Happy Stories From our customers

WOW! I can’t stop looking at it. It’s perfect and looks just like my original engagement ring. Thank you so much for doing such a great job!

M.B.

Maybe you wore the same school ring as your graduating class in college or high school. Or you and a friend or lover wore a ring that symbolize how two halves make a whole (like wearing a half heart, for instance.) But collective ring wearing is still a rarity.

Unless you’re from Latvia. Then the same ring is ubiquitous to its entire small population. A whole country wears the same kind of ring…now that’s some serious solidarity.

The ring that mostly all Latvians wear?

The Nameja Gredzens

The Nameja gredzens or Ring of Namejs [NAH-mays] consists of:

Three separate bands of silver twisted around each other and forming a braid
A thread-like chain wrapping them together, making them one
Four separate elements that come together in a single shape

And while the overall design is the same, no two rings are exactly alike. Each one is handcrafted.

The Nameja Gredzens are old!

This style of ring has been excavated from sites along the Daugava River dating back to the thirteenth century. These rings were simple yet contained the same components as ones designed today. Each ring is still forged by hand, braiding three bands of silver (traditional) or gold and then wrapping them with a chain.

The

Nameja Gredzens

are worn with pride!

The Nameja gredzens are give to a man as rite-of-passage (from boyhood to manhood, for example). Women also wear the braid of Namejs in the shape of rings, necklaces, bracelets or brooches.

The Nameja Gredzens are symbolic.

The three bands on this style ring represent Vidzeme, Kurzeme, and Latgale, the three ancient tribal regions of present-day Latvia.

If you’d like one of the powerful and symbolic rings (you don’t have to be from Latvia!), let us custom design your very own Nameja gredzens

I haven’t received my ring yet but am in love with what I see in its photos and my experience with Joe. Communication, price, and expediency were unrivaled. He is exceptionally kind, enthusiastic, and has achieved the balance between his own expertise and the client’s dream. Never once did I feel condescended to or that he was trying to alter my vision. He replied to each message promptly and consulted me at each step so that the project was one-hundred percent custom. I recommend Joe and his team to anyone and everyone, always. Thank you for making a dream come true!

M.H.

We love Pinterest! Where else could you find such amazing images of jewelry? But more than just stunning pictures, Pinterest offers us great tips to take care of jewelry or advice on how to wear jewelry more effectively. Here are a few of our favorite pointers.

Oh…and follow us on Pinterest too!

A quick and easy reference to necklace lengths.

Match the right necklace with your neckline.

More advice on neckline/necklace pairing.

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Spring is officially here and floral designs are busting out everywhere, including the red carpet. At Sunday night’s Tony awards, many a celebrity donned a floral-inspired dress (see below) and posed in front of an amazing floral backdrop that served to enhance the natural beauty of the celebrity.

The backdrop included 100,000 red roses and was designed by famed florist Raul Àvila. It took nearly 20 hours and 50 crew members to assemble. Wow!

Lupita_Nyongo wearing a beaded floral gown with delicate cap sleeves.

Here are a few of our floral designs for your next “red carpet” event !

Style 102058 Floral And Bezel Cluster Design Anniversary Band With Round Diamonds Anniversary band with floral design and bezel clusters featuring approximately .40ct t.w. round diamonds.

Barkev’s Blue Sapphire And Diamond Cathedral Engagement Ring With Floral Accents From the Barkev’s Collection: Cathedral engagement ring with floral accents featuring .59ct t.w. channel set round blue sapphires and .24ct t.w. round natural side diamonds. Fits a 1ct (6.5mm) round center stone (setting only, does not include center stone). Barkev’s style #7944LBSW

Engagements are serious businesses. And wedding plans are based on detail. That type of detail touches every aspect, including the choice of cut for your engagement ring.

The cut of a ring is a personal decision (since there are so many!). Rose cut stones are becoming increasingly popular, especially with millennials who appreciate the simple, clean line approach to ring design.

But the rose cut dates way back (all the way to the 1500’s).

Why is it called a rose cut?

The stones are designed to resemble the petals of a rose by imitating the spiral of petals. Usually, they are flat at the bottom which creates a larger surface area of the stone’s brilliance. It’s considered a simpler cut than the brilliant cut but continues to gain in popularity because of its simplicity.

Here’s an example of rose cut sapphires.