Ask Jeff Cooper: Pavé Diamonds

What’s trendy in wedding ring fashion right now? We blogged our predictions for the year here, but our friends over at The Knot posted an article where they picked 4 top trends in wedding rings, and they’re all trends we design for! Can you guess what they are?

Trend #1 is Pavé Diamonds! The Knot had this to say:

In the elegant pavé setting, tiny, faceted, fully cut stones are set as close together as possible so you can’t see the metal around them (see picture above). Think of it as if the metal band has been paved with diamonds. The pavé look offers bling without being outlandish. We’re seeing pavé in metals from yellow gold to platinum.

And here are a few favorites from our dazzling, but refined Tandem Collection.

Do you love it, or do you love it? We think pavé diamonds are so chic and glamorous.

So, what do you think the other three ring trends will be? Stay tuned!

Engagement Ring Trend: Mixed Metal Wedding Rings

White gold and platinum settings will always be popular, but we’re seeing adventurous brides (and grooms) gravitating toward mixed metals for a cool, personalized look.

It’s not just edgy fashionistas and bohemians! In the tradition of classic beauty Audrey Hepburn and her stack of mix and match wedding bands, modern brides are mixing metals, and it looks totally chic.

Keira Knightley surprised everyone with her wedding outfit, then surprised us again, by combining an understated two-carat solitaire diamond in a platinum setting with a simple yellow gold wedding band.

Kate Middleton also dared to mix metals. As the world knows, Prince William proposed with Princess Diana’s blue sapphire ring set on a platinum band. Her wedding ring is a simple yellow gold band fashioned from a nugget of Welsh gold, a royal tradition.

Some brides feel that mixed metal wedding sets free up more options for mixing metals in all your jewelry and accessories, but most brides stick with (and love) a matched set.

This year we designed some of our wedding sets with rose gold accents for a mixed metal look within a perfectly matched set. The featured image above is the Larissa Rose Set, from our Laurel Collection.

What say you? Love it or leave it?

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We Love: Simple Wedding Rings & Simple Living

Zen. The economy. Saving time. Saving the environment. Quality over quantity. Teaching our kids to value relationships and experiences over the material things in life.

There are so many reasons why less is more. This interesting article on the topic has us thinking of ways to scale back and simplify.

On that note, here’s our list of links to make life simpler, better and more fun.

Why buy a wear-once dress? Shabby Apple is such a great resource for bridesmaids dresses they’ll love to wear again.

A cool way to sell your wedding dress, so someone else can enjoy it!

A chic braid. The best hair for a summer wedding with lots of dancing, and eco-friendlier than a headpiece.

White dresses with cutouts and sheer details for the daring summer bride. You could wear every single one of these again.

Or what about a skirt? Options for the bold bride, from ‘The Bold Bride.’

And speaking of simple, here’s how you make the classic Mai Tai, which is actually fresher and more sophisticated than we realized.

Go forth and be simple, whatever that means to you, and have a lovely weekend!

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The featured image above is our Charlotte & Ember Wedding Set.

 

 

Trend We Love: Scalloped Details

Since we read this post on Brooklyn Bride, we’re seeing scallops all over. A scalloped neckline, a scalloped hemline, they’re everywhere all of a sudden. We love scallops for a unifying theme for a wedding, and we love them most when they’re more retro-sophisticated than cutesy. Here’s the best of the best we’ve seen.

It’s rare to say this about a veil, but this sheer, scalloped fingertip veil is really sexy.

Here’s a garter to go with it.

And here’s the dress.

For the bridesmaids.

For the honeymoon.

And the cake.

For the scalloped engagement ring, there’s Arielle, from our Arabesque Collection.

Thinking scallops on a wedding band, and a bit simpler? Here’s Lola, from our nature inspired Laurel Collection.

 

 

They also look gorgeous together, as in our featured image above. So what do you think of scallops? Love it or leave it? Seen any great ones we missed? Leave it in the comments.

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Celebrity Brides: Sara Gilbert Engaged

“Roseanne” actress and “The Talk” co-host Sara Gilbert is engaged to songwriter Linda Perry.

Sara described Linda’s musical proposal in an LA park.

“We go to a park, and we have food and we’re eating it. It’s really sweet and there’s this guy sitting playing guitar, like a street musician, and he starts playing this song that we love,” which was Love Song, by The Cure. “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s so weird, this is so magical and amazing.’”

Congrats to the happy couple!

