Here's a Super Ideal Cut diamond on a customized pave double band twist design. The ring is handcrafted in 18k white gold, beautifully made to be proportional to the main diamond.
The side profile of this design is made in such a way that you can view the completely (unblocked) side view of the diamond, giving the appearance that the main diamond is suspended in the air! This is a popular feature for 4 prongs designs, which can bring out the main diamond.
Stay tune to our Youtube Channel for more videos, https://www.youtube.com/user/JPJannPaul
Buying a diamond ring can be a long journey. The last thing you want is to get hustled by your jeweller.
Several of our clients have shared with us their stories of these cases that happened to them. This happens more common that you think! I've compiled the 5 most common tricks that jewellers do.
The sky's the limit for our ring customization services. All of our ring customization services comes with complimentary 3D renders where we'll create a realistic 3D image of your ring design, based on your diamond and finger proportions. This will give you a realistic view of your ring design in various angles.
We were approached by a client to customise a solitaire wing designed ring for his partner. He selected a Super Ideal Cut diamond, which is known for its outstanding fire and brilliance (as you can see in the video below). The wings was done in rose gold, while we left the band in white gold to highlight that features of the design and to bring out the intricate feather details of the ring.
In our first 3D render, we created a draft below to get a rough idea of the overall look and feel of the ring. We made the feathers overlaying each other, with the outline of the wings following the contour of the band.
After some brainstorming and a few tweaks, we ended up with the finalized design below!
To make the wings more realistic, we modelled it to look as it is flapping upwards towards the sky. The feathers and wings was made longer to highlight the detailing of each feather, giving the whole ring a realistic appearance.
Have a look at the video below and see how the finshed ring turned out!
There are many ways to customise your ring to have it more meaningful and symbolic to you and your partner. Edward approached me back in early 2016 to help him cutomise his perfect proposal ring. He chose a Super Ideal Cut diamond, which known for its amazing light performance aka bling. After all, who wouldn't want a super sparkly diamond? :)
He put alot of effort and thought in his ring design, and shared with us on the small little details and hidden messages he wanted to incorporate into his ring. On the side profile view, a carefully designed "R" is done to represent a boy and a girl, holding hands and kissing. This was meant to be an abstract design to symbolize this, while keeping the elegantly designed.
After some discussion and several tweaks, we came up with his 3D render to give a preview of his ring! Using the diamond he selected, we laser scanned it into our program, which allowed us to use the same dimensions of his diamond into the 3D render. This gives us a realistic view of his ring's overall proportions. This is very useful for those who have a tough time visualising their ring.
Notice the heart shape tip prongs?
Using the 3D render, we proceeded to handcraft his ring.
Below is the finished product!
Here's a close up video :)
"The actual proposal was actually done at the peak of Rainbow Mountain in Cusco, Peru :) It was 5000 ft above sea level. I showed her a self-made video when we reached the peak, and placed the RnR ring in a custom made book ring box just like the same as in "Up" cartoon movie. After she finished watching the video with the theme : "Our Adventure Book", i kneel down and propose to her. Here are some great photos of the actual proposal Thanks for sharing the photo of the ring with rainbow backdrop at the Iguazu Fall. We saw the clear rainbow, and it reminded us of the beautiful 121017 moments at the Rainbow Mountain "- Edward Ding
Classic solitaire ring designs are always one of the most popular ring design as they are timeless and easy to match with wedding bands. If you're wondering if you should go for 4 or 6 prongs ring designs, you can check out here.
For now, we'll be showcasing a classic solitaire 4 prongs proposal ring. We added a special touch to this by creating a cathedral setting (the 2 triangle holes on the side). This gives the appearance that the main diamond is elevated, where you want the main focus to be! Also, we kept the side profile view of the prong head clean, where you're able to see the complete side view of the main diamond.
Here's a video of it! The main diamond is a Super Ideal Cut 0.71 G VS2. Enjoy!
