Sorry for the deluge of pictures, but we've been back from Paris since Friday, all rested up, and still wildly excited! As you can see, I popped the big question in front of the Louvre in Paris. It wasn't my first choice (I was originally going to propose in the Alps during our snowboarding portion of the trip in the first week), but it turned out to be perfect for us and Elaine wouldn't have it any other way. Despite the day being a little overcast and having recently rained, the ring performed beautifully! Elaine loves it, and after the long lasting shock of the proposal, she couldn't get over how brilliant the diamonds are and how elegant the setting is – again, perfect. Actually, she told me later that her initial shock of my proposal was partly the question itself, but also a lot of, "Oooh, shiny!"

Take this for what you will, but when we were finally inside the Louvre I caught her staring intently at her ring when we were in the presence of the Mona Lisa. It was a very funny and endearing moment, and a testament to what you folks have created. I've included a picture of Elaine with the Mona Lisa and, of course, Elaine's Reverie. I also thought you'd get a kick out of a picture we took of the ring along with the French Crown Jewels… I'm pretty sure Elaine much preferred her new jewelry, heh. Thanks again for everything. Rodel

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

We know that this diamond is a perfect fit for our desire for an ideal cut, great color, visual clarity, and meets Sarah’s size parameters as well. We also feel that this will perform magnificently in Sarah's custom micro pave setting which we cannot wait to discuss with you.

Sarah e-mailed us several pictures of what she wanted and Brian spent time with both of them discussing the fine details of the project. They were very specific about exactly what they wanted. We got to work on the CAD and e-mailed out 2 different renditions of the ring. Once approved the ring was cast and the Brian Gavin F/G VS Signature Melee were carefully set. To finish off the set, they ordered a Novela Matching Band for her and a 6mm Platinum Comfort Fit Band for him.

We absolutely love the engagement ring setting. Both Sarah and I want to express that your work is truly of the highest quality and we are very pleased with the stunning craftsmanship. The work is quite simply the best we have ever seen.

Introducing Sarah’s Diamond Halo Ring below:

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

She sent it in and we got started on the project. She had requested that there be an airline between the edge of the stone and the start of the halo so that the cutting style would not be covered. We e-mailed her the CAD renderings and then set about casting and creating the setting. We left the bail for last so that she could see how different options would work. We ended up setting three diamond melee into a small bail and finishing it off with a 1mm white gold 16” box chain with a 2” removable extender chain.

On receiving the pendant she immediately called in very excited and emotional about how the pendant had turned out. We felt very honored to have created this special piece for her.

The pictures below tell the story:

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

His ring is featured below in his home videos and in the pictures. Feast your eyes!

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

We held on to it until Baby Jake was born on February 7, 2010. We then engraved his name, Jacob Ryan, on one edge and the birth date on the other. We overnighted it to a very excited new mom and following is part of her response:

Hi Lesley, I got the key today. OMG it is just perfect!! I am completely in love with it and the engraving. The key is just the perfect size. I can't wait to wear it out tomorrow when I finally leave the house for the first time. I have to take little Jacob to the doctor in the morning.  You guys did an amazing job with this special piece. I can't wait to see the pictures and get a chance to post on PS. Kate B.

This was followed a week later with this comment:

I am totally in love with the key. I have worn it out a few times now and am so happy I have it. I can't thank you enough! You guys are great!

Jacob Ryan’s Key in Pictures:

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

I also want to thank you for making the process an exciting and enjoyable experience. Your responsiveness to my inquiries was always timely and I was very pleased with the level of customer service I received throughout the process. It was much more than a simple transaction with an on-line business as it should be for such a personal purchase. Eric M.

To view details for this product please click here

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Hi Lesley and Brian, I had such a super exciting day on Friday, as you can imagine. I woke up to find these gorgeous glamour shots and as soon as it was available for pickup I rushed over to Fedex with my pajama's on! I swear! I got home safely and was so happy to see my diamond in its new home. The Grace setting is absolutely beautiful in person. All I see is the diamond, as if its floating. Everytime I look at the diamond, I am just blown away and the 4-prongs really shows it! It's truly an amazing stone. (Can you tell Im in love with it again!) I have to tell you the ring size and shank came out perfect-o! I know I asked for it to be set higher and can see compare to Lynn B's that mine looks a little tad higher, and I just love that! Darren and I went away for the weekend and I was so happy to have my ring on and he was too! I just want to Thank You both, from the bottom of my heart, for getting me my ring back so quickly and making it so beautiful Big Hugs! Wanda

