Etienne Perret's Gem Ceramic, A New Way To Set Stones

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 19th 2010 at 11:01AM

For thousands of years there has been one main way to set gemstones for jewelry, by using metals. One jeweler is testing that with a new method. Etienne Perret has begun using gem ceramic to create gemstones and jewelry. Etienne's Gem Ceramic, is made of Zirconia ceramic, which is said to be hard as sapphire and practically scratch and shatterproof. It's the same sort of material that is used in the ceramic knives I covet every time I see Ming Tsai using them on his cooking show. The ceramic is molded and cast as a powder. The process of setting diamonds and other gemstones is done by inserting 18K gold tubes into holes in the ceramic. In some designs the holes or groves pre-molded but in others they drill the holes, but you can only drill them using diamond bits. It's perhaps most striking in black but the Etienne's Gem Ceramic collection bands are available in black, white, pink, blue and brown with a choice of polished or matte finish (or a combination in some cases). No other colors are currently available but they can make whatever color the customer asks for.

The pieces weigh less than traditional precious metal designs of equal volume. The thick bands are basically indestructible, so much so that they can't really be engraved. One caveat, rings can not be resized. Etienne will replace Gem Ceramic rings for a new size up to twice a year (due to seasonal finger fluctuations) for little or no charge other than shipping. The ceramic stock rings are fairly inexpensive, the largest portion of the price for the diamond Gem Ceramic designs is the diamonds, followed by the the 18kt gold or platinum it is set in and the setting labor itself.

As for the diamonds, Etienne Perret also specializes in both natural color diamonds and "color-enhanced" stones as well as laboratory-created HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) diamonds in an affordable rainbow of colors. Read more about Etienne Perret designs on his blog.

Gallery: Etienne Perret Rings

Tags: bridal jewelry, BridalJewelry, diamond rings, DiamondRings, etienne perret, EtiennePerret, gem ceramic, GemCeramic

Filed under: Jewelry

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

reallytorkedoff Feb 19th 2010 11:36PM

There is something that few people ever talk about with rings. What if you break or sprain your finger and it swells up? A conventional silver, gold or platinum ring can be cut off fairly easily.

These ceramic rings would have to be cut off with a diamond wheel, which could be risky to use near a finger, not to mention being hard to find in a hurry.

Also, I thought that ceramic knives would indeed shatter if struck hard enough or stressed laterally. Does anyone know the details about this?

Michael Perret Feb 22nd 2010 4:57AM

Nice to hear your inquisitive comments about Etienne's Gem Ceramic
designs and even happier to be able to provide positive answers!

Zirconia ceramic is extremely durable. Even thin kitchen knives made
of this material, which are much more fragile than sturdy rings, are
basically shatterproof. If you drop a knife on its tip or use it to
pry things open it can chip, but dropping one on the floor almost
never causes it to shatter.

We have tried repeatedly to crack one of Etienne's Gem Ceramic rings
by dropping or even throwing against a marble floor and so far we've
never broken one. Of course this is not recommended for designs set
with colored diamonds!

Etienne does offer a full guarantee on all his Gem Ceramic designs!

In regards to how to get your Gem Ceramic off in an emergency, there
are some fairly simple options. It's generally true that a diamond
drill bit is necessary to cut off Zirconia rings.

Fortunately, you will have no problem finding the tools and
knowledgeable personnel to cut them off at any dentists office, or at
most jeweler stores if it becomes to tight to remove with soap. In
fact, cutting off a Zirconia ring with a diamond drill bit is no more
risky than cutting off a gold ring with a conventional bit.

Additionally, as the popularity of this material has grown--remember
that Rado has been very successfully marketing Zirconia ceramic
watches for over 20 years!--proper training is now being provided to
emergency personnel in order to assure that they will know how to
remove these rings as efficiently as possible.

Buy your own beautiful custom designed Etienne Perret Gem Ceramic
rings without fear!

Contact Etienne directly at etienne@etienneperret.com to answer any
questions you have!

Michael Perret Feb 23rd 2010 2:28AM

You can also see photos and information about all of Etienne's newest Gem Ceramic and colored diamond jewelry designs on his Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Etienne-Perret-Colored-Diamond-Jewelry/148226968012

Michael Perret Feb 24th 2010 3:08AM

Another great method of removing these rings leaves the ring intact! The zirconia ceramic can actually be torqued into an off-round shape using a vice grip and allowing the wearer's finger to slip out (since our fingers are generally not round, but thicker in one dimension or the other) without cracking the ring.

Please note that ETIENNE DOES NOT USE LABORATORY CREATED DIAMONDS in any of his designs, ever! All Etienne's designs include only natural diamonds, mined from the earth!

Etienne often uses natural color diamonds in his designs especially in the yellow, pink and brown ranges in his designs.

However, he has found his niche creating the highest quality bridal jewelry using color enhanced (HPHT) natural diamonds. The use of color enhanced natural diamonds opens many doors, allowing Etienne to create beautiful custom designed rings, with easily sourced and exactly matching color diamonds in nearly any color of the rainbow at much more affordable prices.