Showcasing our JP Signature cut diamonds on a hand. Each of our Signature cuts are meticulously handpicked to be the most brilliant diamond in its own class. Using the latest technology and tools, they are cut to maximize its light performance, surpassing the brightness, fire and scintillation of other traditional cuts.
JP Super Ideal Rounds are the
traditional 57 faceted, 8 Hearts & Arrows diamond that is cut to the most
exacting standard. Each Super Ideal Cut diamond goes
through our stringent quality selection, involving several demanding criteria. All of our diamonds are handpicked
to ensure that each is cut to the maximum light performance and is guaranteed
to outperform any other 57 facets round.
JANNPAUL utilizes the latest
technology such as the HCA tool, Ideal scope, ASET scope and Hearts &
Arrows scope to analyze each diamond. No other jewellers in the world
follow the same ambitious standards as JANNPAUL. Only a handful of diamonds are able
to meet our uncompromising requirements. When you receive a JP Super Ideal
Round diamond, you are guaranteed the most brilliant diamond.
For more information about the Super Ideal Cut, click here.
The
Solasfera Round is one of the very few modified round diamonds that manages to
retain its Hearts & Arrows patterning. It
is cut with an astounding 91 facets and 10 Hearts & Arrows.
The
exacting symmetry of Solasfera's cuts, which are crafted with unparalleled
precision, creates a perfect optical patterning that makes a diamond's sparkle
visible from afar. It
is cut to obtain the maximum light return, showing a full red on the Ideal
Scope, intensifying the brightness of the diamond. The
additional Hearts & Arrows patterning in the diamond creates a breathtaking
scintillation. Unlike
others in the industry, Solasfera diamonds are always cut to maximize beauty,
not size.
The
most breathtaking diamonds exude the greatest brilliance (white light), fire
(color light) and sparkle (scintillation). Every Solasfera diamond must measure off the charts in all three categories to
earn its name. Each Solasfera comes with an independent light performance lab report (Gemex),
to certify that it attains the highest possible grading in all 3
categories.
For more information about the Solafera, click here.
The Cushion Brellia is the world's
first Cushion Hearts & Arrows diamond. The sheer brightness of the Brellia
even surpasses most rounds. It was made to have such brightness
to enhance the whiteness, emphasizing on the arrows. It proved to be the most brilliant
Cushion diamond to have ever been cut.
The Brellia has 57 facets in
virtually the same pattern as the finest Super Ideal cut round, retaining the
same scintillation. The pavilions (Arrows) of the
Brellia are designed wider to create large bold flashes of fire that can be
seen at further distance.
Each Brellia diamond is cut and
polished to the most exacting standards on earth. A standard known as
"Super Ideal Cuts". It achieves the perfection of hearts and arrows
with an AGS 000 cut grade, resulting in the highest brilliancy.
For more information about the Cushion Brellia, click here.
We are proud to introduce the
world's first Octagon Hearts & Arrows diamond, also known as the D'amor. The Octagon Hearts & Arrows is
intricately cut with 88 facets, 8 sides, 8 Hearts and 8 Arrows. The 88 facets increases the
scintillation, creating a mesmerizing dance in the sparkle when you move your
diamond ring finger. Despite the higher facets, it
manages to retain the traditional 8 Hearts & Arrows patterning, maximizing
the fire and colorful burst of light. It achieves the best of both worlds,
optimizing the fire and scintillation, resulting in the most brilliant diamond
in the world.
The unique shape of the Octagon adds
playfulness to the diamond. It allows the wearer to create his/her own look. It
can be set into a more squarish or roundish feature by simply rotating the
diamond. The extraordinary octagon shape with
the 8 perfectly symmetrical sides highlights the strong identity of the diamond.
For more information about the Octagon, click here.
The Octavia diamond brings step cut
diamonds to a whole new level. Unlike traditional step cut diamonds
like the Asscher or Emerald cut, the Octavia achieves a superior brightness and
contrast.
Its improved faceting structure
gives it a stronger light return while maintaining a balanced contrast to
optimize the fire and sparkle. The unique step cut faceting gives
the diamond a more dimensional appearance. Any slight movement will create
strong bursts of fire rippling throughout the diamond. The Octavia is the most brilliant
and unparalleled step cut diamond in the world.
