Want to give a truly memorable present this Christmas? Whether it is a romantic ring, a dazzling necklace, some quirky cufflinks or a jewellery design experience, N.J. Geddes Fine Jewellery can help you find the perfect Christmas gift.
Showstopper Surprises
While most of our jewellery is bespoke, we do have a selection of exquisite pieces in our boutique. These are ready to be beautifully presented in our black gift boxes carefully tied with gold ribbon and delivered to you. All you have to do is pop your jewellery gift under the tree and wait for the look of joy on your loved one’s face.
The perfect Christmas – all wrapped up
Here is a selection of jewellery that we have in the boutique; do give us a call if you would like to find out more or come to have a look and a coffee with Neil.
Classic Ruby and Diamond Ring
£1,545
Lady’s lush and classic diamond and ruby ring – this elegant ring will never go out of style.
Fancy Yellow Diamond ‘Toi et Moi’ Ring
£8,395
Long finger ‘Toi et Moi’ style ring with two cushion-cut fancy intense yellow diamonds totalling approx 0.56 carats. The ring has an elegant swirl design which holds the yellow diamonds, these are surrounded by approx. 0.92 carats of colourless diamonds.
Blue Halo Sapphire Cocktail Ring
£4,995
Oval AIGS Certified 1.21ct vivid blue sapphire, uniquely set in platinum with 0.20ct marquise diamonds tucked neatly into pave diamond shoulders. The sapphire is surrounded by a halo of round brilliant cut diamonds.
Peridot Cocktail Ring
£2,995
A 2.51ct peridot ring with diamond surround, all set in 18k yellow gold.
Yellow Sapphire and Diamond Ring
£11,250
A 7.60ct natural whiskey vivid yellow sapphire ring, certified by AIGS.
Aquamarine and Diamond Necklace
£1,890
A 3.6ct aquamarine and diamond halo pendant necklace.
Morganite and Diamond Rose Gold Necklace
£2,395
A 2.03ct morganite pendant necklace with a diamond surround, all set in 18k rose gold.
Jewellery Gift Experiences
If choosing a piece of jewellery for that special person in your life makes you a little nervous, why not surprise them with our jewellery gift vouchers.
Ever wondered how a diamond ring is made? It takes our master jewellers years to perfect the art of handcrafting jewellery – here’s a glimpse into their world.
Fancy Yellow Diamond Eternity Ring
This beautiful eternity ring was a custom design and is a unique piece of jewellery that is very much loved by its owner.
Our client selected 18k yellow gold as the metal for her ring, with 21 individual 0.25 carat fancy intense yellow diamonds.
Handcrafted Jewellery
Have a look at our video to see this exquisite ring being created by our expert jeweller.
The video is only 20 seconds long, but it actually took around 21 hours to handcraft the diamond eternity ring.
The process involved individually positioning each stone and ensuring they all fit perfectly within a full eternity ring.
These rare diamonds are cushion cut and hand set into the gold ring. This is done by carefully adding back holes to the shank so that more light enters the ring and reduces the weight giving a luxurious feel when worn.
Securing these rare diamonds required carefully crafted claws that are shaped like the talons of a bird of prey, giving a highly detailed finish.
Bespoke Diamond Rings
If the idea of designing your own ring appeals to you, get in touch and we can talk you through our services and how we can help you create a very special piece of jewellery.
It’s here – and just in time for party season! Our new collection of six sublime sapphire and diamond cocktail rings is now available.
Be the first to try on and view the collection by booking an appointment with Neil Geddes on 01937 844 990.
The Natural Sapphire Cocktail Ring Collection
At N.J. Geddes Fine Jewellery we do things differently. Our starting point is to find the perfect stone, seeking out the best quality jewels from our network of international suppliers so that they have the highest colour grades and better certification. Once we have found an extraordinary jewel, we design the ring around its unique personality. And that is what we’ve done with our new collection.
Using feedback from our clients and working with our award-winning master jewellers, we have hand-crafted six elegant cocktail rings that ooze glamour, fun and sophistication. Each ring has a unique design.
Oval Blue Double Halo Sapphire Ring with Twisting Diamond Shoulders
A 1.25 carat vivid blue sapphire surrounded by approx. 0.94 carat of diamonds with a spiralling, stylish twist design. You’ll notice that our sapphires aren’t just blue they are vivid blue or what we term in the jewellery world as ‘cornflower blue’.
