Every Monday on Facebook, my team highlights one of my bespoke pieces. Since it is the month of the sapphire gemstone, it made sense to highlight one of my favorite blue sapphire rings.

I either start the design process with either a unique, rare stone or with an inspiration. In this case, I found a beautiful 12.43 carat blue sapphire untreated stone. Since the majority of sapphires and stones undergo heating treatment procedures, it is extremely rare to find a sapphire that is untreated and over 10 carats. Another unique characteristic of this particular stone is that it already came with an antique cushion shape and small table, which carries a nice blue color in incandescent light. Normally, you see the worst in stones in incandescent light.

I could have left the stone alone, but adding over 1 carat in diamonds around the stone helped to add more sparkle and brilliance. When you look at this one-of-a-kind bespoke ring from any angle, especially face-up, you see the beauty of the sapphire stone.

For the month of September, my team and I are celebrating women and sapphires with our “It’s All About You” contest. One lucky participant will win a Blue Sapphire Ring from the Ombrė Collection. It is the last week to participate, so please enter here.

It has been a long time since I have been back to Venice. But, late last year, I was invited to join Save Venice, a New York City based non-profit organization dedicated to restoring Venice, as a member of the Board of Directors. This was not only an honor, but also an opportunity for me to rediscover Venice and create my next collection.

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.

With the certificate in hand, you can begin examining the details with the use of a gauge and microscope, which you can ask the jeweler to provide at the store. The gauge allows you to confirm the size of the diameter to see if it corresponds to what is stated on the certificate. The microscope allows you to locate all the inclusions on the plot of the diamond. Diamonds especially have unique inclusions. So, it is important to ensure that the inclusions you see in the microscope match what is in the certificate. The location of the inclusions is also essential when choosing a diamond. Ideally, the center of the stone should be clean and inclusions should be located around the edges of the crown or under the crown.

Symmetry and polish of the facets are also important, as their alignment and luster contribute greatly to the visual sparkle of the diamond. Therefore, unless you are buying a truly antique shape stone, the grade for polish and symmetry should not go below “very good”.

The absence of or the degree of fluorescence also impact the visual appearance of diamonds because it gives a “milky” look that detracts from the sparkle and life of the stone. Therefore, a stone with “faint” or no fluorescence is more desirable than one with a moderate to strong presence of fluorescence.

Another detail to avoid is external or internal graining, which are the structural lines similar to the lines found in wood. This type of graining gives a foggy appearance to the stone, which cannot be cured. A comment regarding graining is usually located at the bottom of the certificate.

The pavillion depth can also affect the stone’s appeal. Although it is preferable to choose a diamond not too deep as it looks bigger than what it is, you will want to avoid excessively shallow stones because of the unpleasing reflection of the girdle in the table of the stone, which is called “fish eye” effect.

Lastly, I recommend to avoid any carat size ending with .01. If you had the choice between a 1.99 and a 2.01 carat diamond, choose the 1.99 carat diamond. The reason for choosing the lower carat stone is because the carat loss deriving from a small chip in a 2.01 carat has a greater affect on the value of the stone versus the 1.99 carat stone.

The frequency of wearing the jewelry and your daily activity play a major part in the stone losing its brilliance. If you wear your jewelry everyday, it is inevitable for the stone to lose its sparkle from the exposure to the natural oils from your skin, dust and dirt. You should not be too active, whether it be by playing sports or gardening, when wearing jewelry as it again exposes your stone to environments that cause a loss of brilliance. Washing hands with your ring on will affect the gem’s natural appeal making it best to never wash hands with your jewelry.

Different cleaning techniques must be highlighted when cleaning jewelry consisting of just diamonds set in precious metals (e.g., gold, platinum). Yes, you can use jewelry cleaning solutions easily found at local convenience stores, jewelry stores or online. Since diamonds are harder and more dense than other gemstones, the jewelry cleaning solutions, typically made of chemicals or solvents, should not affect the gem’s beauty. But, this is still not my preferred method.

When cleaning jewelry set primarily with colored gemstones, you should not use jewelry cleaning solutions due to the fact that these chemicals could dissolve the treatments contained in the gem. You should assume that any gemstone nowadays has been treated routinely to enhance its beauty. It is a commonly accepted practice in the trade of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, tourmalines and practically any sort of stones and pearls, except spinels.

Ultrasonic machines, steaming or boiling water should not be used as methods for cleaning jewelry. The heat from these cleaning techniques can open fractures in the gem and loosen prongs that are holding the stones. Basically, the heat acts as a solvent for the foreign material in the fixture of the stone. This, therefore, causes the stone to release its oils, which causes the stone to lose its clarity.

