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4.16ct O/P VS1 antique cushion "bee" ring from David Klass

evergreen

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 18, 2012
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828
2022 is my Jewelry Wardrobe Overhaul year, and also my 10-year anniversary! I'd wanted a large diamond for a while, we saved (and I decided I'd rather have a big diamond than spending that money on a newer car when my little 70-mile-range EV works just fine for my commute, thankyouverymuch!), and although this pushed the budget a leeeeeeettle bit, I am over-the-moon happy. Introducing... Honey! (Has there been a Honey ring?)

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Bees were part of our wedding theme, and have a special place in my heart, growing up with an avid gardener (mom) and dad's beehives in the back yard. I learned early to distinguish between honey bees (helpful, gentle) and wasps (a$$holes); even my young kids know the difference now. We support pollinators by planting natives, mowing the lawn we inherited when we bought the house no more than 4 times a year (this is part laziness), and allowing plants like clover, dandelions, and oxalis free rein until we get a chance to more deliberately groundcover with natives. Please never use glyphosphate herbicides; we need bees so badly. (Stepping down from soapbox!)
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Oh, you're here for the JEWELRY? Ahem.

The diamond is a 4.16 O/P VS1 with faint fluorescence from Jewels by Whitney on Instagram (she was fab, so patient with me!). The girdle is faceted, so it may be an antique stone which got rehabbed, or a modern-cut in an antique style. It's 9.94x9.29x6.31mm, 67.8% depth and 51% table, with faint fluorescence. When I opened the box I was at work and definitely said something NSFW because this is a BOULDER. (Luckily, I have an office with a door.). The body tint is mostly yellow but with a little brown and a hint of green, so there was much contemplating about whether the color would be OK or not. (I took 156 pictures; I just counted.) I had a really specific plan for the setting, with no flexibility in metals etc, but also a really specific request for diamond specs (as big as possible, within budget, O/P at most, with good symmetry, and nonzero fluorescence). I'm SO glad I took the chance and moved forward!

Showing body tint in the car:
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Faint fluorescence (super-powerful UV flashlight, I can't see the fluor in regular sunlight, unlike with the VSBF lady at the bottom)
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She is bezeled in unplated 14k white gold (I went with David's opinion about which metal would work best, given her body tint, as the inner bezel), with the rest of the ring made in 18k rose gold. The little gallery bees are also 14k white. I'm smitten.

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The ring itself? Is. Very. Comfortable. Like, "oh, sure, this 4ct thing fits perfectly into my lifestyle of wiping 3-year-olds' bottoms and occasional professional tasks that ALSO involve undesirable secretions". I have to go in for a shift at work at 3pm this afternoon and I'm debating wearing this ring... I am confident it will fit under rubber gloves just fine, but it is a little flashy (i have two flashy jewelry friends at work, though, and one of them is working tonight too... we shall see ;-) ). Sometimes I look at it and think it's a bit too big, and yet, if it doesn't actually impede my activities-of-daily-living, I am sure I will get used to it very quickly indeed. :lol: I've only ever worn shallow(~55% depth) transitional rounds, so the 6+mm depth of this one made me nervous, but it turns out just about anything feels fine in a cathedral bezel!

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Gratitude to all the PSers who helped with the design on my RT thread for ring design and the thread for diamond advice -- especially @Mjay 's idea for the secret shank bee and @emmy12 for a hidden PowerPoint feature I didn't know about (I do all my jewelry design in ppt... :lol: ) and side-bee shape. David Klass is an absolute master of his craft, and I am so lucky his head didn't explode when in, like, November, I introduced the idea of 5 custom rings I simultaneously needed his help with. :mrgreen: That he's so comfortable translating detailed inspiration images (yes, and PowerPoint slides) into actual jewelry, and so patient with the iterations it takes to have things turn out perfect, makes him a huge asset to the jewelry world. There's not one thing about this ring I would change.
 

