Accessories

As I’ve mentioned a blog ago, I’ve decided to update my wedding set because I’ve come across issues with the e-ring’s setting – among other thangs. The first two of the rings were already done and you can check out the deets here. My half-eternity ring has also gone through a transformation but it was a different project because the resetting did take more work.

Here’s how my old eternity ring looked like.

 

My issues with the ring are quite minimal although they did bother me a bit. For one thing, the ring no longer fits so it has to be resized. Also, the gems are very tiny.

Money was tight during the wedding preps and I gotta admit, we didn’t spend as much money on the wedding bands as we should’ve. If I could do things differently, I would do more research and compared rates as opposed to sticking to the same jeweler who did our e-ring. I love my set, don’t get me wrong, but I wish we spent more time looking for alternatives so I don’t have to re-set the rings at all.

Here is the inspiration behind the design:

Here is my recreated eternity ring:

Now for the details: the sapphires used were 4x3mm midnight blue sapphire ovals. These sapphires were part of my stocks and since they’re not getting the love they deserve, I decided to use them instead.

The diamonds are 2mm in size, white VS clarity. The gems are cradled by claw-style prongs. My plan is to wear the ring only when I’m out and about because the prongs are very sharp and I don’t want to scratch the kids with these.

The ring was re-set by Palamuti Jewelry Couture. All I did was shipped the ring together with the sapphires and the jeweler did the rest. They also provided the diamonds for the eternity ring. The process itself is very seamless and organized – something that I appreciate.

It took several weeks to complete the project mostly because that’s their average lead time + it’s the holiday season. The timeline did work in my favor because I had several ring projects before this one and I wasn’t pissing myself silly waiting for a ring. I had several new ones to keep my mind off the waiting, is what I’m trying to say!

I had this one made in rose gold just because I only had one rose gold in my collection and sadly, the main gem has popped out. I’ll turn that one into a tanzanite eye-candy real soon. I just need to complete all my projects before moving forward with new ones.

Here is the new wedding ring worn with my plain wedding band. They look SO GOOD together guys. I am ecstatic!

My next project is a Diana ring, which is a sapphire oval in a starburst setting (diamond halo). At the moment, the ring is being made and I am beside myself with excitement.

 

2021 is going great for me so far, what about you?

Instead of investing in a bag this year, I decided to grow my jewelry collection, starting with my nearest and dearest: the wedding set.

I haven’t worn my wedding set for the past 3 to 4 years. My ring size has grown considerably and after pregnancy, fuggedaboutit. So yeah, my rings were gathering dust in my jewelry box until my cousin and I started talking about jewelry.

The reason why I wasn’t resizing my set is that I wanted to preserve their original setting. But the thing is, I am no longer enjoying my set because they no longer fit me. On top of that, my engagement ring’s delicate prongs are so loose, the diamond started moving around. I was terrified of wearing my e-ring, the gem might pop out!

The Update

Long story short, I finally decided to update my set. I have three rings in the set and each one has its own issues.

Engagement Ring: The e-ring has loose prongs, delicate structure, and a small size. The plan was to create a more durable structure + thicker prongs to cradle the diamond. Has to be done in yellow gold as well because I don’t want to maintain the white gold plating anymore.

Plain Wedding Band: My plain wedding band has to be resized and then done in yellow gold to match the e-ring and the other wedding band (will be done in Rose Gold).

I have commissioned two jewelers for the project. The e-ring and plain wedding band were done by The Family Band, an IG-based jewelry store while the eternity ring was created by Palamuti Jewelry Couture – another IG-based jeweler. Between the two, the former is newer and the latter is very popular among my clients.

My e-ring and wedding band were completed first. I loved the super quick turnaround time. Both rings were done and shipped in less than 2 days.

Review

I love the more durable construction. The band and prongs of the e-ring are thicker so they are less likely to sustain damage from everyday wear and tear.

