Carissa's Starbrite™ Hexagon — A Stone Worth the Drive
Some commissions start with a brief. This one started with a stone.
Carissa and Blake found us online specifically because they were looking for a very particular gem — an elongated light green hexagon sapphire in John Dyer's trademarked Starbrite™ cut. As it happened, I had exactly the one they were looking for. They drove down from Utah to see it in person. One look and it was decided.
The Love Story Behind the Design
Carissa knew what she wanted. Not dainty. Art deco and celestial in feeling. Low profile. A split shank. A half bezel. She loved our Nyx engagement ring and wanted elements of it incorporated into something new.
Blake wanted to keep the final ring a surprise, which meant Carissa saw the designs and renderings throughout the process without knowing exactly what the finished piece would look like. A lovely way to work — trust in both directions.
The Stone: A John Dyer Starbrite™ Hexagon Sapphire
The center stone is an elongated light green hexagon sapphire, cut in John Dyer's trademarked Starbrite™ style. The Starbrite™ cut sends radiating lines of light outward from the stone's center in a starburst pattern — alive and dynamic, shifting with every movement. In a pale green hexagon, the effect is ethereal: the stone carries the quality of light through frosted glass, cool and luminous at once.
The elongated hexagon shape is geometric without being rigid — it has pointed tips that give it a celestial, almost star-like presence that suited Carissa's aesthetic perfectly.
Design Elements & Their Intent
- Half bezel setting: Hugs the stone at its longest points, keeping the profile low while protecting the tips. Clean, architectural, and the right frame for a geometric stone.
- Split shank: The band divides as it approaches the setting, framing the stone from below. Deliberately left without additional detail — all the focus belongs to the center stone.
- Lab kite diamonds: Nestled into the split of the shank on either side, their angular shape echoes the geometry of the hexagon center stone and adds brilliant white contrast to the cool green.
- Rhodium plated 14k white gold: Cool, bright, and perfectly matched to the pale green stone. The rhodium plating keeps the metal crisp and maintains the icy, mist-in-a-forest tone of the whole piece.
The Design Process
We explored combinations of the Nyx ring's silhouette with the split shank direction Carissa loved. I sketched several combinations trying to marry the two, but nothing flowed cohesively. Sometimes designs just don't want to be forced. The answer ended up being simpler: strip the shank back entirely, add no extra detail, and let the stone and the kite diamonds do all the work. Sometimes the most confident design decision is knowing what to leave out.
The Final Piece
The finished ring is beautifully balanced — geometric and cool, the Starbrite™ sapphire commanding the center while the kite diamonds frame it with angular sparkle. The tones are cold and luminous, like mist in a forest. Low on the finger, exactly as Carissa wanted, with nothing to distract from the stone that started it all.
Blake proposed in the mountains. The photos say everything. She said yes, and she is — in her own words — in love with the ring.
Proposal photography by Ahna Dee.
Proposal photography by Ahna Dee.
Proposal photography by Ahna Dee.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a John Dyer Starbrite™ cut?
The Starbrite™ is a trademarked faceting style created by master lapidary John Dyer. It produces a dramatic starburst of radiating lines from within the stone, giving it extraordinary depth and movement. No two Starbrite™ stones are identical — each is cut individually to bring out the best in that particular gem.
What is a kite diamond?
A kite diamond is a diamond cut into a kite or arrowhead shape — four sides, pointed at the top and bottom, wider in the middle. The angular geometry makes them a distinctive alternative to traditional round or princess side stones, and they pair beautifully with geometric center stones like hexagons and elongated shapes.
What is rhodium plating and why use it on white gold?
Rhodium is a precious metal in the platinum family, applied as a thin coating over white gold to enhance its brightness and whiteness. Most white gold jewelry is rhodium plated — it gives the metal a crisp, cool, highly reflective finish and adds a layer of protection against everyday wear. Replating is a simple maintenance step that keeps white gold looking its best over time.
Can I design a ring around a specific stone I already have in mind?
Absolutely — and starting with the stone is often the best approach. The stone's shape, color, and proportions inform everything that follows: the setting style, the metal, the band design. When you know what stone you want, the rest of the design has a foundation to build from.
