Paolo Costagli Blog

After traveling around the world to find the perfect stones, then shipping, re-cutting and certifying them in New York City, the process of creating distinctive Paolo Costagli rings begins.

If I am creating a three-stone ring, like the Florentine rings, I decide on the color combinations of the stones. I typically follow certain color combination patterns of pink and green, blue and green, red and violet, pink and orange.

The precious metals used in the ring are determined according to the color combination. For instance, blue stones are usually set in 18kt white gold or platinum, while yellow stones are set in yellow gold. However, whether I decide to use white or yellow gold will also depend on the overall visual appeal of the ring.

The yellow gold used for Paolo Costagli rings are particularly unique as it emulates the gold color found in U.S. gold coins at the beginning of the 19^th century. This specific gold color is used because it captures the true warmth transmitted to the stones. Instead of following the current trend of using greenish gold, it is my personal opinion that the stones look best with the warmth of this specific gold color.

There are other specific details of a Paolo Costagli ring that not only add to the ring’s allure, but also show the detailing and craftsmanship behind the jewel.

When examining the craftsmanship of fine jewelry, you first look inside and then outside of the ring since the inside shows the amount of workmanship involved in the jewel. The shank of a Paolo Costagli ring is always set on each side with diamonds that are full-cut round brilliants. The diamonds are aligned straight and the grooves on each side act as a mirror, which allow the stones to sparkle better. Paolo Costagli rings particularly begin and end the row of diamonds with a “V” shape to convey symmetry.

You will notice that the quality of the wire work and material is extremely high inside the surface of a Paolo Costagli ring. The holes of the stone settings are drilled using the “ajour” technique. The literal translation of “ajour” is to “open to the day”, which means the settings with “ajour” holes allow light to pass through better. Since initial drilling creates round holes, an “ajour” hole requires sawing with special blades, which create, in this case, square holes. Additionally, the “S” shaped holes are also symbolic of the “ajour” technique. This technique not only reduces the weight of the jewel, but also adds sophistication and extra comfort to the inside surface of the ring.

After the creating the “ajour” holes, Paolo Costagli rings use the “thrumming” technique to remove extra residue from the metal that would normally prevent the metal from shining. Ensuring every aspect, from the stone to the metal of the shank, is clean adds to a ring’s enchanting appeal.

When looking at the ring face up, Paolo Costagli gemstones are always set with “eagle claw” prongs. The prongs do not include unnecessary extra “skirts” of metal that would normally detract from the cleanliness of the ring itself. Furthermore, every mounting is fitted for each stone, similarly to a fitting for a fine tailored suit. The absence of metal, when looking at the stone face-up, liberates its true beauty, giving it the appearance it is floating on the finger. The lack of excessive metal further illustrates the workmanship involved in creating the mounting.

Now, when you wear the Paolo Costagli ring, you will not see your skin through the gemstones unless they are “cabochons”. There is no void or “light leakage” to maintain the stone’s brilliance. The stone is also never mounted too high or too low to touch the skin of the finger.

Finally, after numerous checks throughout the creation process, I check the ring, once again, with a 20 power loop for porosity, extra sodderings, symmetry, cleanliness of workmanship and overall tightness of the gemstones.

We at Paolo Costagli emphasize the importance of all details related to our products from sourcing the gems all the way to the packaging of our designer jewelry. Whether you are buying a jewel for yourself or for someone special as a gift, the jewelry box and packaging plays a fundamental role in your experience.

When I started my brand, there was no question in my mind of who should supply the packaging of the Paolo Costagli jewelry pouches and boxes.

Floriani Astucci, a family-owned company located right outside of Bologna, was chosen to create Paolo Costagli’s jewelry boxes and packaging because of their attention to detail.

Floriani embodies the distinctive “Made in Italy” artisan tradition of providing only the best handmade products. These fine jewelry cases are made by artisans, who are passionate about their craft and are constantly working towards producing superbly created products. They take pride in their creations and work just for the pleasure of creating beautiful jewelry boxes, not for the mere compensation resulting from their efforts. These exquisite skills, permeating through their products, exude an exclusive quality that mass produced products cannot come close to imitating.

Since each Paolo Costagli jewel is unique, where each ring, earring, necklace or bracelet holds its own special stones of the same high quality and is created individually by hand, it was important for us to select the best packaging in the world for our jewelry.

When you purchase or receive Paolo Costagli jewelry, you will immediately notice the packaging. The box itself is meticulously designed to last and is branded with the Paolo Costagli name. Remove the lid and you will see tissue paper guaranteeing “100% handmade in Italy by Floriani”.

As soon as you touch the pouch, you feel the soft and smooth lamb leather. We are sensitive to animal rights, so the leather used is not included in the “Washington Convention” list of endangered species. The smaller pouch’s string is also made of leather and is evenly knotted at its ends. On the other hand, Fiocchi snap buttons are used to close the larger pouches. The distinct rounded edges are precisely cut, paired with the perfectly sewn stitching. Inside the pouch, you feel chamois leather and have leather partitions to keep the jewels separate from each other.

Our mission is to provide only the best to our clients. Thus, protecting Paolo Costagli jewelry with the best handmade leather packaging not only provides a beautiful place to store jewelry for a lifetime, but also adds to your experience of the Paolo Costagli brand and of our focus on craftsmanship.