LOVE STORY: Henrietta and Bill
Making the Impossible Possible

The Vision

Henrietta and Bill reached out to us with a clear vision for their engagement ring. They had approached several jewellers in their local area to be told that their vision was unattainable, given both the gemstone desired and the price point needed to achieve the vision. Henrietta and Bill had an extraordinary vision, and for the average jeweller, it was a hard task. Jewellers are not gemstone dealers, so gem options are usually limited, and finding a gemstone that errs from the ordinary can be difficult.

When others say impossible, The Sapphire Merchant says possible! We are experienced gemstone hunters who find the exact gemstone meant for you and only you!

Henrietta's instructions were simple. A big blue sapphire within the stipulated budget! And by big, she meant enormous! She ideally wanted an emerald cut sapphire but was open to alternative shapes and cuts if her boxes of size and colour were checked.

The Sapphire

We began our gemstone hunt, utilising our small, tightly knit network of gemologists who work as gem dealers. Within days of starting our search, we located an incredible contender, a huge 9.04ct Sapphire in a striking midnight blue hue from Madagascar. It was a winner in an oval cut with great clarity, a lovely cut and polish, and most importantly, it was within budget.

The sapphire was in Bangkok, and Gemma was due to arrive in Bangkok in a few week's time on a gem-buying trip, so we made the decision to personally collect it and hand deliver it to our jewellery-making team. I arrived in Bangkok in March 2023 and met with the gemologist with whom we work in close collaboration and who had sourced the sapphire. The sapphire was even more breathtaking in person, and we felt satisfied that we had located a very special gemstone for Henrietta and Bill.

The 9.04ct Blue Sapphire chosen for Henrietta's engagement ring

The Ring

Henrietta and Bill wanted the engagement ring to be a bold and beautiful jewellery piece, a showstopper that would represent both the engagement ring and the wedding band. They gravitated toward an art deco style, and their initial 'inspiration photo' was with an emerald cut sapphire. However, we were able to adapt the style to the oval-cut sapphire.

We began the design process, and using CAD (computer-aided design), we brought Henrietta and Bill's vision to life with an accurate model based on the exact specifications of the sapphire. Henrietta wanted plenty of round brilliant diamonds to frame the sapphire and settled on using platinum to avoid the need to replate the metal down the track. With these requests in mind, the first draft of the CAD gave us the platform to play with the design, and we made some small edits to get the design balanced and aesthetically perfect! When Henrietta and Bill were completely satisfied with their engagement ring design, our team of jewellery artisans began the ring build.

The finished ring features the 9.04ct blue sapphire as the centrepiece of the design. To allow light to move through the sapphire, a half-bezel set featuring a structured triple half-halo holds the sapphire in place, a nod to the Art Deco era. Sixty-four round brilliant diamonds add sparkle to the piece, creating a luxurious finish. The ring is set in platinum.

CAD Modelling of Henrietta's Ring

Henrietta and Bill's Words

Choosing our forever masterpiece was very important to us when we got engaged. After a recommendation to go through a gem dealer, we came across (Gemma) The Sapphire Merchant's website and felt a connection with her work.

Once we spoke with Gemma, we were confident in trusting her abilities to find our perfect sapphire. Gemma's wealth of knowledge on precious gemstones and sapphires, in particular, impressed us, and we were confident in choosing The Sapphire Merchant to help us with our ring.

Gemma kept us informed every step of the way with constant updates and photos. When we received the ring in person, we were absolutely mindblown by the quality of our ring and were over the moon with the finished result. Gemma also recommended a contact to have an insurance valuation completed, and we were incredibly happy with the result. We knew the value of our ring would not be able to be made locally, and we were so happy with the final product.

We can't wait for the next excuse to get another ring made with The Sapphire Merchant and highly recommend Gemma's work to anyone wanting to purchase a gemstone or create a beautiful ring.

Bill and Henrietta celebrating their engagement, with Otis the pug