For more information about the Octavia, click here.
Wondering where to start when buying a diamond? The first thought that comes into mind is deciding on your Cut, Carat, Color and Clarity preference of your diamond. Usually, this is where you need to refer to it's GIA certificate. This is where you will get all the basic information you need.
In a way, you can use it to judge the grading and proportions of a diamond. Below is a video that will teach you how to read a GIA certificate and parts you should pay attention to,
Once you're shortlisted a diamond and checked it's GIA certificate, you will need the Ideal and ASET scope to analyze its light performance (GIA does not grade the light perfomormance of a diamond). What this means is that even if you get a GIA Triple Excellent diamond, it can still have a poor light performance!
Ideal Scope
The Ideal Scope is used to analyze a diamond's light return (brightness and contrast)
ASET Scope
The ASET scope is used to analayze a diamond's fire and scintillation.
Hearts & Arrows Scope
Finally, the Hearts & Arrows scope is used to analyze a diamond's optical symmetry.
Many customers come to me, mentioning they want the best color grade diamond, assuming that the better the color, the brighter the diamond will be. This is a common misconception that many people make, thinking that the color grade of a diamond affects its brilliance or brightness.
What most people don't realise is that the Color actually relates to the hue of the diamond. The lower the color grade, the more yellowish hue the diamond has. Whereas the brightness is related to its light performance. What this means is that even if you get the best "D" color grade diamond and it has poor light performance, it would look darker and duller compared to another diamond of an even lower color grade!
For more information, watch this video below.
So how does Color affect the visual appearance of a diamond?
Below is a video, showing 4 Super Ideal Cut diamonds from D to G. I always recommend my clients and friends to view the color grade differences of a diamond in person to have a better feel. Most of the time, they find that it is not as obvious as what they imagined it to be.
Another important aspect to note are BGM (brownish / greenish / milky) diamonds. If a diamond has any BGM characteristics, it would not be shown on the GIA certificate. This effect is not related to the Color grade or fluorescence. What this means is that a GIA certified D color diamond with no fluorescence, may still have a brownish, greenish or milky appearance! This is due to the make of a diamond. Hence, it is important to check if your diamond has any BGM.
If you're unsure, always ask a trusted jeweller :)
This is a recent diamond education video I made to highlight the difference between the Cut quality of these 3 diamonds. I specifically selected these 3 diamonds that have almost identical GIA certificates. They all have the same grades. To a layman, these 3 diamonds are pretty much the same, but somehow perform very differently.
This video proves that you should never buy a diamond just based on the GIA certificate alone. There are many factors the GIA certificate doesn't reveal such as the light performance of the diamond.
Hi guys! For our next ring unboxing video, we'll be doing a Verragio ring!
Verragio is a famous US brand where they specialize in these intricate handcrafted rings. They only offer these setting designs without the main diamond.
You can find out more about them at, http://www.verragio.com/
Do note, the listed price on their website is for 14kt gold in USD, excluding GST.
You are able to select your preferred material in 14kt/18kt, white/rose/yellow gold or platinum.
In this video, we'll be featuring the Venetian 5047R customized with an inner rose gold detailing.
This is our first ring unboxing video! Our rings are handcrafted in Hong Kong and gets shipped to our office in Singapore. Whenever a new shipment comes in, we get excited to see the final product of our ring creation.
For this shipment, we received 4 of our Signature cut rings (Octagon, Solasfera, Brellia and Super Ideal Cut). Check it out :)
Buying a diamond can be a very long and intimidating process. For most,
this will be one of your biggest purchases you will make in your lifetime. In this
guide, I will teach you how to select your first diamond ring.
There are many factors when buying a diamond. We can start with preference on the basic 4Cs – Cut, Carat, Color and
Clarity. In this guide, I will be mainly focusing on the Cut.