Hi Lesley, Rcvd the earrings – they are wonderful! The diamonds are truly brilliant. I'll be presenting them to Jenny tonight and that'll be the true test but trust that she will love them as much I do. I will let you know the full results. Planning on posting on Pricescope as well. Thanks again! Sincerely, Ty

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

She sent in the diamond necklace and the spinel and was very clear that she wanted the halo to be “mushroom” pave like the diamonds had been set in the bow. We created the halo using CAD and e-mailed the CAD files t her for her acceptance. We cast the setting and our first attempt did not give the required look, so we used larger stones, recast the halo and the result was perfect!

Hi Lesley, I just took a good look at Brian's photos and really, all I can think to say is WOW! The size and proportion, the color of that blue, the halo, the diamonds, the gallery- it all goes together so well. No one would ever know that we started with one half and added on the other. And my three rings…. yeah!!! I can't wait to see it in person tomorrow. I'm going to fall asleep having "good gem dreams" tonight! Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much I deeply respect and admire what you and Brian do, the quality of work that your company produces, the loving attention to detail that you give to every piece you make, and the care and treatment that you give to every customer. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with you and to get to know you. I will write you again tomorrow, after my beautiful necklace arrives! Hugs, Lisa

Hi Lesley, And the happy dance continues! My necklace is beautiful!!! I can see every diamond, and I can even see their little arrows. I can definitely see that the diamonds are a little bit bigger . The prongs are polished and they're not covering the diamonds anymore. It's really, really beautiful and it was so worth the wait. I really can't thank you and Brian enough! I love the size of the halo and the whole dangling pendant portion, and it has such a nice weight to it. Now it's a gorgeous necklace. My husband is going to be so pleased . You and Brian are a treasure. There are not too many people (or businesses) these days, who actually care about their customers being happy. You are such nice people, experts at what you do and a real pleasure to do business with. I can't thank you enough and I look forward to chatting with you about my next project. You are a lovely woman. I'll be in touch again tomorrow. Please give Brian a big hug for me. Thank you so much, Lisa

The creation of Lisa's pendant below:

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

oh lesley! OH LESLEY!! they're GORGEOUS!! she's going to love these. just love love love! All these photos will be up on PS this evening, my time, when i get back to a reasonable internet connection. lesley, could you pls thank all the appropriate people for me and tell them that i said…"GAAAAAAAH! they're GORGEOUS!!!" K.P.

We asked our customer to name the earrings which she appropriately named “Erin Gets Married”

The picture gallery below highlights this beautiful gift…

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.

Hi Lesley, The pictures are fantastic and the ring looks magnificent! The combination of Brian's excellent diamonds with the beautiful detailing of the ring (without being overbearing!) is stunning. It's exactly what I think that Elaine was looking for in a ring. I'm trying to be very patient at work, as the first thing I'm going to do is head over to the FedEx office to pick up the ring. I can't wait to see it in person, and I'm even more excited to see Elaine's reaction. I'll keep you posted on when I pick up the ring. Thanks,~Rodel

After he had picked up the ring we received this ecstatic e-mail:

Hi Lesley,  Oh. My. Just… wow. The sparkle and clarity of the diamonds is truly mesmerizing… those alone are reason enough to just stare at the ring and watch the light play off it. I was walking around my apartment, turning the ring back and forth, watching the reflections in the various lighting conditions. It seemed to go from brilliant to dangerously-distracting-while-walking.

And then there's the setting – outstanding. The features look delicate and beautifully intricate, and yet give off a sense of purpose – not too busy, which is exactly what Elaine was looking for. I love the depth of the detailing that's going on beneath the center diamond – the pictures don't do justice to that aspect of the ring (or the rest of the ring, for that matter – the pictures are fantastic, but you really do have to see this sparkle in person). The marquise diamonds and the milgrain around the ring complete the vintage look I was looking for perfectly.

Thanks to you and to Brian and crew – you've all created an amazing ring for me to pop the question with. As I've mentioned before, I leave for France on Saturday and will be gone for 2 weeks. I'll definitely keep you posted and hopefully be able to return the favor of your pictures with some of my own. Thanks again, ~Rodel

Please enjoy this process of the creation of this magnificent piece in pictures…

© 2010, Brian Gavin. All rights reserved. Including all photographs, written word and video, but not limited to unless noted.