We can totally see our Delilah Wedding Band working with Linda’s rocker chic style. And our understated Ellery Wedding Band would play well with Sarah’s laid back androgynous style, don’t you think?

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Ask Jeff Cooper: Wedding Ring Inscriptions

Looking for wedding ring inscription ideas can be a challenge. You want unique, charming and perfect. You don’t want generic, dated or cheesy. Here are a few ideas to spark up your inspiration, and guide you to a wedding inscription you’ll love forever.

Biblical

The Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, is the most romantic part of the bible. Translations online vary wildly, so you may scan a bunch to find something that speaks to you. Here are three lines we love, that work for modern couples.

Take Me With You

How Beautiful You Are

My Lover Is Mine

Cheeky

Lots of couples inscribe a little humor into their wedding bands with nicknames, inside jokes or “Put it Back On.” We like funny wedding ring engravings when they make the wearer feel special and loved every time they look at it. Here are some sweet ones.

You’re a Gem

You Are So Mine

Wink Wink

Song Lyrics

We like this approach for couples who want to express themselves, and like to be a bit different. Keep looking (and listening) till you find a phrase that expresses your feelings. Here are some cool, not obvious ones to get you started.

If You Will Dare, I Will Dare (The Replacements)

Nothing Else Matters (Metallica)

Satisfy My Soul (Bob Marley)

What do you think of these? Got your own wedding ring inscriptions to share with the world? Tell us in the comments!

Photo via Shahir Zag.

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Ask Jeff Cooper: Making a Ring

Nothing’s more interesting to us than ring making, so we’re thrilled whenever our customers and fans are curious how we do it.

We made this video to explore the process of ring design and production, and to talk a bit about our company values and aesthetic.

Like our rings, it was a labor of love and we hope you enjoy it!

Click through our photo gallery above for some cool shots of the process.

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Happy 2013!

What will New Year’s Eve look like for you? We’re keeping it a little more intimate this year, but it wouldn’t be New Year’s without a little sparkle.

Looking back on 2012…

Go on, we dare you. Check out the Polar Bear Club’s Coney Island dip, by Brooklyn photographer/designer Jenna Park.

We’re loving the New York Times’ slideshow of 2012’s best book covers, selected by book cover designers.

And speaking of slideshows, Food & Wine’s Champagne cocktails look so pretty, we can’t settle on just one!

Looking forward to 2013…

Planning a wedding? Check out this New Year’s Eve wedding inspiration.

A bold New Year’s resolution for brides to be.

And finally, from one of our Facebook friends, a vintage reminder that beautiful songs and beautiful ideas endure.

Auld Lang Syne, my friends. See you next year!

Photo: Tatiana Round Eternity Set

Jeff Cooper Rings: A Love Story

Hearing from ‘our’ couples is the best! Our awesome Facebook friend Ramiro recently shared this magical photo of his wife’s bridal bouquet and their Jeff Cooper wedding rings. He wrote, “Just wanted to share a picture of our rings. We got married on 9-29-12. Thank you for making such beautiful rings.” Thank you so much for sharing your love!

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Ask Jeff Cooper: What to Look for in Wedding & Engagement Rings

Congratulations on finding your soulmate! Now you just need the perfect rings. Whenever you look at your wedding rings, you’ll remember falling in love. The proposal. The wedding. Pick the right engagement ring, and the meaning behind it can shine even more.

Most ring buying advice focuses on the 4Cs. Or how many months’ salary to spend. But there are subtleties to recognizing and buying the perfect engagement or wedding ring. We created this quick guide to help you pick an engagement ring of the highest quality.

At Jeff Cooper, our streamlined designs make the quality extremely easy to see so you, your partner and everyone else knows your rings are extraordinary. Simple designs allow your eye to take in every detail, so every detail has to be perfect. Here’s a list of things to notice, to help make ring buying simple.

Wedding & Engagement Ring Buying Guide.

  • Beware of gaudy, extraneous details used to distract the eye from flaws in craftsmanship.
  • All design elements and accent stones should have a distinct presence, yet work together within the piece.
  • The center stone should “pop” with a profound brilliance.
  • Precious metal is soft; a flat edge that is sharp, crisp and bright is a sign of quality.
  • Examine different rings with your hands, feeling for the hardest and heaviest piece of jewelry.
  • Look inside. A great ring will be polished and beautiful on the outside and the inside.
  • Metals should display a brilliant luster and bright polish. To know it when you see it, first take a look at the mirror-like finish of a Jeff Cooper ring.

To find a Jeff Cooper retailer near you, click here.

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