I thought I’d hate the look of 14K gold on me because my skin tone suits 18K gold better but not so bad at all. I’m currently wearing my plain wedding band with a 5-diamond ring that the hubs gifted me several anniversaries ago. On my right hand is my rainbow sapphire eternity ring, which I got as a push gift for our second son.

Overall, I am loving my refreshed wedding band and e-ring. The e-ring, I won’t wear as much because I’m taking care of the kids most times. But the plain band is getting a lot of wear these days! I highly recommend The Family Band and I have plans of getting one of their signature ring, which is aptly named, the family band, hahaha!

As for the eternity ring, this project will take a while to complete because of several delays. Not the jeweler’s fault but my own!

I had issues sourcing the diamonds. My initial plan was to source champagne diamonds for the ring. Unfortunately, there were delivery problems with the supplier. Eventually, I had no choice but to cancel the order and pretty much wasted two weeks waiting for the champagne diamonds to arrive.

I decided to get the diamonds na lang from the jeweler. They will use white diamonds, to my utter disappointment, but better than nothing.

I’ll write a review soon!

Oh hey! I’m back buying jewelry pieces online hahaha! As you know, my husband got me a push gift when I had our first son. Thanks to COVID-19 and its soul-crushing uncertainty, my husband was unable to get me a push gift for our second… for now!

I guess it’s up to me to get myself something nice for bringing another life into this bleak world, right? And you know there is nothing more I love than getting myself a gift. So yes, here it is, I finally got myself a new ring! Behold:

The gems are genuine sapphires, about 5mm each in size. I had these sources specifically for this ring. As for the jeweler, I had this customized by Gawa Alahas, an Instagram-based jewelry shop based in Bulacan.

I chose this shop because the price is reasonable and the craftsmanship is fantastique. I had the ring done in yellow gold because I noticed that most of my rings are done in white gold. Most of the sapphires in the set are in warm reds, yellows, and oranges so I went with something complementing instead of contrasting if that makes sense.

I’ve always wanted a proper eternity ring – unapologetically chunky, full eternity, and eye-catching. I’ve had my heart set on rainbow sapphires for a while now but because we’ve recently opened a new biz and the pandemic thang, this project was set back several times. I was planning on getting this a few days before I gave birth but I decided to delay it until after the holidays.

Overall, I like the new ring. I feel that the gold is very thick, it doesn’t feel flimsy at all. I love that the prongs are holding each gem as opposed to a shared prong style. The gems are more secure this way. It does take a while to get used to wearing a chunky eternity ring just because it’s quite thick. And the gems go all the way so it’s not as comfortable as a half eternity band, but hey, not complaining at all!

I still have three other ring projects in the work, two of which involve my wedding set. I will write a different review because they were updated by different jewelers!

Remember the post I wrote about push gifts? Well, I tapped an indie jeweler to make several rings for me. The rings will be a gift from the husband to commemorate Damien’s birthday.

Now, I know several online jewelers and was lucky that I got to work with a couple of trusted, talented artisans. But since it’s the holiday season, orders were pouring in and they could no longer accommodate more. Damien will come sometime in November and December so I decided to have this project done by a new-to-me seller. You can read all about it here. I chose Borealis Crystals because they posted a beautiful pair of rings in the exact design that I wanted, just as I was looking for a jeweler! That was a serendipitous experience right there, guys.

Borealis Crystals is an online jewelry store owned by a husband and wife team, Jared and Cza. It’s a proudly PWD-run store that specializes in handcrafted, made-to-order gemstone jewelry.

Borealis Crystals: Ordering Online

Ordering online was done via Instagram as per usual. Guys, since getting married, getting pregnant, etc., I discovered a shitload of amazing sellers on Instagram. The platform really made online shopping so easy for me. However, you gotta be careful especially if you are buying pieces of fine jewelry. Always work with trusted sellers.