£6,295
Oval Blue Halo Sapphire Ring with Diamond Surround
A 1.32 carat vivid blue sapphire surrounded by approx. 0.33 carat of diamonds in a delicate oval setting continuing down the shoulders. A real timeless classic.
£5,675
Blue Halo Sapphire Ring with Marquise Diamonds
An oval 1.21 carat vivid blue sapphire surrounded by approx. 0.33 carat of round diamonds and 0.10 carat of marquise diamonds. Set in a unique design with floral notes on the shoulders.
£5,695
Yellow Sapphire and Diamond Ring
An oval 2.73 carat yellow sapphire that is lush, vivid and clear, set in a wrapping swirl design surrounded by approx. 0.29 carat of diamonds.
£5,295
Pink Sapphire and Diamond Ring
A 1.92 carat cushion vivid natural pink sapphire that is certified as ‘no heat’ meaning it is much rarer and more sought after. This alluring stone is set as a real cocktail ring going down the finger, surrounded by approx. 0.6 carat of diamonds, crossing over. A unique piece for any party occasion.
£6,495
Fancy Yellow Diamond ‘Toi et Moi’ Ring
The showstopper. This unique long finger ‘Toi et Moi’ style ring contains two cushion cut fancy intense yellow diamonds totalling approx 0.28 carats. The ring has an elegant swirl design which houses the yellow diamonds centrally, they are surrounded by approx. 0.92 carats of colourless diamonds. The yellow diamonds were selected for their strong yellow colouring and fire.
£8,395
All jewels come with an international certification and are set in platinum rings.
Which One Will You Choose?
Our collection features a variety of beautiful stones in different colours and designs, so that you can choose the ring that best matches your style, personality or perhaps a very special outfit. Although it has to be said, any one of our striking collection is sure to make you the centre of attention this party season.
The proposal. A moment of pure romance, demonstrating your love for ‘the one’ and the beginning of the rest of your lives together. Your beautiful fiancée-to-be has dreamt of this proposal with excitement and anticipation. You, on the other hand, might be feeling nervous and unsure – will she accept the proposal and, crucially, will she like the ring …
I know these feelings from experience, and, don’t worry gents, I’m going to share with you some advice that will help you choose the perfect engagement ring.
Choosing an engagement ring – where to start?
Most of the men who come to me for engagement rings start the process feeling overwhelmed and, to be honest, clueless about what type of ring to select for their loved one. It’s completely natural to feel this way and we’re here to support you and to make the process of selecting an engagement ring enjoyable and memorable.
Surprise or choose together
The first decision you need to make is whether you are going to purchase a ring for the proposal or whether you will choose a ring together afterwards.
Here, you’ll have to rely on instinct and how well you know your partner. Is she the type of person who is quite particular about what she wants? Are you unsure what her style is? If yes, then you might want to involve her in the decision-making process. Or perhaps she goes with the flow and has always loved your choices of presents and jewellery in the past? In this case you might feel more confident in selecting the ring yourself.
Selecting a bespoke engagement ring together
If you opt for picking a ring together, you’ll need to consider having a ‘stand-in’ ring for your proposal. Then you still have a ring to present but you can explain how you would like to experience the special event of choosing a ring together. You can really make an occasion of it, especially if you decide to create a bespoke ring with us. We can organise champagne, canapés and petit fours to accompany our engagement ring consultations.
Inspiration for your bespoke engagement ring
Together we will discuss your fiancée’s style, diamond, jewel and metal preferences in a private and elegant location. We’ll view beautiful hand-painted gouache drawings of engagement rings for inspiration.
Once we have agreed your requirements, we’ll then have our award-winning designer make sketches of the ring for you to review at a second consultation. Depending on the scope of the ring, we may have an additional stage where we approve hand-painted designs. Or our third meeting may be the fitting and presentation of the ring, again with a glass of champagne to celebrate. Making choosing an engagement ring together a very intimate bonding experience that you’re sure to remember forever.
The surprise
If you’ve decided to select an engagement ring yourself and go for the full surprise proposal, then we are still here to support you. We have a range of off-the-shelf diamond engagement rings available in our boutique, but our most popular request is for a bespoke engagement ring.
