One sunny Saturday, having found me online and being a local gal, she popped in for a meet and greet, presenting one very interesting, albeit challenging, engagement ring. She was adamant about not wanting this design to be traditional since she’d apparently been there, done that… and didn’t want to do that again. As I usually do, I began with the stone, as the stone dictates how the rest of the ring should go. As is true with engagement rings, the stone should be the center of attention. The particular stone she loved and wanted was a moss agate, an especially interesting choice since no two stones are ever the same. This is a true wonder – appearing as if moss is trapped inside the crystal. Today most moss agate stones are either doublets or triplets. This is a process where a slice of the stone is backed, often by a clear stone. Many times another clear stone (domed in shape) is added, leaving you with a cabochon style stone with no facets, just color and/or pattern. Moss agate stone is not expensive, and so part of the challenge was to create a ring that was not terribly high in price as diamonds were also requested. Keeping budget in mind, I suggested lab created diamonds, also known as HTHP or high temperature, high pressure. These lab created diamonds are produced in a lab the exact same way that Mother Nature works her magic, exhibiting the same fire, scintillation and sparkle. An exceptional value when compared to earth-mined diamonds. I suggested that we customize an existing ring mounting, again with budget in mind. This mounting originally had a setting for a straight stone. The straight setting was removed and we added the bezel, assembling it horizontally and then set the agate. The resulting ring is simply lovely.
The diamonds look like icicles or water and contrast beautifully with the pattern of the agate. It’s no wonder that water comes to mind, given the stunning, nature-inspired stone that is moss agate.
- 14k yellow gold, lab created diamonds and a moss agate doublet
- Location: Simsbury, CT
