Why Design is About More Than Just Looks

Most of what is written about jewelry design focuses only on the look but truly well-designed piece of jewelry, that’s meant to last years and generations, is made by achieving a balance between aesthetics and construction.  A beautiful ring will cease to be so if it can’t stand up to the unpredictability and rigors of being worn daily.  Many assume that since fine jewelry is made from metal, it inherently will be able to withstand years of wear and tear. This is only the case when a piece has been thoughtfully designed and constructed, balancing looks and proportions, and considering how it’s worn and what it’s made of.

These considerations are especially important when it comes to engagement rings because they are designed to focus on the center stone, raising it further away from the finger so that it can receive as much light as possible and be the focus of one’s eye.  While this structure maximizes the center stone’s beauty, the higher the center stone sits above the finger the more likely it, and the rest of the ring accommodating this height, are to get bumped or dinged.  Ignoring practical design and construction is especially perilous now because engagement rings are worn more constantly than in the past. They are more regularly exposed to the nearly automatic actions that we do countless times a day, like reaching into a drawer or putting on a sweater, which are done with our innate understanding of our hand shape and size.  Adding an additional dimension to our hand such as a ring with an elevated stone can mean repeated exposure to getting caught or dinged that we’re never even conscious of. 

Read below for our explainers on how to consider materials and design for your ring.