BRIDAL DESIGN SERVICES
Why Grinstein Jewelry & Design?
At Grinstein Jewelry & Design, we are experts in designing and making beautiful jewelry. We want to help you pick the perfect ring based on your aesthetic, lifestyle, timeline and budget. You should feel happy, relaxed and confident in your choice, which is why we try to guide you without pushing our ideas. We never press you to make a decision before you’re ready.
In terms of the process, you can choose from our many creative designs, start from scratch for a completely unique ring, or do something in between. All our designs are ‘small batch’, so you know that the final product will be special to you. If you have a family heirloom with a stone that you want use, or you wish to supply your own new center stone, we are happy to work with what you have.
We use unusual and non-traditional gemstones as well as top quality diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies. We have many years of experience and have curated a list of excellent sources for the gemstones and materials we use – we can find what you want.
When you shop with Grinstein’s, you will feel taken care of. Our staff is small, which means we are able to offer very personal care.
The Grinstein Shopping Experience:
Perhaps you want to start by browsing our website or just stop by the store and one of our associates can show you our designs and offer some information. Or, for a more focused discussion about designs and stones, you may be ready make an appointment with our resident and namesake designer, Richard Grinstein. We always keep notes about ideas that were discussed, and will follow up with a phone call or email answering any questions you may have.
Once a decision has been made, it usually takes us from 4 to 8 weeks to complete a ring, depending on the complexity of the design and how often we meet for design approval and fittings. We know how important it is for you to be confident that your rings will be done in time for your special day, so we never promise to meet a deadline without being sure that we can do it.
The 4 Cs:
There is a lot of information available on the Internet about the 4 Cs of diamonds, so here is a quick condensed version. If you’d like to know more, we recommend visiting the Gemological Institute of America’s webpages on diamonds.
Color: Diamonds are given a color grade from D, which is colorless, all the way through to Z, which is quite yellow. Traditionally, most engagement ring diamonds fall in the D to H range, staying in the colorless or near colorless zone.
Cut: There are many ways in which diamonds may be cut, but the most well-known and popular shapes are Round Brilliant Cut, Oval, Princess, Emerald and Cushion. For round brilliant cut diamonds there are proportions that are considered to be ideal - the closer a stone is cut to these proportions, the better the sparkle. Often it is worth prioritizing the cut of a stone over the other ‘C’s - a large but poorly cut stone will not catch the eye as much as a smaller but beautifully cut stone. We can help navigate the choices to come up with the right stone for you.
Clarity: Diamonds can be nearly free of inclusions, or what we call ‘flawless’, FL, or at the other extreme they can be heavily ‘included’, I3. Inclusions are small dark specks of carbon or other material other than crystalline carbon in the stone, while flaws can be small feathery veins running through the diamond, or surface blemishes. While a flawless stone is everyone’s dream, we find that slight inclusions are usually acceptable especially if they aren’t visible without magnification. For those of you familiar with the scale, our stones are usually in the VVS2 to SI1 grades. It is always best to see several diamonds in person and compare a few to know what you are happy with.
Carat Weight: Carat is the unit of measurement of a diamond’s weight. Each carat can be divided into 100 ‘points’. So, we may refer to a .75 carat diamond as a ’75 pointer’. When talking about tiny accents stones, anything under 10 points (or 0.10 carats) is usually referred to as ‘melee’.
Our diamonds:
While many of the rings in our show room are fully set and ready to go, we understand that most people want to pick their own diamond or colored stone. We have long trusted sources for traditional stones, but we’re always keeping an eye out for interesting materials. For example, Montana sapphire is becoming a popular option. You may already have an idea of what you want, or perhaps you’ll discover something new with us. If a diamond is what you’re looking for, we can offer certified conflict-free and lab-grown diamonds as well as diamond alternatives such as Moissanite. We pride ourselves on have very high standards for the stones we purchase and offer to our clients, no matter the budget.
While we keep our diamond prices as competitive as possible, we know that you may shop online for the best price. We are very happy to set a stone that you bring to us. If you do decide to purchase a stone from us, you might pay a little bit more, but we will show you multiple stones to compare in person and can offer you our advice on the right choice for you.
The Metals:
The metal you choose for your rings will depend mostly on what you like and what looks good with your skin tone. Of course, lifestyle and cost is also a consideration, but whatever you pick, you need to love it.
Platinum – this grey-white metal is an age-old go-to for wedding jewelry. It is a very strong and durable metal, perfect for keeping your precious stones safe in a ring, and develops a soft sheen over time.
Yellow or white gold — excellent choices for wedding jewelry and are available in a variety of colors and karats. We tend to stick to 18K or 14K, but we also offer 22K gold. In terms of color, we use yellow gold, white gold, X1 white gold (which is whiter than the standard white), rose gold, ‘Soviet’ gold (which is a little softer in color than the standard rose), and even green gold. Whatever the color, 18K gold tends to have a richer, more saturated palette than 14K. 18K is a little more resistant to chemical interactions that 14K (such as chlorine in swimming pools etc.), but ultimately, most people make a choice based on color preference.
While not an obvious choice, there are new alloys of tarnish resistant, hard sterling silver that are also good options for wedding bands. We also offer commercially made titanium bands and other non-traditional bands.