Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mercedes Abramo, Director of the Flagship Fifth Avenue Cartier Mansion in New York. If you love the romance of diamonds as much as I do, you'll want to hear what she has to say!
Darcy: We’re
seeing a lot more yellow gold these days. How can a bride decide between
yellow gold and white gold or platinum?
Mercedes: The
bride should choose based on her preference as all three are wonderful choices
for an engagement ring. Factors to
consider could include her lifestyle and her personal style. It is important to remember that an
engagement ring is something a bride will have forever, so she'll want to
choose something timeless.
Cartier
was one of the pioneers of platinum in the early 20th century and
today offers a variety of classic and creative settings in engagement ring
offerings. The Maison also uses
yellow and white gold metal in our iconic collections like Love and Trinity,
which make great wedding bands.
The Love collection, which was designed in the 1970’s, has become one of the
ultimate symbols of love. It's made from three colors of gold (yellow, white, and rose) that represent
love, friendship and fidelity. It's a very romantic choice for brides.
D: What do you think about couples who choose the engagement ring together?
M: We are seeing it more and more
in our Bridal Salon at Cartier.
Some men like the elements of total surprise, but more and more women are
becoming involved in this important, life-long decision. We also find many
grooms solicit feedback from their future mother-in-law, sister, future
bride’s girlfriends, or even the potential fiancé herself, and then save the
actual proposal and final decision for themselves as part of a surprise.
D: What’s the most romantic proposal story you¹ve ever heard?
M: In
1956, Prince Rainier III of Monaco flew to America to propose to Grace Kelly
with a Cartier eternity band of rubies and diamonds, the colors of his
country. After he visited her in
Los Angeles and saw the big engagement rings other movie stars were wearing, he
called Cartier in Paris for a 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by two
baguettes set in platinum. This is
the ring that Grace wore in the movie "High Society,” her final screen
performance before becoming Princess Grace of Monaco.
D: I have to ask—what does your ring look like?
M: It's yellow gold—three gold rings intertwined with a single round solitaire
diamond in the center. It was chosen by my husband (he is one of those who
prefers total surprises), and this year, I’m proud to say we
are celebrating
our 15th wedding anniversary together.
D: Congratulations! Have the trends changed much since you got married? What’s most popular right now?
M: They really haven't changed! Our most popular setting continue to be the 1895 classic
4-prong setting—it's just so timeless.
One new
trend we are seeing at Cartier is customization, like our “Set for You” service, where you can create your very own solitaire in just 10 days. From our jewelry workshop, you can
personally choose from five exceptional rings for the setting of a round
diamond from 0.25 to 1.99 carats.
Other
trends include incorporating colored gemstones into the ring and choosing vintage
inspired or Art Deco styles. To see all of our styles, visit the bridal section of our website or
visit any of our 36 stores around the US and Canada.
