This client came into the shop one summer’s day, a beautiful white gold solitaire emerald ring in hand. It was a gift from her husband’s mother. The emerald had been purchased while traveling in South America. The stone is a classic step cut or emerald cut stone with magnificent color and amazingly very little surface wear. She loved the stone, but the setting wasn’t her style. She preferred for us to repurpose the shank of the ring and incorporate a beaded bezel around the emerald. I thought, “fairly straight-forward as far as design projects go.” But Ms. Emerald had other plans. The stone was not a calibrated size. Close but off just enough that there would need to be some manipulation with premade settings. In addition, the stone was fairly deep, hence the magnificent color. I held my breath while removing the emerald from the setting, all was good. Now the setting search. I found a setting that completely fit the bill as far as her vision. Now to fit the emerald. Too big, too SMALL. Too deep, not deep enough. These were just some of the issues I ran into. All the while the owner of the emerald was so very very patient. I kept sending her photos to track the progress. Eventually my solution was to have a yellow gold four-prong setting counter sunk into the larger beaded bezel setting. Next, we’d drop and set the emerald into the pronged setting so there are four brilliant 18k yellow gold beads highlighting the incredible green of the emerald. The end result is a ring she can wear as often as she wants. The stone is protected as well as enhanced. Sometimes the seemingly simple is a bit more complicated. But with trial and error, a clear vision, patience and a precise hand, wow-worthy results are always within reach.
- Materials: 14k white gold/18k yellow gold, emerald
- Client location: Simsbury, CT