Hand-painted design for a diamond engagement ring with fancy yellow diamonds
We’ll guide you through the creation of a unique engagement ring, but you’ll need to come to our consultation prepped and having done some detective work. So, in advance you’ll need to have a look at her current jewellery collection:
What patterns can you notice?
Which metals does she like? Platinum, rose gold, white gold, yellow gold
What is her style? Classic, vintage, lavish, quirky, demure
Which jewels does she prefer? Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds – engagement rings don’t have to be diamonds – go with whatever suits her personality and individual style.
Don’t be afraid to ask her friends and family a few discreet questions about what she might like – assuming you can either do this without arousing suspicion or that they can be trusted to keep the secret. Perhaps she’s always dreamt of a particular ring or admires a celebrity’s engagement ring – e.g. Kate Middleton’s sapphire engagement ring is popular at the moment.
It doesn’t have to be a diamond ring – Sapphires make a real statement
“Having thoroughly researched the type of engagement ring I wanted and seeing many examples on the high street, I needed a more bespoke solution combining a number of key features for the diamond, ring setting and ring band. Neil provided the personal service that I found extremely valuable in creating a bespoke ring to my choosing including sourcing me the perfect diamond. My now Wife still gazes at her ring in admiration and I can’t give a better testimony than that. I highly recommend Neil and the tailored advice and service he provides.”
Mr A. Champaneri
Diamond engagement rings – the detail
Once we’ve covered the groundwork and have built up a picture of your partner’s preferences, we get into the detail to finish off the ring. If you are choosing a diamond engagement ring here are a few facts that might be useful – we’ll talk you through all these though, so don’t feel bogged down by the options.
Diamonds – the 4Cs
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) created the 4Cs as the industry standard for grading diamonds: Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat weight.
Cut – proportions and shape determine the brilliance and fire within a diamond. A poor cut diamond will not sparkle as much as an excellent cut and polish.
Clarity – all diamonds have natural traces of growth, these are known as internal characteristics. When discussing clarity, we talk about the size, number and location of these characteristics when examined under 10 x magnification. The highest grade is Flawless, the lowest grade is Included (I3).
Colour – in white diamonds is actually graded as the absence of colour, i.e. the whitest it can be. The vast majority of white diamonds actually have yellowish tints. The scale starts at the highest D – colourless and goes down to Z – light yellow/brown.
Carat weight – the weight of a diamond is measured in metric carats. One carat is equal to 0.2g. The larger the weight, the more expensive.
Cut, clarity, colour, carat – perfection
The better the combination of the 4Cs means the greater the quality of the diamond. Does size matter? It is often better to select a diamond with a higher grade cut, clarity and colour than simply choosing the biggest. However, you know what she likes, and if big and sparkly is her thing, then go for it!
If you would like an in-depth look at diamond quality and the 4Cs then take a look at the GIA’s website.
Diamond shape
Diamonds are available in all shapes and sizes, including:
Round cut – classic and timeless
Princess cut – square cut, contemporary
Marquise cut – a football-shaped, brilliant cut
Pear cut – elegant, helps to elongate the finger
Emerald cut – rectangular cut
Oval cut – an elongated cut that can give the illusion of a larger diamond
Heart cut – a symbol of love
Cushion cut – a rounded square or rectangle cut.
On the left, a traditional 0.80ct round brilliant diamond, set between 2 trapeze cut diamond shoulders. On the right, a 0.90ct princess cut diamond, in a twist setting ‘north to south’.
Diamond settings
More choices abound with settings for diamond engagement rings, which incorporate:
Prong setting – acting like a claw to grasp the diamond, often with a solitaire diamond
Channel setting – a row of diamonds side by side
Halo setting – a centre diamond with a halo of smaller diamonds around it
Bezel setting – a modern setting with metal around the shape of the diamond
Invisible setting – an all diamond surface with the setting hidden
Pavé setting – closely setting many smaller diamonds together in a band
Trilogy setting – with three diamonds, symbolising your past, present and future love.
Heirloom
One option that we haven’t mentioned is that of converting a family heirloom into an engagement ring. This is a deeply personal and sentimental approach that might suit you and your partner – if it does, then have a look at how we can remodel jewellery and turn something old into something new.
