When it comes to engagement rings, many of my customers don’t know exactly what they are looking for. Now, this changes from person to person. You may have a rough idea of the cut, clarity or colour you’d like, or you may be starting off with a blank canvas. It’s rare to have a customer know exactly what they want in an engagement ring. This was exactly the case for my customer in Blackrock Co. Cork. 

She had a crystal clear idea of the exact ring she wanted: an oval cut diamond solitaire, in yellow gold. With the design already fully formed, my task was to look at the final details and ensure that the simple and paired back design was still a showstopper. 

With this particular ring, we started looking at the diamond first. 

We looked at a lot of oval cuts and it took a while to get the right diamond, but it was so worth it. Oval cuts are gorgeous, but there are a few things you need to consider in order to find the perfect one. 

It was perfect.

You want a diamond that has beautiful light going through it. If there are shadows, you’re losing some of your sparkle. In an oval cut, these shadows often form what’s known as a bow tie. This shadow looks like two small triangles where both points meet in the centre — the shape of a bow tie. Ideally, you don’t want that. We want fire and brilliance. 

Once we had the diamond, the rest of the design started coming together. Whilst it was going to be simple, we still needed to give thought to the claws and the band. What were they going to look like? 

We considered two types of claws to hold the stone in place:

1. A  rounded claw: Rounded claws, as the name suggests, have prongs or claws that are smooth and rounded at the top. They create a soft and elegant look in jewellery. These prongs gently curve over the gemstone, securing it in place without sharp or pointed edges. They provide a secure hold while minimising the amount of metal visible around the gemstone.
2. A talon claw: Talon claws, on the other hand, have pointed ends that are elongated and taper down to a fine point, resembling sharp talons and giving the ring a more distinctive look. This works really nicely with an oval cut because of the long oval shape.

Ultimately the customer opted for a talon claw, and then, it was just about having a really simple gold band and letting as much light as possible in under the diamond. 

With the shape of the setting, we looked at how it would sit with a wedding band — something that is often overlooked when shopping for an engagement ring. We didn’t want to limit her choices of wedding bands in the future, so I kept the bottom of the ring, very, very thin so that the setting didn’t come right down. This means that a flat wedding band can sit next to it and it will work really well. 

If we had gone with a lower setting, or if we put the setting right down without tapering it in, my customer would have had to have a shaped wedding band around her engagement because of the size of the stone.

Your wedding ring is not typically the first thing you think of when you’re shopping for your engagement ring, but it should be a consideration — you’ll be wearing your wedding band every day alongside your engagement ring. If you’re looking at an engagement ring, don’t be afraid to try on the wedding bands so that you can see what works best. 

In this case, my customer not only has a beautiful engagement ring that she loved, but one that will allow her to choose a wedding band she also adores. I’m really happy with this one and it was worth going through lots of oval cuts to find the perfect one. If you are looking for your own custom engagement ring in Ireland I would love to help bring your vision to life. Get in touch on eileen@eileenmoylan.com.

A brilliant cut solitaire is one of the most classic styles of engagement ring: a single diamond that has been cut in a round brilliant shape. The solitaire setting showcases the center stone with minimal distraction, emphasizing its elegance and simplicity. It’s timeless, but it’s also been done many times before.

My clients — a couple from Rochestown — knew they wanted a brilliant cut solitaire, but with a difference. I love these projects. While the finished ring may look like a simple solitaire ring, it has really nice details that set it apart.

When I met this couple, they had been searching for months for the perfect solitaire. Finding the perfect engagement ring in Cork can be hard: finding the perfect diamond can be even harder. While they knew the diamond they wanted, they couldn’t find it anywhere. They knew the diamond, but they were otherwise flexible on the design. The only detail that they knew they absolutely wanted on the ring was a knife edge shank.

I know what you’re thinking: knife edge isn’t synonymous with love, marriage and happily ever after… but in this case it does. A knife edge shank simply means that instead of the band being rounded, it tapers to a sharp point on either side — much like a knife edge. This design creates a unique and elegant profile for the ring, adding a touch of visual interest. 

From there, we had to work out the different details that would work with this band. 

We had to decide between four claw; six claw; eight claw. This couple felt the four claw would be best and I absolutely agreed: a classic four-prong setting offers a timeless and elegant look, and leaves the focus on the center stone.

With the basic design laid out, we went in search for the perfect diamond. 

We looked at lots of diamonds, having narrowed down to a brilliant cut and a rough idea of size. With a ring like this, the quality needed to be impeccable. With a solitaire like this, there’s nowhere to hide; the diamond needs to be perfect. 

In the end, we found a stunning diamond. From the ones that were viewed, this one just stood out. It had extra life, extra sparkle, extra fire. It was a really clean stone with an amazing colour. The cut was perfect, and the clarity was excellent. It ticked every single box.

From there, I got to work on the head of the ring: the four claw setting and the knife head shank. Once soldered together, I then focused on making the shank more of a knife edge. The goal was to really work on exaggerating the point, without making it uncomfortable to wear. Beauty may be pain, but not when it comes to a piece you’ll be wearing every single day. 