Cut is the
most important of all the basic 4Cs. It determines the brilliance of the
diamond. Hence, there is no point in
getting a high Color and Clarity grade diamond but poorly cut, as the diamond Light Return, Fire & Scintillation will be compromised.
So how do you analyze the Cut of the
diamond? You can follow these easy steps:
Step 1 – Check the
diamond’s proportions
Every vendor will have their own set of “Ideal proportions”.
While some may be of tighter criteria, most are not. An easy way to analyze
the proportions is by using the HCA Tool. It’s a pretty straightforward where you can key in the parameters listed on the certificate into the calculator and it will give your diamond a score.
We recommend a diamond to have a score of 0.4 - 1.4.
The HCA tool is fantastic for eliminating poorly cut diamonds but it should
not be used as a selection tool. There are several
limitations and it only takes into account 17 out of the 57 facets on a diamond. A poorly cut diamond will still be able to achieve a fantastic HCA score.
An analogy
to the HCA tool is similar to food poison checker. It is only able to identify poisonous
food (poorly cut diamonds), but it’s unable to tell you how delicious the food
is (well cut diamonds). Hence, we only recommend this tool to be used as an initial filtration method.
Note: The HCA tool can only be used on traditional cut 57/58 faceted round
diamonds. For other cuts, you will need to follow step 2 – 4.
Step 2 – Check the light performance
with the Ideal Scope
The Ideal Scope can be used to analyze the light performance by measuring how
much light is returning or leaking out.
Step 3 – Check the light performance
with the ASET Scope
The ASET (Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool) Scope works similarly to the Ideal
Cut, but its more of an advance version, where it breaks down the light return
of the diamond into ‘strong light return’ and ‘weak light return’. It can be
used to analyze a diamond’s Brightness & Contrast, Scintillation and Patterned
Scintillation.
Brightness & Contrast
Scintillation
Patterned Scintillation
Step 4 – Check the symmetry with the Hearts & Arrows Scope The Hearts & Arrows scope is to analyze the symmetry of the diamond.
Hearts
- 8 equal uniformed symmetrical hearts.
- 8 distinct symmetrical Hearts that separate from the
Arrowheads above. If above is correct check the following.
- Check if the hearts are split, measure length of
heart then the length of the split.
- Calculate the % of the length split, if it is
greater than 8% and there are more than 2 of them, it fails.
Arrows
- Each arrow (8) must be clearly visible with a
shaft and a arrow head.
- The 8 arrows shafts as well as heads have to be
straight and in the right position.
- The 8 arrow points must
meet the girdle.
- There must be total uniformity and balance.
Once you have found a diamond that manages to pass these 4 steps,
congratulations! You have found yourself a truly brilliant diamond. The next step will be choosing a ring design
in your style to complement your extraordinary diamond.
HCA is the short abbreviation for The
Holloway Cut Advisor (U.S. Patent 7,251,619), invented by Garry Holloway. The HCA
is used to estimate a round diamond’s appeal based on its potential Light
Return, Fire, Scintillation and Spread, in other words, to estimate the
effectiveness of light return from a diamond’s cut. This tool is wonderful not
just because it can estimate a diamond’s appeal but because it is also a free! :) (http://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca)
The HCA is designed to aid a novice
consumer or an experienced trade buyer in selecting diamonds they have not seen.
To get a diamond’s HCA score, you need to input the figures for Total Depth %,
Table %, the diamond’s Crown degree angle/% and Pavilion degree angle/%.
It is best to input Crown and Pavilion
angles than percentages because percentages are often rounded; for example, a
13.3% can be rounded off to 13%. Likewise, some certificates list less accurate
rounded Crown percentages and Pavilion percentages, therefore if you want to be
sure that the diamond has excellent light return, you may ask the vendor to get
you a Helium, Sarin or Ogi report to give you better accuracy with the
specifications of the diamond.
After inputting the diamond
specifications in the formulae provided, you will receive a HCA Score. A score under
2 (Excellent) means you have eliminated known poor performers, which is more
than 95% of all diamonds. Most people prefer diamonds that rate 1-2 on the
scale where: 0-2 Excellent, 2-4 Very Good, 4-6 Good, 6-8 Fair, and 8-10 Poor.
