Custom Cut Montana Sapphire Mountain Engagement Ring

Custom faceted gemstones are some of our favorite stones to work with because it's rewarding to find ways to highlight their individual shapes in new ways.

When Kyle and Anne contacted us about designing an engagement ring using their custom hexagonal cut sapphire from Earth's Treasury, we were immediately excited because we had previously had the pleasure of working with Jeff Hapeman's beautiful stones.

Last Winter, we had designed a platinum Montana Sapphire anniversary ring using one of his custom "Helena" designs, so we were familiar with the quality of his work.

Their unheated 2.88 ct Montana sapphire from El Dorado Bar did not disappoint.

The first step was deciding on a setting that would draw attention to their center stone's unique shape. For inspiration, Annetold us that she liked Edwardian inspired rings withopen, cutout designs and intricate metal work.

The other important design request was finding a way to tie in their love of backpacking and rock climbing. To help Takayas with design inspiration, Kyle sent us several images of Anne's favorite lake and mountain formations.

From the start, Takayas thought their idea to use an Edwardian ring styleas the design basis was a cleveridea because the bezel setting would emphasize their stone's unusual hexagon cut.

Additionally, by extending the band all the way up to the stone, he would have lots of room to weave a naturescene of mountain peaks and a winding lake into the sides of the ring.

To add a unique twist, Takayas designed the mountain scene in a little more of an abstract pattern because he didn't want to simply replicatea landscape picture onto their ring.

He used a heavily cut out silhouette to mimic the filigree look of Edwardian designs. The open spaces also meant their sapphire would be visible from all angles.

It was such a great experience working with Kyle and Anne because they were thoughtful and detailed in their design requests. We had the pleasure of meeting them in person when they were in Los Angeles, and we couldn't ask for amore fantasticcouple to work with.

Warmest wishes to them both on their engagement!

Lastly, it's always a privilege to design a jewelry piece around one of Jeff's stones.If you are looking for something different, his custom faceting work over at Earth's Treasury is trulyworth checking out.