Bourgeois Sapphire Pendant

Rachel graduated in Jewellery Design from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design before continuing her studies at the Gemological Institute of America in New York, where she received her diploma in Diamond Grading.

Her bold aesthetic redefines the traditional world of bridal jewellery. Rachel works with all kinds of diamonds: from rough, imperfect stones to refined white diamonds. These unique gemstones paired with her signature art-deco inspired forms and modern silhouettes make Rachel's jewellery timeless and unique. Specialising in alternative bridal and bespoke work, her collections are created with inspired and curious people in mind, who are after pieces that straddle the line between understated, edgy, and elegant.

Most commonly found in shades of blue, sapphires are also available in pretty much every other colour you can think of, with pink, yellow, peach and green being the most popular after blue. Sapphires are also very hard, with their rating on the Moh’s Scale falling just under diamonds, so they make great gemstones for daily wear on the hand.

The quality and therefore price of sapphires is based on their colour, cut and clarity, and large stones can be GIA certified as diamonds are.

The colour of the sapphire is by far the most important of all these. The shade, the tone and the depth of colour, as well as the uniformity of the colour - how well the shade is spread over the stone evenly - make a huge difference to price. Deep, dark coloured tend to hide the sparkle of the stone, so become less desirable, and sapphires that show a pure, even colour and brightness will be more expensive.

You may see sapphires where there are two different shades of colour in the stone. This is called a bi-colour sapphire, and is very common. Pure coloured sapphires with a rich, even tone in a single hue are the most conventionally desirable varieties, and therefore the most expensive. Common ‘cheaper’ sapphire rings found online will often feature lesser quality gemstones and the images may have been digitally altered, so make sure you always see a coloured gemstone in real life before buying.

Depending on the size requirements sapphires make a beautiful alternative to coloured diamonds. Yellow sapphires, white diamonds and yellow gold are currently a popular choice, but our favourite sapphire shade is a murky olive green.

Sapphires are traditionally the birthstone of September. See all Sapphire rings here.

Emerald cut diamonds feature the distinctive step cut - where the facets of the diamond are long, open and straight, rather than short and close together as found in brilliant round cuts. This means that emerald cuts should be reserved for high quality diamonds where there are few inclusions and a bright white colour, as the unforgiving step-cut reveals imperfections to the naked eye. Combined with a large 'table' (the flat top facet of the stone) you can literally peer into the centre of the diamond and see through it, like a window.

Serious and geometric, the emerald cut diamond works best in larger shapes where they create a real impact, and we love them set east-to-west for a contemporary vibe.

See all emerald cut diamond rings here.