Did you know that a whopping 40% of American engagements happen between December and February? We're right at the start of "engagement season" now, so we reached out to Cleveland's premier jewelry makers (and Boutique Bridal Bazaar vendors!) Wanderlust Jewelers to discuss engagement rings. We love Wanderlust because they specialize in one-of-a-kind, custom pieces. Nothing they do is mass produced or even reproduced, meaning everything is made just for you, and everything comes with a story.
Here are the stories behind of some of their favorite, gorgeous engagement rings:
Mary’s Ring:
The engagement ring was created using stones that were passed down to Paul, Mary’s now husband. The center stone is an old mine cut. Then, we used the remaining stones in her wedding band, and incorporated the center stone from HER grandmother’s engagement ring in the middle. Her set is in 18k white gold, and his in palladium.
Allison’s Ring:
This story is cool as an entire his-and-hers set together. She has an emerald cut diamond in 18k rose gold, and her band matches with alternating emerald and asscher cut diamonds. Mark's ring is palladium but has an 18k rose gold inlay that is the exact size and shape of Allison’s stone on her engagement ring, with an accent diamond to complete the set.
Anna’s Ring:
Matthew and Anna made their engagement and wedding ring creation a process they could enjoy together. He surprised her with a trip to our studio to create her engagement ring, which is 22k yellow gold with a vintage colored oval diamond paired with a super white pear shaped diamond. And for their wedding bands they chose 22k to match hers and actually had a date night and came to the studio and created each others' rings. They forged, torched, and hammered each others' rings with their own two hands.
Patrice’s Ring:
Patrice and Jeremy found us through Instagram. They had a wonderful collection of sapphires from their trips out west to Montana, and knew they wanted to incorporate them into her engagement ring and then eventually both of their wedding bands. There were so many beautiful shapes, sizes, and colors, but they finally settled on this organic cluster set in 18k yellow gold. We cannot wait for them to come back and do their bands!
Jessi’s Ring:
Bob came to us knowing that he wanted to give Jessi something different and handmade that wouldn’t resemble something her friends all had. After a few rounds of sketches, he settled on this awesome design in 18k white gold. It features a white oval diamond and a black diamond in prong settings flanking a top light brown diamond in a bezel setting to create some added texture. The flanking stones are slightly off set to give the ring a little extra movement.
Nick & Steve:
So this isn’t a traditional engagement ring but it sort of fits the theme. Nick and Steve came to us to create wedding bands that were an upgrade from the simple bands they already wore. They both had possession of three different generations of family diamonds they wanted to incorporate into their rings. To take it a step further, we took their existing “engagement” bands, and swapped them with each other's and incorporated into their new designs. So Nick’s final wedding band had Steve’s original engagement ring, and Steve’s had Nick’s. With all those heirloom diamonds, this was one of the coolest sets we’ve done with a TON of story.
And of course we can never forget the engagement that took place at the last Boutique Bridal Bazaar! The groom-to-be worked behind the scenes to coordinate the whole thing, from making sure photographer Lauren Gabrielle was present to, of course, ordering a beautiful engagement ring from Wanderlust Jewelers. We're so excited for the happy couple's wedding next year!
Check out Wanderlust Jewelers at the Boutique Bridal Bazaar on January 29 (tickets on sale now!) and visit them at www.wanderlustjewelers.com.