Diamond (and Platinum) Girl.

 

Right around this time last year I stopped wearing my engagement ring. It wasn’t a conscious decision but I occasionally started wearing other rings stacked with my wedding band and I then realized that I was essentially bored after wearing the same ring for over a decade. Perhaps that sounds less then sentimental but when we got married we didn’t have the resources for an extravagant ring and I am, after  all, a lover of fresh looks.

 

 

A few months later when I attended my first JCK jewelry event in Tucson it was suggested by someone in the industry that I consider remounting my diamond on a new ring. This was something I never even thought possible.  I absolutely loved the idea but once I was back home I got busy and put doing the research to find someone to do it for me on the back burner.  In May of last year I attended my second JCK in Las Vegas and had the pleasure of meeting Kirk Kara, a renowned LA based engagement ring designer, and his daughter Angela. They sat me down and explained in detail the process of remounting my engagement stone on a newly designed ring, I was totally sold. 

 

 

Upon I returning home I went to the Kirk Kara custom ring design site (here) to start researching the type of ring I wanted, something of course that would work with my existing .75k center stone. There were so many stunning designs to choose from, I personally gravitate toward a more sleek clean line look and quickly fell in love with a design from the Carmella Collection that is now my new ring. The design selection process was honestly the most difficult part but once the decision was made the rest was smooth sailing and only took six weeks from conception to final product.

 

Another little decision I had before me was choosing the metal for my ring: do I go with Platinum or white gold? My previous ring was platinum but my wedding band is white gold, I noticed over time that my ring began to take on a yellow hue and I definitely did not want that to happen with my diamond ring. I really appreciate the weightier feel of platinum, its 30% heavier than gold and makes the ring more substantial. Kirk also explained that you”can feel the touch of real precious metal on your skin” and “it has more of a presence then gold” so platinum was the winner! (read more about the benefits of Platinum here)

 

I  remember when we first went engagement ring hunting many years ago the only place I knew to go was a big name corporate ring company (which I will keep anonymous) and we were treated like we were picking up fast food not making this incredibly important purchase, they even went so far as to tell me the family heirloom stone I had was not authentic (this was later debunked by a legit gemologist)!!! Kirk Kara comes from a multi-generational family of jewelers and the company is still a family affair with both of his lovely daughters having recently joined the business. When you choose to work with Kirk and Angela they make you feel like you are also a part of the family, which makes my new ring feel that much more special. Kirk specializes in remounts he’s actually quite passionate about it since it’s a bigger challenge to take something that’s already so special to someone and make it more so. Kirk took my favorite design from the site and incorporated my ideas to create the sketch for the ring, this was emailed to me for approval. A few weeks later came the wax mold and then before I knew it I had my dream ring on my finger just in time for the holidays! 

With Valentines and Mother’s day coming up you will definitely want to check out the Kirk Kara site there are so many wonderful pieces to choose from (not just engagement rings) for that very special person in your life. If you are newly engaged or looking to change up the ring you already have I can’t recommend Kirk Kara enough. Kirk and his family are so passionate about what they do, each ring is a little masterpiece that Kirk takes immense pride in… and so will you for the rest of your life! 

Xoxox ~Zia 

THANK YOU KIRK KARA FOR PARTNERING ON THIS VERY SPECIAL POST!