Look Book

24 www.thejewelrybook.com Renderings of a custom engage- ment ring feature dragons and treble clefs—recurring themes in one couple's relationship. Secret Services Angela Hope is the bridal jewelry buyer for Ben Bridge in Seattle, Wash., and has witnessed myriad romantic moments while working for her employer. Among them? A couple whose custom engagement ring featured dragons and treble clefs—recurring themes throughout the couple's relationship—so the fi ancé secretly incorpo- rated them into his beloved's design. Another moment occurred when Hope's family took up a particular romantic charge. When Hope's father learned he was dying, he tapped his daughter to acquire an 18k yellow gold knot-style ring with diamonds for her mom, to be given to her on her 60th birthday, after he passed. "He knew she would feel guilty in removing her wedding rings, and he always communicated love through jewelry, so he knew this would be an important transition for her," says Hope. "This is the power in what we as jewelers do; any other physical object would not have conveyed the same promise." A Marquise is Reborn Corina Madilian, owner Single Stone in San Marino, Calif., recalls a couple who brought a family stone— a marquise diamond—to her to reset into a modern mounting. The woman didn't like the shape, but the husband insisted on using it because it was meaningful to him. To wit, Madilian had the uncomfortable position of hearing the bride-to-be state how "he must not know her that well if he wanted to use that stone," she recollects. To overcome the hurdle, Madilian learned what she dis- liked about the shape (she thought all marquise center stone rings looked a certain way) and designed a ring that was the opposite of her objections. The result? A sideways-set number with a heavier yellow gold shank and clean lines. She loved it. "They had a real bonding moment when she thanked him for insisting on using the stone, and he was appreciative that she understood its importance," says Madilian. This is why the jewelry designer and retailer recom- mends that couples abandon the imaginary engagement ring rule book in their minds. "Look at your style, lifestyle, and what speaks to your heart. The marriage of the two coming together is a refl ection of both, and that's romantic." F E AT U R E A R T I C L E Cory ring in 18k gold with a 1.8 ct. marquise diamond is similar to a style custom made for a couple with a family diamond, $17,000; Single Stone, 855-791-3410; www.singlestone.com R O M A N T I C M O T I O N S

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