Engagement ring consultation
There are many options to consider in choosing an engagement ring for your partner, but creating a custom ring means that we’ll guide you through each step, making the process surprisingly simple and enjoyable.
What you’ll end up with is a uniquely exquisite engagement ring that expresses both your love and your partner’s personality like no other.
To enquire about our engagement ring design service please get in touch for a private appointment. We can visit you at any location in the UK or if you are local to North or West Yorkshire you can visit our boutique in Boston Spa.
The Colombian emerald is one of the most enchanting jewels; the finest specimens radiate a sort of otherworldly glow that has a depth of interest much greater than diamonds. Due to their slightly more fragile nature though, larger emeralds of a high quality are rare. And that is precisely why we are rather excited to have acquired an exquisite 11.5 carat Colombian emerald (pictured above) from a private client collection.
Certified by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), this piece of raw beauty is currently being set in a platinum ring along with trilliant and round diamonds. The shape, colour and romance of the jewel brought back to us memories of Elizabeth Taylor’s engagement ring, and this is where we began the design process. We thought we’d share our initial designs with you along with some of our passion for this mesmerising gem.
Colombian Emeralds
Colombia has been the primary source of the world’s most beautiful emeralds for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Emeralds from Colombian mines (such as Muzo and Chivor) are said to be the purest due to the unique sedimentary host rock – the only place in the world where emeralds are deposited in this way.
It is believed that native Indian tribes mined emeralds as early as 500 AD, but it wasn’t until Spanish Conquistadors invaded in the 1500s that the rest of the world got to experience their beauty. Since that time emeralds have been consistently viewed as one of the most valuable jewels on the market.
What to look for in an emerald
Emeralds vary greatly in size, colour, saturation and tone. Generally, deep green is considered the most valuable colour due to its scarcity – deep/vivid emeralds are found only in the deepest mines in Colombia.
The 4 Cs
When buying an emerald, it is important to consider the 4 Cs:
Colour – is it vibrant? Is there a deep, rich tone? Is there a strong, vivid colour saturation?
Clarity – emeralds with better clarity will fetch higher prices, however, you will expect to see inclusions (or imperfections) with emeralds. This is natural but check where they are in the emerald by viewing a magnified picture of it.
Cut – emeralds are mostly cut symmetrically to produce optimum colour. There are also round, oval and pear cuts, but these are rarer and consequently more expensive.
Carat – the weight of the emerald determines the carat (as with diamonds), the bigger the carat the more expensive the emerald – assuming it is also high-quality in the other 3 Cs.
Design
Our Colombian emerald reminded us of the jewel in Elizabeth Taylor’s engagement ring from Richard Burton (given to her during the filming of Cleopatra in 1962). Her 7.4 carat square emerald was surrounded by 12 pear shaped diamonds totalling 5.3 carats. We used this loosely as our inspiration during the design process, as you can see from two of our initial design options below, Elizabeth’s style on the left and a more contemporary on the right using marquise diamonds.
Hand-painted design options for the ring
The design we eventually selected though, is more timeless and classic. It features the square cut 11.5 carat emerald with trilliant shaped diamonds surrounded by rounds (totalling approx 0.85 carats)– see design below.
The design we selected for the Colombian emerald and diamond ring
Our award-winning master jeweller is currently setting the ring using the finest, traditional techniques.
Investing in emeralds
As with many fine jewels, emeralds can be a strong investment piece. The trend in auction houses in London, Geneva, New York and Hong Kong is a steady increase in value for fine emeralds. The larger and better quality jewels don’t come to market that often and are subsequently highly sought-after.
To ensure you are investing in a quality jewel, make sure the emerald is certified (for example; by the Gemmological Institute of America, GIA, Gubélin or SSEF). With a significant investment piece, ensure you have it independently valued (N. J. Geddes Fine Jewellery offers this service). Our finished ring will be insurance-valued and it will be priced enabling clients to acquire a fabulous jewel that offers fantastic value.
The emerald and its GIA certificate
What next
Our unique 11.5 carat emerald and diamond platinum ring will be revealed in the next 3 – 4 weeks and will be available to purchase exclusively via N.J. Geddes Fine Jewellery. If you would like to discuss your interest in this piece, please get in touch with Neil Geddes directly to arrange an appointment.
