Before the arrival of the Tiffany & Co setting in 1886, engagement diamonds were a bit repressed.“All diamonds were set in a bezel so only the crown (top) was visible,” says Russell Shor, senior analyst for the Gemological Institute of America. Kind of like a turtleneck sweater, but for gemstones. Seeking to expose more of the diamond’s surface and with it, more shine, Charles Lewis Tiffany, along with company gemologists, proposed a new contraption: a raised claw to hold a diamond securely but visibly atop a ring band. The blueprints for the Tiffany setting, as it was called, insisted on a special number of prongs, meticulous collet (base that grips the diamond) engineering and, most importantly, less metal obscuring the main attraction. The world's favorite engagement ring style, the Tiffany Setting. It’s been called “the most brilliant ring ever”—another way to say it’s got shine down to a science. Just how does it do that exactly? Watch the video above to find out. Enjoy.

Today, The New York Times Style section is quite right (for once?) in pointing out that Ryan Lochte's grill — stars and stripes in diamond form — is the fashion story of the Olympics. He was asked not to wear it on the podium when he won a gold medal, then took the subsequent photos opportunities as, well, real opportunities. And here is what the paper reports: It costs $25,000, some jewelers don't like it, others do, and remarkably, "an online search for 'grill' at Tiffany & Company, Kay Jewelers, and Zale's came back with zero results." Well, there goes our weekend shopping plan. [Read More]

Hip-hop’s adored Jacob the Jeweler of New York fine jewelry establishment Jacob & Co. has worked with a plethora of big names in his 30 years as a designer. Jay-Z, J-Lo, David and Posh Beckham, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Madonna and former mayor Rudy Giuliani are among the coveted custom jeweler’s celebrity clientele. Jacob Arabo talks about his creative process and artistic vision in this video before showing off the opulent diamond-crusted timepiece on his wrist so aptly dubbed the Royal Diamond Watch. Enjoy.