Initially, I inquired about the rings that they posted. I asked if they do solid gold rings since I was told that those were plated silver. Cza said yes, they do the rings in solid gold also. That’s when I explained that I am looking for the same design for a push gift. I basically went on a long, winding monologue about needing three rings, etc. and being unable to commit to having the set made since Damy isn’t here yet out of curiosity, I wanted to see the quality of their work… and so on. That’s when I ordered one ring made with my birthstone, which is an aquamarine.

The process was pretty standard, I asked for an order form. Cza was kind enough to show me the store’s guidelines as I filled up the order form. Apart from providing my contact details, I also outlined the important features of the ring, the size, the gold grade, the setting, the size of the gem and so on. She asked for the setting design, treatment of the precious metal, etc. Once all of these items were settled, Cza informed me that the lead time is 3 weeks. I made an initial payment (50% of the total cost) and that’s it.

Since I was in the midst of decorating the nursery, I didn’t ask Cza for updates and she didn’t give any. I heard back from her two weeks later, informing me that the ring has been completed. That was a pleasant surprise, the ring came a week early. She also showed me a quick video of the final product. I settled my balance and received the ring, like, three days later. It was such an easy breezy transaction. Overall, Cza was so easy to talk to and she seems like a really cool person. The ordering process was smooth and fuss-free.

Getting the Ring

What I like most about Borealis Crystals is that they’ll send you a picture of the proof of shipping. Back in the day, this was a standard practice. These days, however, most of the online sellers I’ve dealt with, they don’t send out the proof of shipping anymore. You’ll have to ask for updates and even then, they won’t provide the proof of shipping so you just wait and assume that the package was delivered.

After excitedly peeling off the bubble-wrapping, the ring came in this tiny sinamay baggy. The baggy was secured with a ribbon and the tag comes with a handwritten note, which I thought was such a sweet gesture:

So, I literally laughed out loud when I opened the sinamay baggy because inside, there were two freaking flat tops chocs. If you know me, you know that I have a bit of an obsession with flat tops. My husband used to buy me a couple of bags of these as pasalubong from work (he was still the boyf then) and I would go through a bag in one sitting. It’s unhealthy, yes, but dude, flat tops were my jam since the 90s. These little touches, I love them. Certainly a first for me.

Okay, going back to the ring, above is the entire contents of the litol sinamay baggy. The ring came in a tiny, clear, acrylic case. Et voila, here’s the ring:

I thought they did such a great job with the ring. The bezel is quite neat and even as you can see. It’s basically the reason why the shop caught my eye in the first place. The thickness of the band isn’t too thin, it’s just right. The ring isn’t as hefty because it’s a dainty ring although it doesn’t feel cheap either.

The gemstone is clear and sparkly. I hate my birthstone BTW. I feel that it’s such a simple stone compared to, say, a diamond or a sapphire and it dulls so quickly too but it does look pretty when paired with gold, as you can see!

Here’s how the ring looks when worn. I feel that Borealis Crystals’ sizing was accurate. Some jewelers, the sizing isn’t accurate. My fingers grew from a 5.5 to a 7 guys, none of my rings fit these sausage fingers anymore. This ring is a size 7 because I was planning to wear this in my middle finger. Hopefully, once the pregnancy ends, my ring size will be back to normal and I can go back to enjoying my ring collection in peace. Overall, the quality of the ring was great! I feel that the price point is just right, the ring itself seems durable, the gem that they picked was so fine.

If there’s one thing that I’m not too happy about, it’s the size of the gemstone. I did say it was me who chose the size of the gemstone (supposed to be 2 carats) but it looks smaller. I’m thinking about getting a bigger stone and having that set into the ring once I’m ready to order the two other rings.

Final Thoughts

I’m quite happy with the ring I got from Borealis Crystals. I have plans of having the rest of the set done by them. I love the reasonable price points, the handpicked gems, and the level of commitment the owners have when it comes to making these beautiful pieces of jewelry. Cza and Jared were easy to work with, the lead time is pretty good, and the quality of the product is terrific. I wish the size of the gem was bigger but overall highly recommended.