The end result was a stunning classic brilliant cut solitaire (with a twist) and the customer was absolutely delighted. We also worked on their wedding ring, which is a completely different design. Because of the simplicity of the engagement ring we were able to take the wedding ring in almost a completely different direction. We had a lot of flexibility and the end result was the perfect complementary piece. I can’t wait to share the design soon.

Whether you’ve already planned out your engagement ring down to the cut, clarity, carat and colour and you need someone to bring your vision to life, or you’re looking for someone to help you find that vision — I can walk you through the process from start to finish. An engagement ring is an heirloom, why not make it the perfect piece? If you are looking for an engagement ring in Ireland that’s completely unique please get in touch at eileen@eileenmoylan.com.

A West-Cork based couple came to me looking for a classic solitaire rings. I love it when customers have done their research and have strong opinions as to what they want. In addition to the Solitaire, they wanted additional detail on the shoulders or band of the ring.

I suggested settings some small brilliant cut diamonds on the band so that it would still sit perfectly with the wedding ring that was also needed.

Searching for the perfect diamond

Once we had decided on the setting style we went looking for a perfect diamond. The customer chose to go with a lab-grown diamond as these are considered more environmentally friendly. Also, the ethically sourced aspects of lab-grown diamonds appealed to them. As with natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds are graded by their cut, colour and clarity.

We viewed two stones, a 1-carat and 1.2-carat. Both with excellent colour, clarity & cut.

The couple opted for the 1.2-carat diamond. I made the ring so that it would be a classic solitaire will just the added diamonds on the band it would say perfectly with a flat wedding ring and was high enough to let the light shine in underneath the stone to achieve the best sparkle. (An often forgotten aspect of engagement ring design).

If you are looking for an engagement ring and would like something absolutely unique to you, please email me at:

eileen@eileenmoylan.com

In this blog post, we describe the process of creating a stunning white gold engagement ring. The focus of the piece was on finding the perfect diamond, with considerations given to its carat, clarity, colour, and cut. We narrowed down our search to ensure that we could find a stone that fit both the customer’s preferences and budget. Once we had selected a few favourites, the customer was able to view them in person and make their decision. They ultimately chose a diamond with exceptional life and sparkle.

After finding the perfect diamond, we turned our attention to the design of the ring. The customer opted for a classic solitaire setting, which we enhanced with unique design details. We also had to consider how the engagement ring would sit alongside a wedding ring, ensuring that both rings would lay flat against one another. The final design featured a classic four-claw setting with a tapered band.

Overall, we were thrilled with the result of this project. The diamond was stunning, the setting was classic yet unique, and the wedding bands selected by the couple complemented the engagement ring beautifully. The contrast between the flat band of the engagement ring and the beaded wedding band added an interesting visual element. It was a pleasure to work with this lovely couple from the beginning of the process all the way through to the completion of their wedding rings.

If you’d like to follow a similar path to create your own bespoke one-of-a-kind engagement ring, contact me. I love my work. 😊

I was contacted by a customer locally who had a ruby and diamond ring and a diamond set wedding ring that she did not like. The Ruby was gorgeous but was hidden in a chunky gold setting which did not suit her hand. In this post, I am covering the Ruby ring. Here is the ring “before”:

After looking at lots of different designs I sketched out a cluster option which would use her different size diamonds, would have a much thinner band and would show off the beautiful rich colour of the Ruby.

Once the customer approve the sketches I went about doing up CAD images for this ring from these the customer got a very clear image of how the ring would look.

We used her gold to make the band and then used white gold for the setting of the Ring. The ring has 12 different-sized diamonds in a pave setting which surrounds the claw set ruby.

The finished ring is a complete transformation from the original ring. It now suits the customer’s hand and is worn daily. This is a great practical use of jewellery that was just sitting in a drawer. Hidden Treasure!

Here are some more images of the process…

While most of my custom engagement ring clients are based in and around Cork, I do occasionally get queries via my online jewelry store. This unique ring was the outcome of one such query.

A Salt and Pepper diamond is a diamond with natural inclusions that give the stone these unique colours and features.

This ring started with the shape of the stone and we then worked the design around it. 

The brief from my customer was an unusually shaped diamond. We chatted through the various cuts available and the customer decided on a kite-shaped diamond. After looking at lots of different options we sourced this beautiful kite-cut salt and pepper diamond.

Once the diamond arrived we worked on the design, having decided on a solitaire the customer wanted to have the ring made in yellow gold to contrast with the colour of the stone. 

I sketched out some different setting options. As you can see from the sketches all these designs have the delicate corners of this diamond covered. While showing the tip of the diamond may sound nice it is really impractical and leaves the most delicate part of the stone vulnerable to getting chipped. 

The customer decided on the classic curved band with V-shaped claws. This ring was also designed to sit perfectly with a flat wedding ring. 

The finished ring is a gorgeous twist on the classic diamond solitaire engagement ring. Keeping the rich colour and cut of the diamond the key feature of the ring.