The most effective, long-lasting and safest way to clean your jewelry at home is very simple. All you need is a soft toothbrush, hand soap, warm water and a pan to protect the stone from being lost. After gently cleaning the jewelry, air-dry the jewel in room temperature and avoid the use of a hair dryer.

When the weather is unforgiving in New York (as it often seems to be for a native Florentine!), I think back to the wonderful summers I spent in Castiglioncello as a child. My mother would take me every year to this classic Italian seaside village, famous not only for the picture perfect weather, but also for A-list holiday dwellers like Marcello Mastroianni (…mamma mia… La Vita e’ Dolce at this beach!).

Photo Credit: Stefano Trojani | www.castiglioncello.org

Vivid memories of summers spent in Castiglioncello inspired me to create a collection of wearable jewelry that embodies the depth of colors and different shades of the sea that I was fortunate enough to grow up around. The most effective way to translate this picturesque scene is using an Ombre technique, a French term literally meaning “shaded”.

The frothy water and white rocky beaches are transformed into blue multishade sapphire hoop earrings and ring, embracing the essence of the sea. The sun spotted curves of the waves that lightly shimmer found their way onto the wrists of many women in the form of the Ombre bracelet. The stones are reverse set with the culet pointing up to show the dimension and textures found in the sand and sea. And the yellow gold that sets the stones is the bright sunlight and true happiness that you find in a place like Castiglioncello. Voila, I bring the Italian sea to you!

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.

A fundamental aspect when selecting gemstones is its original shape, which is critical for the final look. So we start by choosing a gem with a minimal amount of “bulge” in the pavilion, the lower part of the stone, which is typically hidden from a bird’s eye view. An excessive protruding bulge, in fact, triggers “light leakage” or “see through” effect, which causes the gem to lose its brilliancy and appear void in the center. As a general rule of thumb, if you look at the stone over printed material, you should not be able to read the letters if the cutting is correct, nor should you see your skin when wearing it as a ring.

It is interesting to note that gem dealers in countries where stones are mined tend to trade heavier stones thinking that weight increases the value. This logic is incorrect because excessive pavilion weight does not necessarily contribute to the beauty of the gemstone. In fact, the rarity and appeal are not based solely on weight, but mostly on the gems features, shape and symmetry. During the re-cutting process, we eliminate this excessive bulge and lose approximately 30% of the weight. This process is arduous, very expensive and dangerous as it could break irremediably the stone. However, removing the excessive material makes a huge impact on the final look of the material.

The transformation of the gem into a “supergem” is completed by a master gem cutter in New York City, who specializes in ideal proportions inspired by antique shapes from the early twentieth century. These unusual shapes allow for the gem to express its true brilliance, appeal and character, setting them apart from the commonly cut materials found in modern jewelry, while also elevating them to the level of collector’s items.

A classic example of a “supergem” is the 400+ carat unheated, cushion cut aquamarine with virtually no “see through” effect, covering the entire palm of my hand. Notice the intensity of the color and brilliancy irradiating directly from the very center of this spectacular Brazilian specimen? It’s a true collector’s item for connoisseurs.

The pink and green colors prevalently found in the garden inspired me to create the Florentine collection. The collection (ring, chain earrings, hoop earrings, bracelet and necklace) uses peridot and pink sapphire gems set in 18kt gold.

Although Spring is not quite here, in New York, you can now dream of Florence as I do.

Most men don’t have much knowledge of colored stones, they dont know Platinum from 18kt Gold or Blue Tourmaline from Blue Sapphire, however,  their excitement to learn about the properties of a certain colored stone more then make up for thier lack of prior knowledge. They ask us for suggestions and give us a brief description of the features of the lady who the jewel is intended for.

We love to point out the technical details of the cutting of a gemstone, the refiness of the polish, the smoothness of the gold, but we realize that these small crash courses in gemology or fine jewelry manufacturing sometimes leave our clients a little puzzled, often more confused than before.

So after years in the jewelry business, we finally understood what women want, and what women instinctively like in a jewel: women want to be beautiful, women want to be adorned with sparkling, dazzling things.

No matter what they are: rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces have to be sparkling, lively and dazzling.

It’s really simple to shop for diamonds this way, but colored stones present a completely different challenge. Colored gemstones must be of the highest quality and perfectly cut in order to have the fire that will make your loved one swoon.

My suggestion to a gentleman looking for the perfect gift for his loved one, is to just admire the reflection of the jewel he is considering. Look at it under different lights and make the final decision in artificial light. After all, this light is similar to what she might have in her home or while enjoying a romantic dinner with you.

And the more sparkles, the more likely she will be delighted to wear and treasure that particular jewel.