Mjay

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
1,006
Omg it is absolutely perfect! I love everything about it. Everything fell together just perfectly. I am obsessed with all of the details. Congratulations on such a stunning piece! Enjoy it!
 

evergreen

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Messages
828
Oh! I was quite proud of this: I managed to take a photo of the loose stone using a homemade ASET viewer I made a few years back after someone posted instructions. I'm sure this isn't "best practices" for evaluating diamonds, but since I went to the trouble of making it, it is nice to know I can use it to take an unofficial image.

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Also, the obligate under-a-tree video!

 

evergreen

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Jan 18, 2012
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@Mjay thank you so much!!! I really appreciated your advice throughout the process :D
 

McLaren

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Aug 13, 2016
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174
It's gorgeous - I love how DK was able to incorporate the bee's into the setting!
 

Cerulean

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Messages
5,077
How pretty! Love that the bee motif could be included given how much it meant to you.

The white gold is perfect for the stones color - and wow, she looks fantastic on and well proportioned on your hand. I totally get that adjustment period…but also found with a comfy setting I adjusted quite quickly to a big diamond too…I’m sure it’ll be no time before she’s part of the landscape of your hand ;-)

Congrats on your new ring and anniversary!
 

Austina

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Feb 24, 2017
Messages
7,555
It's bee-ooti-ful!
 

CircularBrilliant

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Joined
Nov 21, 2013
Messages
313
What a perfect ring! I love the story.
 

SparklieBug

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Joined
Feb 23, 2013
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1,306
@evergreen I followed the "design" thread with great interest, and am so delighted to see how beautifully your vision was manifested into your gorgeous ring! :kiss2:Congratulations!

Off-topic: My BIL is a beekeeper, and his little lovelies produce delicious honey! Our household has avoided glyphosate products for eons, now. Plus the tree in your avatar is the same Charlie Brown tree that we have for Christmas every year. :D /off-topic
 

ItsMainelyYou

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2014
Messages
4,760
:love: The cooooloooor! I'm in love. The mounting turned out perfectly and the secret detail is just the sweetest nod. Quick, I need some of that honey poured into my mouth hole.

878230
 

maryjane04

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 21, 2013
Messages
1,531
This is so beautiful. I loved reading about the design process and all the little details. Congratulations on your anniversary! I too would choose bling over a new car hahaha.
 

lulu_ma

Ideal_Rock
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Sep 9, 2020
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4,084
Oh the faceting is so pretty! And, I love the combo of unplated white and rose gold.
 

MissGotRocks

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Jun 23, 2005
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16,272
Your ring turned out great! How special that you were able to incorporate the bees! You will adjust quickly to the size I’m sure - enjoy!!
 

MamaBear

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Joined
Jan 25, 2020
Messages
1,145
This is utterly sublime… :kiss2::kiss2::kiss2: I love it! Enjoy!
 

Mreader

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 14, 2018
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6,075
So gorgeous and love the little bee on the shank!
 

Ally T

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 24, 2012
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8,507
Absolutely glorious! I love everything about it & you will have absorbed the size into your daily life in no time at all.

Wear it! Love it! Point out the bees! (Would love a close up of the gallery bees)

Congratulations!
 

Uncut_Pages

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
22
Amazing setting and interesting stone
 

HS4S_2

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May 23, 2017
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1,857
This is perfection! Congratulations!
 

Catmom

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Apr 6, 2005
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Gorgeous!
 

Mooshi

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
288
WOW that is incredible! The big chunks of rainbow are amazing, my favorite part aside from the bees. You picked such a pretty stone! My wallet thanks you for inspiring my new search for an old mine cushion now hah.
 

Slickk

Ideal_Rock
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Jan 3, 2013
Messages
4,927
Well! Isn’t Honey just the bees knees?! :lol: Truly and absolutely stunning and unique and mesmerizing! Happy Anniversary and enjoy your bee-autifully chunky new diamond ring!!

