each design iteration was a small tweak and that’s probably because I’d spent the last six years studiously making notes on what settings I liked and why!
(continued onto next post due to post limitations)
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