Custom Creation: East-West Baguette Engagement Ring

Our client Natalie came to us this past summer wanting a simple solitaire ring in yellow gold, but with a unique touch. She loved the look of an emerald or baguette diamond, as they have clean lines and would fit well with the aesthetic of a simple yet modern ring.

Choosing a lab-grown diamond was important to her as well, as she cares about being as eco-conscious and ethical as possible throughout all aspects of her life, including her engagement ring. The fact that we use recycled gold as well was a cherry on top. While emerald-cut lab-grown diamonds aren't rare, baguette shapes are a little harder to find, so we set to work right away to begin sourcing a baguette. 

Meanwhile, we worked with Natalie to hone in on the specifics of her ring design. We played around with setting the baguette in the "traditional" north-south position, but her heart kept pulling her toward east-west, which is when the center stone is flipped to lay horizontally instead of vertically. 

Next, we had to decide on a setting style. She was open to a more traditional prong-style setting, and decided against a bezel-set style. However, she wasn't head over heels about how the prong-set style looked. We had an "aha" moment and had to show her a bar-set style. Once it loaded in our design software, her face lit up. This was the one. She loved how it was enclosed on two sides, and left the other sides "open", so it didn't look so bogged down by metal. Below is the CAD render of the ring with a bar setting. 

Once we settled on the design, we had found a perfect option for her center stone. It was a baguette shape, but a little wider (not quite as wide as a traditional emerald). It was in the colorless range, and VVS1 in clarity, making it super clean. She loved it! 

We started production and her ring was completed three weeks later. Her fiance wanted a matching band in yellow gold, and were married two months later in August. Congratulations, newlyweds!

What do you think about the east-west engagement ring style? Tell us below!