Zero is almost impossible because of conflicting factors; your personal
preference may be for a diamond with an HCA score of 1.5 than one with a lower HCA
score of 0.5.
The Ideal range of diamonds is 1% of the
worlds’ diamond supply and here at JANNPAUL, all diamonds go through a
stringent process of filtration. To ensure and maintain this standard of
quality to customers, we only accept and stock diamonds with a HCA score of 1.4 and below, which is equivalent to
less than 0.01% of the worlds’ diamond supply.
Although the HCA is wonderful for calculating
the effectiveness of light return in a diamond, we must stress that there are
limitations to the HCA as well. Keep an eye out for our next entry, where we
will describe the limitations of the HCA and why it should only be used as an elimination tool and not solely as a quality
measurement.
This blog was created to informally update you of what's going on and to share our views.
Besides talking about diamonds and, we would also be talking about ourselves and our past experiences.
If you don't mind :)
Some of you may have already known, before I joined Jann
Paul, I helped out with my family business, which is also in the jewelry trade.
One of our main clients was the Brunei Royal Family. We manage all kinds of
customizations, from tissue boxes decorated with diamonds to golden walking
sticks.
These are a few of the many items that was customized.
Golden Cannon Sitting on Blue Quartz
White Gold Tally Counter
Door Gifts that was used in Weddings and other Ceremonies
I’ve travelled to the Brunei Istana several times, where we
would personally assist the Royal Family. In my first visit, I remembered being
chauffeured to the Istana, and passing through their basement car park. There was
about 2 -3 levels of basements, which was filled with cars parked back to
back. Most of the cars were Rolls Royces. I asked the driver how many Rolls
Royce did the Sultan have, and he said there were over 200... They had a very impressive collection of cars.
Inside the Istanta, everything was designed in fine detail,
from the thick carpets to the decorated ceilings. It seemed that every piece in
the room was customized to fit the room. Almost every furniture had a gold feature
in them. These picture was taken around 2005.
Currently, they are constructing a new Istana, next to the old one. I heard it's even more bigger and grander than the old one.
Solitaire rings can be
simple yet very different most of the time. However when a client says
"I want a classic 4 prong design, but i want it different", this always
ends up as more of a challenge than bombastic organic designs.
There is only so much that can be done in a classic ring. Let's take a look at what makes a Classic Solitaire.
Most of the time we can dissect a classic 4 prong ring into 3 sections:
1. Prongs: These come in various sizes, shapes and orientations. Most of
the time the classic ones would look as simple as this.
Customization:
Small or Large?
Small
prongs allow more visibility to the diamond, however the trade-off is
the security of the diamond naturally. Clients usually ask us to go as
small as possible, to a point where security is not affected. Prongs
that are too large may look too bulky and cover up too much of the
diamond. However, provides high security for the diamond.
Single or Double?This is not entirely aesthetic. Double
prongs provide higher security for the diamond, the trade-off once again
is that it does cover up more of the diamond. However, specific diamond
shapes such as cushions or radiants flush well with double prongs.
Double Prongs are not easy tasks for craftsmen, and average skilled ones
would end up creating more of a hideous concoction.
Color?
There is always cases where some clients want to
play with color within their ring, changing some parts to rose gold or
yellow, just to create that extra "oomph". However, it may sometimes
look too "forced" and result in a ring design that may be attracting the
wrong attention. Another consideration is such: Rose gold and Yellow
gold prongs may cause the color to "leak" into the diamond and cause
certain parts of the diamond to appear "reddish brown" if rose gold, or
"yellowish" if yellow gold prongs are set. Hence, when purchasing a high
colored diamond, we always try to recommend not doing this.
2.Tray: The tray adds as a security bench, allowing the diamond to
not simply "drop" and wriggle out if ever the prongs loosen over time.
This also provides aesthetic beauty!
