A Great Engagement Ring with a Great Story

I was super excited to learn yesterday that my good friend Laura, who helped me with the layout and header design for this blog, just got engaged! Her engagement ring is so remarkable that I just had to share it.

This gorgeous ring was designed by Bario Neal, a Philadelphia-based designer that makes handcrafted jewelry using reclaimed metals and ethically mined stones, so their work is not only beautiful and creative but eco-friendly.

Laura's super thoughtful fiance had the ring customized to include a diamond that has been in his family for generations and a pearl, because the two of them met through diving. Talk about a non-traditional and completely perfect ring! I can't wait to see how their wedding will come together (and I'm hoping they'll be interested in sharing it on this blog!).

Praise for Single Stone and Rose Cut Diamonds

I'm so excited to finally have my engagement ring in my hands. When JT proposed, he did not have a ring for me. He wanted to make sure that I got exactly what I wanted, so we shopped for one together and ultimately decided to have one custom made.

We began by online shopping. Two sites in particular: Twist, which is based in Portland, and Clay Pot, which is based in Brooklyn. Once again, San Diego kind of let me down on the shopping front. I tried and tried, but couldn't find any unique jewelry stores anywhere in the county. Well, that's not entirely true...I did find some unique ones, just not any that carried anything close to my style. San Diegans must not be fans of modern minimalism.

Clay Pot and Twist both carry gorgeous designs by smaller designers, so you can easily find something that won't look like the same engagement ring that all the women in your office have. But, when it came down to it, we didn't feel comfortable making such a big purchase without seeing the ring in person. So, we headed up towards LA, and that's where we found Single Stone.

Single Stone is a jewelry shop with two stores in San Marino and Los Angeles. They specialize in custom work and antique diamond cuts, like the rose cut. I fell in love with rose cuts looking at the designs by Me & Ro at Twist. Unlike the modern round/brilliant cuts that are pointed on the underside (or have a "pavilion," to use the correct terminology), rose cuts are flat on the bottom and have more of a dome shape. They aren't quite as brilliant and "blingy," but that's what I love about it. And it's so unique...you see so few of them.

So Single Stone had several beautiful rings that were close to what I was looking for, but by the time we ended up in their store, I had figured out exactly what I wanted: a rose cut in a matte bezel setting. So they offered to make it for me. And the custom job would be much more affordable than ready-made rings of similar designs I had seen elsewhere. Win win.

When it was finally ready and we went to pick it up, it was even more beautiful than I expect. Most importantly, it was exactly what I wanted. I could not be happier with it! Yay for Single Stone!