Their first date was lunch and a walk in Prospect Park. Walking through a tunnel, Brian was struck by the unexpected light against the arches and radiating geometry of the space. He took a picture to capture the view, the moment, and the beginning of something amazing in this tunnel of love.
When he took that photo, I doubt he realized it would become the inspiration for the design of their engagement ring, but here we are, almost seven years later, and a reinterpretation of that walk is on Kamila's hand. Brian and Kamila are engaged!
Brian and Kamila first met at a friend's birthday party. He was supposed to be set up with another woman that evening, but there was something about Kamila that captured his attention--There was something in their conversation that just worked.
Kamila is loving, warm, and wonderful with children. She has dreams and imagination—her specialty is thinking without limitations. For Kamila, anything is possible. Born in Kazakhstan and raised in Uzbekistan, Kamila learn English around age 17 when she moved to the United States. Despite the challenges that come with moving to a new country and learning a new language, Kamila has remained focused on connecting with and helping others. She has a dream to someday open a women's shelter in Uzbekistan in the Fergana Valley, the region where she is from--A region known for beautifully patterned silks that also served as an inspiration for the texture in our design, along with a gold necklace Kamila inherited from her grandmother.
For Kamila’s ring, Brian and I wanted to create a ring composed of clean lines, texture, and made using sustainably sourced materials. We created a ring that features a 1.42-carat Old European Diamond that is certified post-consumer recycled, flanked by a tapered band embedded with 0.26-carats of dark gray rose cut diamonds.
Old European Diamonds are the precursor to the modern round brilliant cut diamond. Whereas a modern round brilliant cut diamond is cut to maximize the white light return to the eye (aka: the brilliance), the Old European has a steeper crown and narrow table, which causes the light to bounce around inside the diamond, breaking the light into its spectral hues (aka: dispersion). When you look into this Old Euro, you see "fire"--All of the colors of the rainbow live inside Kamila's diamond.
The 18k recycled yellow gold setting is hand-engraved with radiating forms that borrow their shape from the arches of the tunnel and a scratch texture detail inspired by the links that make up the necklace Kamila received from her grandmother (at right).
Brian says he didn't know what he was looking for until he found Kamila. He told me he often wonders "What did I do right?" when thinking about the gift of Kamila in his life. With that at the front of mind, we made her custom engagement ring--a piece that is beautiful, bold, and full of unique charm.
Congratulations to Brian and Kamila on your engagement!
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