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Milestone jewellery is deeply personal, enlisted the intricate task of saying everything you need to say. That said, designing a meaningful engagement ring that successfully makes your partner feels seen as an individual does not necessarily mean reinventing the wheel.
In fact, classics are classics for a reason. An engagement ring that builds upon the strong foundations of traditional blueprints is one that will age gracefully, garner universal appreciation and possess the longevity to be reclaimed as an heirloom many years down the line.
Here at Lebrusan Studio, however, we see jewellery as an active vessel for change. For us, this means that even the most simple of jewels is assigned an important role in championing exquisite craftsmanship, responsibly sourced materials and supply chain storytelling. This blog post explores how classic design may not only embody these progressive qualities, but encapsulate the details that matter to you, too; affirming the notion that timelessness does not always equate to facelessness.
In 1886, Tiffany & Co. debuted their revolutionary Tiffany® Setting ring. A slim platinum band set with a single white diamond, this was the first design ever to elevate the stone in a raised claw setting, enhancing its natural radiance by allowing light to enter and leave at every angle. Celebrated in film, art and literature, the Tiffany® Setting quickly became the most sought-after symbol of love; the face of the engagement ring as we know it. Today, the single-stone engagement ring remains a firm favourite around the world, making up 83% of all engagement ring orders here at Lebrusan Studio in 2023.
Though some might argue that the solitaire engagement ring feels a little cliché, we can’t help but appreciate the thought process behind a setting evolved specifically to celebrate the internal magic of a diamond or gemstone, utilising the simple gift of light to celebrate its structure, colour and brilliance.
Our Athena engagement ringsOur iconic Athena Collection takes all the hero qualities of the solitaire design – its slender band, raised prong setting and focussed appreciation of its centrepiece – and elevates it with intricate scrolls, hand-engraved by our master craftsman Darren.
Similarly, our Engraved in My Heart engagement ring further conforms to type with a six-prong setting and tapered shoulders, this very band open to your choice of hand-engraved vines, hearts or eternal loops. If your mind takes you beyond this existing stock of motifs, you may even wish to customise your band with a bespoke motif like Julien’s leaves or Patrick’s wording.
Simple but effective, these solitaire engagement rings are an opportunity to invest in timelessness whilst championing traditional British craftsmanship and indulging in subtle self-expression at the same time. Small works of art that will never fall out of fashion.
The archaic ‘Three Months’ Salary Rule’ conveniently perpetuated by De Beers once suggested that one’s significant other should set aside the equivalent of three months’ pay and splurge it all on a diamond engagement ring. Luckily, with time, priorities have shifted and love is no longer measured so readily in numerical terms.
The average engagement ring spend has decreased considerably in recent years, and that’s in part due to the affordability of coloured gemstones like sapphires and rubies. Though equally as precious and virtually as resilient, these cardinal gemstones tend to be significantly cheaper than diamonds of comparable size.
Our Fancy Athena collection further reimagines our Athena solitaires by swapping out round colourless diamonds for gemstones in an exciting variety of fancy cuts and shapes. From an emerald-cut sapphire in dusky pink to a pear-cut salt and pepper diamond and a marquise sapphire in a striking shade of violet, these jewels are an invitation to enjoy the romantic icon of a single-stone engagement ring without forfeiting your love of colour, form, and the symbolism inherent in those aspects.
What’s more, the variety of our Fancy Athena collection does not just pertain to its melee of shapes and shades, but the many stories it tells. Whilst one fancy gemstone can be traced back to the Gahcho Kué Mine in northwest Canada, another is a reclaimed vintage, and another of traceable and fair-traded Sri Lankan origin. The collection’s adorned yellow gold bands are cast in recycled, Fairtrade and Fairmined Ecological Gold. When engagement ring design is not a narrow-minded endeavour for the largest and most perfect diamond attainable, there is true magic to be found. May your timeless engagement ring serve as a mouthpiece for its unique origin story for generations to come!
Deriving its name from the Greek tri-(‘three times’) and –logia(‘story’), the trilogy engagement ring is characterised by three gemstones set side-by-side. The most widely regarded symbolism of the trilogy ring is the concept of eternity, with its stones representing the past, present and future of a couple’s union. Since its heyday in the Victorian era, the trilogy engagement ring’s role as a deeply symbolic analogy for everlasting love has secured it a firm place at the top of the popularity ranking. After all, romance never goes out of style!
The most prototypical trilogy design consists of three round diamonds in a ‘graduated’ formation (meaning the central stone is slightly larger and more elevated than those flanking). Like the solitaire engagement ring, it’s traditional for these gemstones to be secured in prong settings. We’ve had plenty of fun reinterpreting these margins over the years, however.
Our Demeter Trilogy rings, for example, swap out those claws for clean bezel settings, offering a futuristic and streamlined finish. Meanwhile, our Fancy Hera trilogy utilises just one bezel setting to accommodate all three baguette sapphires in concentrated proximity. Seizing the opportunity to fuse features, we’ve even crafted trilogy engagement rings - like Mark’s or Andrew’s bespoke designs - which combine a central bezel setting with claw-set side stones.
Playing with contrast could also mean combining fancy cuts (see: our Harmonia’s emerald-meets-trillion dynamic) or colours. As far as trilogy settings go, the flanking of a central diamond with two coloured gemstones is a design classic, but thinking beyond the obvious choices of sapphire, ruby or diamond, here lies the opportunity to embrace the colour and symbolism of birthstones.
This blog post touches gently upon the variety of way a traditional engagement ring might be enhanced or personalised, but there’s no better means of exploring the true scope of our design and manufacturing capabilities like a one-to-one discussion. Contact us today to book an engagement ring consultation, be that in the London Diamond Bourse, by the sea in Brighton, or via virtual means.
It's possible to embrace the beautiful materials that Mother Nature offers us without harming our beautiful planet. By asking questions, simplifying supply chains and sharing our knowledge with the world, we can achieve this balance.
