Tag Archives: More than Diamonds

Where is the Diamond?

Sometimes the unexpected can have a wonderfully surprising effect. Here are a few designs that through unusual placement of the Diamond make a simple design stand out.

A plain band if you look at it from one side – and with 9 little Diamonds when you turn it around!

One single Princess Cut Diamond on each side of the lady’s band. Both look the same on the finger, but when you look a bit closer you find this precious detail.

Add a modern edge to a plain band – Princess Cut Diamond placed off-centre.

All these rings are also good examples of wedding ring designs that are similar, yet with their own individual touches to represent the bride and groom. More designs can be found in a previous post - Matching rather than Identical.

Happy Holidays at More than Diamonds

Best wishes to all of you! Eat, Drink and Enjoy this festive season!

We will be closed for Christmas Sat 24th, Sun 25th, Mon 26th, Tue 27th Dec.  And for New Year Sat 31st Dec, Sun 1st, Mon 2nd, Tue 3rd of January 2012.

All other days we will be open as usual, 11am to 6.30pm. For appointments outside of these hours, please contact us at info@morethandiamonds.com.sg

x Chris & Sara

We have Moved

Some of you noticed that we weren’t updating the blog during April/May. That is because we were busy moving and setting up our new studio.

Located next to Tanglin Mall (Taxi stand), we are perched on the second floor of this cute cottage looking Shopping Gallery called Tudor Court. Being smaller, we have a more intimate setting for discussing your custom jewellery ideas.

Us at Work; From left to right-  Sara Ooi, Chris Lim

Our DIY artwork; made from Marimekko fabric; Finnish design with leaves of the typically Chinese plant Ginko. Almost as mixed as Sara :)

We look forward to seeing you here soon! See More than Diamonds website for directions and more information.

Beautiful Birthstones

As a child, I used to love my birthstone. It was such a pretty purple colour. Most of all, I knew it was special because it was just for me. I might have grown out of the magical beauty of it, but the Amethyst is still my favourite stone. And for those who think that only Diamonds make nice jewellery, have a look at this…

A custom set Blue Sapphire Birthstone added to a Goldilocks™ Necklace.

An Amethyst Birthstone hidden on the inside of the engagement ring – what a beautiful surprise!

This couple happen to share a birthstone – so what better choice than Ruby Wedding Bands.

A 60th Birthday present for mum – using the Birthstones of mother and son.

So many nice ways of incorporating birthstones into jewellery. And for you lucky girls of April, the Diamond is still your best friend!

x Sara

Lost and Found: SER Jewellery Shoot

In the midst of spring cleaning our computers, we came across some beautiful pictures that have not been shown here on the blog yet.

Artika Sulaiman’s private sale company Sloane Elizabeth Robertson were shooting their lookbook for an upcoming sale and More than Diamonds and Goldilocks offered our jewellery to complete the looks. While on location, we also took a few pictures of our own.

Angela Leow Gray was one of the ‘muses’ chosen for the project. Here wearing a Baroque South Sea Pearl Ring from More than Diamonds.

Goldilocks enters the fashion world… This was at the very start of Goldilocks.

Sara shooting Goldilocks in-between the lookbook shoots.

Keeping busy ‘backstage’; Shoes, glorious shoes!

Strand of White Cultured Pearls with a White Topaz Pendant.

The picture that became a cover of our newsletter….

And now, back to clearing the hard drive and start a New, Innovative Year!

Christmas Greetings

In 2005, after establishing Gold & Silver‘s corporate identity, we were given the task to follow up with an ad campaign. Our Chief Designer Liza Lim wanted something visually stimulating, but without the use of fashion models in order to stand out from everyone else. So we created a series of print ads that featured the essence of one-off jewellery pieces.

The finished artwork is made to capture an emotional response from the jewellery designs, inspired by the kaleidoscope. The results were dynamic and beyond the material, complimenting a creative process that is always evolving. The ‘More than Diamonds’ theme became Gold & Silvers most successful ad campaign since its establishment in 1946. It got published in various magazines throughout the year and got many compliments.

This fifth artwork is our greeting card to you. From all of us at More than Diamonds, have a Happy Christmas and a Custom-made New Year!

Creative Director Liza Lim on Jewellery Trends

Those of you who have followed us over the years, will know of our mother-company Gold & Silver (started by Chris’ grandfather back in 1946, and run by his parents, Lawrence and Liza Lim for the last 30 years). Times have changed, our company is evolving. To make room for the new More than Diamonds, we will be clearing all jewellery items from Gold & Silver during our Christmas Sale.

Gold & Silver 20th Anniversary in Paragon

In this process, we wanted to find out more about the jewellery trends throughout the years and what to look out for in future. The clear choice was to go straight to the source, Liza Lim, Creative Director of Gold and Silver, chief designer and purchaser for the last 30 years.

What kind of jewellery has been the most popular throughout the years? Diamonds have definitely been the most popular throughout the years, but a large number of expats and tourists like precious stones like Sapphire and Ruby. They are especially popular to commemorate a special occasion, like child birth or an anniversary.

Liza's jewellery designs grace fashion magazines regularly

What is your personal favourite? I have always liked Jade, because of the beautiful green colour. And as a Chinese, Jade is always close to the heart.