PS I didn’t read the other replies so please excuse me if I re-used a couple puns. I couldn’t resist. :)
 

Jax172

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
1,652
Love the color. Well done. Enjoy!!
 

evergreen

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Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Messages
828
Wow, thanks, everyone! She massively brought me joy through a couple of tightly back-to-back shifts (between coworkers who are sick, and trying to let people take winter holidays off, we're a little thin!). I have missed having a larger diamond on my hand -- everything in my wardrobe was either too delicate or sized wrong! -- and there's something soothing and meditative about staring at a slowly-moving diamond. Possibly a little escapist. :lol:

@McLaren Thank you -- I can't believe how economical and straightforward it can be to design a totally unique setting and have an artist like David execute it. he's amazing!

@Cerulean Thank you so much, haha, I think the proportions are ALSO perfect (I ruminated extensively... the elongated shape means it fits better on my finger than a round of the same carat weight!), and... yeah, I had sort of envisioned her being a special-occasion ring, and now after 2 days with gloves on-and-off, I think she's aaaaactually perfect for everyday! :lol:

@Austina :lol: thanks!!

@CircularBrilliant thank you, and I love your username! (proud Circular Brilliant appreciator too :D)

@SparklieBug aww, thank you on all counts - the ring does match the vision, and I am so glad you have bees (and their super delicious honey - that store-bought stuff doesn't come close!!) in your life!!

@ItsMainelyYou MOST DRAMATIC GIF EVER award :appl:hahaha I also felt quite weak in the knees the first time I saw her :D

@maryjane04 thank you! it was so much fun to brainstorm. I am very pleased driving my older car with my new ring winking at me. :wacko:

@lulu_ma It's funny, I barely see the WG, but GOSH she picked up a lot of rose gold tint when I put her right next to 18k RG, and that wasn't really what i was going for, so it's kind of a sneaky accent strategy!! The faceting -- I am more and more in love with it every day. I love big blobs of sparkle and she's got them in spades!!

@MissGotRocks Thank you! the bees wouldn't have turned out so well if it hadn't been for feedback from PS :) :) :)

@MamaBear thank you so much, dear husband (bless him) keeps making fun of me for staring at my hand too much but I'M NOT SORRY!

@Mreader thank you, and thanks for weighing in during the design phase!! ::)

@oncrutchesrightnow thank you, I'm so pleased with how it all came together!

@Ally T Argh, I think this is the best I can do with my cell phone camera. DK's instagram has a good movie of the finished ring, though! (His lighting is MEH for diamonds, but lovely for metalwork - makes sense, I suppose!)

@Christinak thank you -- I don't see them unless I look for them, but I'm constantly feeling the shank bee -- they do feel like a secret!

@Uncut_Pages Thank you! I have never owned a diamond this far down the alphabet, and I have to say, it is so changeable that I am constantly seeing new personalities!

@HS4S_2, @Catmom , thank you! :)

@Mooshi I've only ever owned low-crown stones, and while the crown on this lady isn't particularly high (not an OMC, for sure!), I definitely do see more rainbow than I'm used to! Old cuts absolutely have my heart... with RBs, you know what you're getting, but antiques? Phew, a whole world out there!! Good luck looking for yours! :D I found an 0.86 K "twin" of this stone on JA several years ago, and when I get a chance I'll take mama-and-baby photos. :lol:

@Slickk Oh, pun away!! Language is most fun when we use it fully. :D Thank you!!

@Jax172 It's such an interesting color, and the way it sometimes picks up the rose, and sometimes FIRMLY wants to be yellow, I have no idea what I'll see when I look down!
 

Pomelo

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 20, 2015
Messages
518
Gosh those facets are lovely, and the tiny bees are a such a gorgeous touch!
 

evergreen

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Messages
828
Thanks, @Pomelo ! She's got great light performance for a non-optimized stone. The bees make it unmistakeably unique, though!
 

Kim N

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 6, 2005
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6,389
I'm awed at how your ring turned out! Simply stunning. :love: I love every single detail. And your diamond is such an amazing performer. Wear in the best of health!
 

LLJsmom

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Oct 24, 2012
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12,633
beautiful and just gives me the warm and fuzzies. Congratulations!!
 

Eli22

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Jan 2, 2018
Messages
989
That is just gorgeous!!! Happy anniversary! I love the little bees (and your family history with them). Perfect setting for that lovely diamond!
 
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