As I make more entries in my
blog, you will notice we do alot of "play" with the tray customization.
Reason being is that this portion is not visible from face up, which
retains the overall simple classic look of a solitaire ring when viewed
from the face of the diamond. However, take a 90 degree turn and you'd
notice something special, a tray different from your usual straight
prong to prong trays in all classic 4 prong rings.
Design and Color of tray?
Simply because our diamonds do
not leak light, we have all possibilities to play around with the color
of the tray, be it rose/yellow gold. The center diamond would not pick
up these reflections because light enters and and goes out fully with
all our super ideal ranged diamonds. Design is of course, up to each
individual client, we have done really funky stuff with this portion of
the ring! From symbols to alphabets to old European vintage filigrees,
the options are limitless. Ultimately, when viewing the finished ring
from the top view, this still retains the classic - 4 prong look. And
the tray reveals a personal design.
Let's Take a look at one of our projects, and we decided to play around with the tray.
PROJECT 1 "i want a classic 4 prong solitaire, but i want something a little different"
Diamond: JP Super Ideal Hearts and Arrrows 57 facets
Here is the 3D CAD Picture of Irene's ring. We took the tray and modified it a little to look like an arrow pointing to the diamond. The band was tapered as she wanted the diamond to "appear" larger. The synergy in this design is that the band and tray look like arrows, pointing towards the centre diamond, giving an illusion of focus towards the diamond.
After the CAD was approved, we went ahead with the WAX model. This is to allow us to check for potential problems that may occur in the future in the ring such as; prongs being too small, weak attachments that may compromise the durability of the ring and the comfort level as well!
This was one of my projects that I started, before I joined the Jann Paul team.
During my school days, I wanted to do something different. Something that stands out in the crowd, that no one has done before. I came up with this idea, of combining 2 luxurious goods together. Leather and Jewelry. I wanted to pick the top quality in both materials, and ended up using Crocodile skin and Diamonds! This was where this project was born.
In the beginning, I was met with many obstacles. No one has ever done this fusion before, of combining crocodile skin and diamonds. I wanted to keep this affordable and used Sterling Silver as my base metal, and had it white gold re-plated (This was out of the norm, as no one has set diamonds on silver). Another problem, was how am I going to fuse all these elements together into a single piece?
I sourced my crocodile skins from Heng Long Pte Ltd. It's a locally listed company and are one of the top 5 crocodile skin tanneries in the world. They provide the highest quality crocodile skins and exported their leather to big brand names, such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Hermes, and luxurious watch brands. Recently, the company has been bought over by Louis Vuitton.
The problem with crocodile skin, is that you can't use just a small piece. The beauty of crocodile skin is the patterning on the leather. In order to appreciate the crocodile skin, a wider surface area is needed. Thus, the ring has to be wide.
This was what I came up with..
You can still appreciate the detailing of the crocodile skin. I also added a diamond in the middle of the ring, giving it a bit of sparkle :) However, a down side of this design, is that the ring cannot be re-sized. Also, notice the edges of the leather has to be covered by a border. This is where I "tuck" the leather skin, so that you won't be able to view any gaps. If you notice, most crocodile skin jewelry products (like bangles), have gaps between the skin and the metal. This is because, they cut the skin and glue the skin directly on top of the metal. As crocodile skin is an organic material, it is extremely difficult to cut it perfectly to fit its slot.
When I started, no crafter was able to fuse the crocodile skin and the ring together for me as this was never done before. So I had to make each piece individually, myself.
And I later moved on to make a men's version, without the diamond.
This project was also a finalist, in the Lee Kwan Yew Business Plan Competition in 2006. It was also featured in the Business Times Newspaper.
The crocodile skin diamond ring took off very well and I received good responses.
Although I managed to overcome most of the technical difficulties in the ring. One problem that remains is that Crocodile skins are not water proof. This means that whenever you wash your hands, you must remember to take off your ring! (which people always forget to do). When the ring comes in contact with soap or detergent, it ruins the crocodile skin. As a result, most people ended up wearing it as a necklace pendant.
