Tag: ring
Are you or your partner in love with great-grandmother’s sapphire ring but the setting is just not right?
Did you inherit a beautiful, but outdated, diamond brooch from a relative? Heirloom jewelry re-purposed for today’s use is a wonderful way of honoring previous generations while creating new traditions for the future.
Oftentimes, the present generation might love the idea of utilizing heirloom jewelry, but be turned off by the object’s style or setting. The reality is that you don’t have to live with the piece “as is” if you love part of the piece and the history it represents. A qualified jeweler like David Craig Rotenberg can provide a new setting and even add other stones if you like.
More ideas:
• A diamond in a delicate, antique setting can be set in more modern, sturdier setting for a more stylish appeal. We can help you reimagine a new design to create a unique look that tells your personal story.
• We may be able to take metal from a band that’s no longer sturdy and use it to create a unique new band.
• Stones can often be re-cut and re-shaped at David Craig Jewelers. David operates an American Gem Society-certified (AGS) laboratory right here at our location in the Langhorne, Newtown, PA area.
• If you want to keep an inherited piece “as is,” we can help. Bring the item in for a good cleaning and have it checked to make sure there aren’t loose stones or flaws in a setting that could cause problems down the road.
• If the item you’ve inherited has no sentimental value, consider trading it in toward something else.
• Celebrate a special anniversary by redesigning your wedding ring to add a family member’s stone to the setting.
• Turn a previous generation’s engagement ring into a right-hand “I’m worth it” ring to honor the past with a fashionable, fun new piece for yourself.
Linking the Past with the Present
Re-using cherished jewelry is a wonderful means of breathing new life into an older piece. It’s also great for the environment! Even precious jewels in fancy brooches or necklaces (that aren’t quite “you”) can be repurposed into new rings, necklaces, bracelets or earrings.
We’ll work closely with you to try to map out your idea and add our own suggestions if you like. By re-designing and “recycling” you’re still able to carry your family story into the next generation while adding your own special spin to the tale.
As a National Guard recruiter for Bucks County, Nick Brinckman is used to enlisting recruits with heartfelt persuasion and, of course, simple facts. But it obviously didn’t take any persuading at all to convince Lauren Steele to agree to marry him. And the simple fact was that he loved Lauren and knew she felt the same about him.
Nick, a self-titled “military brat” who attended Council Rock High School with Lauren, moved to Florida junior year and graduated from Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Florida before joining the army. Lauren graduated from Council Rock and went off to college. Fifteen years went by.
Fast forward to 2016. Two divorces and five children later (three for him, two for her) the two met up again in Bucks County thanks to mutual friends. This was something special. Nick knew he wanted to marry Lauren, but also recognized that blending two established families could be challenging. He sought approval individually from all five children. “They all thought that asking Lauren to marry me was a great idea,” Nick recalls. Nick also spoke to Lauren’s mother, sister and even visited Lauren’s deceased father’s gravesite to express his intentions.
The Ring
Nick took Lauren into David Craig Jewelers to have her finger sized for what she assumed might be a holiday gift.
“I wanted a local jeweler, someone who had a great reputation and loads of experience,” said Nick. “David was really friendly, as were his staff.”
Nick returned to the store weeks later and, with David’s help, picked out a beautiful one-carat round diamond. The stone would sit in a cushioned cut bezel setting in 14K white gold, all designed by David.
“David is just an extremely nice guy and was willing to answer any of my questions and offer advice without being forceful,” said Nick.
Nick thought Christmas vacation holiday 2017 would be a great time to propose when he, Lauren and their children would be together at Camelback mountain. On December 29th, under the stars, with the warmth of a fire to help illuminate the sparkle in Lauren’s eyes (and the beautiful diamond he pulled from a gift box!), Nick asked Lauren to be his wife. Lauren, a NICU nurse at Abington, enthusiastically said yes, or to be exact, “Yes, a thousand times yes!”
A wedding date has not been set. We send our best wishes to this great couple and their children.
Cupid shot his arrow in 2008 and the recipient sweethearts were Lisa Cassese, formerly of Bellmore, NY, and Chris Groser, from Yardley, PA. The two were sophomores at Syracuse University living on the same dorm floor when they first started dating.
Fast forward to May 2015 and Chris was eager to propose. Chris shopped around at a few different places. Confused and a bit disappointed in the selections he saw, he turned to his closest shopping expert for advice – his mom, Renee. She suggested Chris head to David Craig Jewelers, where Chris’s brother-in- law, Joe, had purchased his wife Melanie’s ring a few years back.
“I couldn’t have been more satisfied,” says Chris. “David and his staff are helpful and personable, plus I really liked the kind of original styles David carries. I felt very comfortable making this major life purchase through David Craig Jewelers.”
Lisa immediately said “yes,” deciding that the ring, while lovely, might match her personality even better with a few subtle setting changes. Says Lisa: “David was very accommodating in helping us customize the ring. We had a few rounds of revisions since I wasn’t 100% sure what I was looking for. Ultimately, I ended up getting exactly what I wanted.”
The couple were married May 6, 2017 and now reside in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Both Lisa and Chris work in the field of marketing—Lisa as a strategist for Macy’s and Chris as creative director for a digital ad agency.
Lisa wears her David Craig Jewelers ring with love and pride – it’s a “classic and delicate” Forevermark® solitaire on a thin band shank set with diamonds. The engagement ring rests comfortably against a matching wedding band, also lined with diamonds. Like many of David’s creations, the Cassese-Groser ring is registered in MOND, The Museum of Named Diamonds.
“I couldn’t be happier,” sums up Lisa. And we couldn’t be happier for the two of them and wish them much happiness!
Claire Wiley met Skyler Borgman four and a half years ago while the two were living in Philadelphia. She was attending vet school at the University of Pennsylvania and he was working towards an MBA in Finance at Temple.
When Skyler proposed to Claire last month he did so with a romantic dinner, lit candles and a special family heirloom—the Bogach Diamond. The beautiful, European-cut stone was currently residing in a necklace. It was registered in MOND, the Museum of Named Diamonds, and had been passed down through the generations from its Ellis Island entrance into the United States with Skyler’s great grandmother.
Skyler (originally from Lansdowne, PA) and Claire (originally from Connecticut) knew just where to go when they decided to re-set this heirloom stone into a unique engagement ring for Claire—David Craig Jewelers. Claire was aware of David’s reputation as one of the area’s leading experts on gemstones since her mother had previously turned to the Bucks County jeweler to re-set her own engagement ring.
The young couple were happy to obtain Claire’s mom’s recommendation. They were delighted with the final ring creation which now boasts hand-set, natural light pink diamonds surrounding the family heirloom diamond. The main diamond is slightly elevated as David says, to “not only enhance its natural beauty but to signify its special history in the family.”
Says Claire: “I wanted a solitaire but David told us he could design something even more beautiful if we let him, and he was so right. My ring is more incredible than I ever could have imagined – we basically let David use his talents to create something and he presented us with this work of art!” The couple plan an August 5, 2018 wedding in New Hope.
We wish them much happiness and lasting joy!