There has never been more sparkle for sale. Bright, beautifully cut stones in every size, at every price, a thumb-scroll away. So here's the question worth asking before you buy: if everything shines, what makes one piece the one you'll still be wearing next year?
Our answer is the part nobody can turn out by the thousand. The idea.
Sparkle is the easy part now
For most of the last century, the stone did the talking. Bigger said more, and the rest of the ring was there to hold it up.
That world has opened up, and we think it's a good thing. Lab-grown diamonds put diamond fire within reach of far more people: The Knot's latest wedding study found that 61% of engagement rings now have a lab-grown center stone, and says they've "reshaped expectations around luxury." Beautifully cut crystals did the same for everyday jewelry. Brilliance is everywhere.
We'd never tell anyone their stone is the wrong stone. But when brilliance is everywhere, it stops being the thing that sets a piece apart.
What stays scarce
Look at the pieces people stop you to ask about. It's rarely the size of the stone. It's a decision somebody made: a pear set at an angle, a color nobody expected, four cuts sharing one band, a cluster that leans to one side like it's growing.
Those decisions don't come off a production line. They come from a person at a desk with a pencil, and that's where our designers in Los Angeles spend their days. It's also why we can say yes to more ideas than most jewelers: when a ring isn't built around one precious stone that has to be protected, the design gets to take the risks.
When everything sparkles, the idea is what's rare.
The same idea, two ways
Succulent is the clearest proof we have. An olive-grey pear sits on a fine gold band, with pink and white crystals gathered on one side, two of them shaped like little leaves, so the whole cluster seems to grow sideways. It's $69, and with more than 220 reviews it's the most-reviewed piece we make.
“It fits well, I love the colors and I like the way that it is not overstated. It’s just right!”
Succulent Fine is the same design in 14K solid gold, set with lab-grown diamonds and lab gemstones and made to order in Los Angeles by one of our master jewelers. It starts at $1,695.
Two price points, two very different sets of materials, and you'd recognize either one across a table. That's the point of designing it in the first place. The shape is what people remember, and the shape belongs to us.
Shape and color do the rest
Socialite, in sterling silver, is all about shape. Five stones in four different cuts (a marquise, a round, two emerald cuts and a pear) sit in a row between two curved bands. Your eye keeps moving because no two neighbors match.
Haute makes its case with color: small magenta, smoky brown and lilac moonstone crystals take turns along a narrow gold band edged in tiny beads. Every stone on it is small, and the colors carry the ring.
Neither one needed a bigger stone. Each needed someone to decide where a stone should sit, which shape belongs next to it and what color would surprise you. Behind that sit stones set by hand, nearly every ring design in sizes 4 to 11 and a two-year warranty.
Better questions than "How big?"
When everything in the case is bright, ask a piece these instead.
1. Would you recognize it on someone else's hand? The pieces people remember have one detail you could describe to a friend.
2. Is the shape doing something? A pear set off-center or a row of mixed cuts gives your eye a path to follow.
3. Is the color a choice? White goes with everything. Olive, magenta and smoky brown tell you somebody made a decision.
Pick the idea
Enjoy the sparkle. It's one of the best things about jewelry, and there's more of it to go around than ever. Just let it start the conversation instead of carrying it.
A stone tells people what it's made of. A design tells them who chose it.
Meet the rings that put the idea first.
Shop the story
Succulent Ring
Succulent Fine 14K Ring
Socialite Sterling Silver Ring
Haute RingQuestions about jewelry design and stones
How do you choose jewelry that stands out?
Look past size to the decisions: an unusual shape, an off-center setting, a color that isn't white, stones in more than one cut. Ask whether you'd recognize the piece on someone else.
What stones does Oomiay use?
Our everyday jewelry is set by hand with 5A grade cubic zirconia crystals, plus exclusive Oomiay glass crystals for some colors. Oomiay Fine is made in 14K solid gold with lab-grown diamonds and lab gemstones.
Is Succulent available in solid gold?
Yes. Succulent Fine is the same design in 14K solid gold with lab-grown diamonds and lab gemstones, made to order in Los Angeles.
Is a lab-grown diamond a diamond?
Yes. A lab-grown diamond has the same crystal structure and properties as a mined one; it's grown in a lab rather than mined (GIA).
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