From sketch to ready piece - multi-coloured Jade Earrings with South Sea Pearls

Any recommendations for this sale? Jewellery is very personal and each person has their own taste and preference. When I design jewellery, I make sure that each piece is the best it can be. I select quality gemstones and control the craftsmanship myself. After that, it’s just about finding the person who falls in love with that particular piece.

Have the customers changed since the move from Paragon to Tong Building? Our customers have accumulated since we opened shop in Paragon 25 years ago. Apart from the tourists and passers-by we had in Paragon, we have many loyal customers who have followed us to this new location. Now in Tong Building, the customers generally know better what they are looking for before they even come in.

Liza demonstrating the versatility of her jewellery

What is your speciality? I have designed most of my Earrings and Pendants detachable with versatile wearing in mind. It can be a Diamond stud that you wear on its own for work, and add a South Sea Pearl for a function. There are several pieces that you can mix and match, so that you can wear the colours you need as well as the right level of dressiness to suit the occasion.

Detachable Earrings to suit all occasions

What do people usually buy as their first piece of jewellery? And what comes after? Singaporeans like pampering themselves, so when they come up to a certain age, they like investing in a piece of genuine jewellery. Pendants are often the first choice, although many like rings because they are more visible and easy to wear everyday. Most Europeans will buy a simple pair of earrings as their first piece and wait to buy a ring until they receive an engagement ring.

The Gold & Silver Clearance Sale is on 11 – 30 November at

302 Orchard Road
#06-04A Tong Building
Singapore 238862
Tel: +65 67330263

Opening Hours are: Monday-Friday 11am-6pm , Saturdays 11am-5pm, Sundays & Public Holidays Closed.

Look | Like | Share

We are entering a new era. With Gen Y taking over and children learning how to handle new technology so quickly that you suspect they were all born with computer chip implants, we are also working to keep up with the program.

Share products from morethandiamonds.com.sg to a variety of social networks

Morethandiamonds.com.sg is revamped and now functions as an online catologue, where you can look, like and share custom made jewellery pieces. The website is connected to our blog, which is connected to Facebook, which is connected to our store, and on it goes… All our platforms are linked, so whether you are browsing the online catalogue, looking for information on our blog or commenting on Facebook, a ‘like’ or ‘share’ is just a click away. With these tools almost seamlessly integrated with each other, you too can make the most out of social media. Inform your friends, ask for opinions or just share your love for fine jewellery.

Browse and Share products directly in Facebook Shop

You can access More than Diamonds through our Facebook site from the tab ‘Shop’ or share products from the website to your Facebook Profile. You can tweet or email your friends if you find an interesting post on the blog. How about starting with this one ;) .

A new mobile interface makes it easy for you to browse products on your iPhone, iPad or Android devices. Even this blog has a mobile interface, which makes it easy to follow us while on the go.

Tell us what other platforms you would like to see MTD on, or which functions you are missing! Welcome to a more interactive jewellery experience…

PS. Most of this blog was written with an iPhone on the bus on the way to work…

Celebrity Diamonds: Asscher Cut

Looking to Hollywood for inspiration when buying an engagement ring might not be the best way to find something within your budget. However, celebrities are trendsetters and often dare to be different, so a little stargazing can help you with ideas. It might come as a surprise to some people, that while most celebrity Diamonds are huge, they are often fancy cut, meaning not Round Brilliant. Celebrity engagement rings come in a mix of vintage rings retrieved through auctions, and new rings that are custom made to look vintage.  For that perfect art deco look, explore the Asscher Cut Diamond.

Liz Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is famous for her numerous engagement rings, all of them being more than double-digits in size! In 1968 Richard Burton gave Taylor The Krupp Diamond, a 33.19ct Asscher Cut flanked with Tapered Diamonds. Today, more than 40 years later, the Asscher cut Diamond is as popular as ever and seen on many young celebrities.

The Asscher cut was created in 1902. It has its own characteristics, but is often called a square Emerald cut. It has cropped edges, which makes it look almost like an octagon. Being a step cut stone, the facets are longer, hence not as brilliant as a Round Diamond.

The beauty of the Asscher cut lies in its unique shape, which makes it stunning even in a plain solitaire setting or surrounded with Diamonds, like Ashley Simpson’s engagement ring, above.

Take a look inside your Jewellery

When you buy clothes you go over the seams to check the quality and ensure that the garment is well made. When buying jewellery, check the inside – or even the back.

As mentioned in a previous post, Artika Sulaiman says the favourite part of her ring is under the Diamond. It is crafted with intricate detail which makes it elegant, while also ensuring the security required for a precious piece of jewellery.

This kind of ‘nested’ setting is of course not available for all types of jewellery, but there are other ways to check the quality. Gold price is at an all-time high and naturally  jewellery makers are conserving. Many choose to ‘carve’ out some of the gold from the inside of the band of a ring or the back of a pendant because it keeps the jewellery affordable. However, it is important to make sure that the band remains thick enough to handle everyday wear and that the design is unaffected.

You can feel if a ring is light and seems breakable just by holding it, and there is definitely a difference between jewellery and jewellery –  even if the materials are the same.  As with clothing, that little extra is created by the details that cannot be seen by others, but can be felt by the wearer. No one knows that your jacket is lined with the finest italian fabric, but you know it and you can feel it. Same goes for a piece of jewellery. If you know that you are wearing quality and the person who made it put that little extra into it, it makes a world of difference for you as the wearer.