A diamond found in New York became a platinum ring in Paris, while a violinist prepared to play their favourite song for the moment Ruslan would ask Kateryna to dance forever.
ONE CLIENT LEADS TO ANOTHER
Ruslan came to me in the way many of my clients do: through a recommendation passed from one person to another.
I had already created a pair of diamond earrings for Kateryna, so when he contacted me about a month before his planned proposal, we knew each other. This time, however, the creation had to remain entirely secret.
Over the years, my work has often travelled like this. A client entrusts me with an important piece and later passes my name to someone close to them. One commission leads naturally to the next, sometimes within the same family and sometimes between friends.
Ruslan and Kateryna were travelling to Paris from Ukraine. For him, there had never been any doubt about where he wanted to ask her to marry him. Paris was their place, and he could not imagine the proposal happening anywhere else.
THE RING HE IMAGINED FOR HER
Ruslan knew what Kateryna loved. She wanted a classic solitaire with a generous, brilliant diamond—nothing overly complicated, but a ring with real presence.
For a solitaire of this importance, I recommended platinum. Its naturally white colour would allow the diamond to remain the focus, while giving Ruslan the sense of permanence he wanted from the ring. This was, after all, a piece Kateryna would wear for the rest of her life.
A solitaire may appear simple, yet its simplicity leaves very little room for error. The proportions of the diamond become immediately visible, and the setting must support the stone without making the ring feel heavy. It also has to sit beautifully on the hand, because she may wear it every day for decades.
I began searching internationally for a natural diamond that would give Ruslan the presence he wanted while respecting his budget. The right stone was in New York, and while it prepared to cross the Atlantic, we turned our attention to another question that had become increasingly urgent.
We still did not know Kateryna’s ring size.
THE SECRET OF HER RING SIZE
I did not want the atelier to create a platinum engagement ring around an estimate. Platinum can be resized in certain circumstances, but a significant alteration may affect the original proportions and finish. For this ring, I wanted the size to be correct from the beginning.
Asking Kateryna was impossible, so Ruslan began paying close attention to the rings she already owned. For several weeks, he observed which one she wore on the correct finger until he was certain he had identified the right piece.
He waited for an opportunity to take it from her jewellery box without being noticed and brought it to a local jeweller, who measured it for us. The ring was returned before Kateryna realised it had ever been missing, and the atelier finally had the exact size it needed.
A DIAMOND FROM NEW YORK, A RING MADE IN PARIS
While the diamond made its way from America, the atelier began developing the ring in Paris.
The first drawings established the balance of the solitaire before the design was developed in 3D around the measurements of the selected stone. Once the model had been checked and approved, the ring was cast in platinum and prepared for setting.
The diamond arrived from New York at precisely the right moment. Our setter positioned and secured it, then the polisher completed the platinum by hand until every surface had the finish we wanted.
Ruslan had asked me for a classic solitaire that would never feel ordinary. When I saw the finished ring, that was exactly what we had created.
While the artisans were completing their work, Ruslan and I had already begun preparing what would happen when he placed it on Kateryna’s hand.
THE THREAD RUNNING THROUGH THEIR STORY
To understand what their proposal should become, I asked Ruslan to tell me about Kateryna and the life they had built together. We spoke about how they had met and the moments in which they felt happiest, because I did not want to place them inside a beautiful Paris setting that could have belonged to any couple.
As he spoke, he kept returning to dance.
Dancing was not something they reserved for particular occasions. It was simply part of the way they lived together. They danced when they went out, they danced at home, and sometimes they found themselves dancing in the street without having planned it.
Once I understood this, the proposal became clear. It had to begin as another dance—something familiar between them—before becoming the moment that would change their lives.
I suggested a particular place inside the Tuileries where they would hear the music before discovering who was playing. A violinist prepared their favourite song, and we arranged for it to begin as the sun was setting over the gardens.
Everything around them had to appear natural. Kateryna should believe that they were simply walking through Paris at the end of a beautiful spring day.
THEIR FAVOURITE SONG
The day of the proposal unfolded exactly as Ruslan had hoped. They spent their time together in Paris, and as evening arrived, they walked into the Tuileries without Kateryna suspecting that anyone was waiting for them.
The sound of a violin gradually reached them through the garden. They followed the music and, as they came closer, Kateryna recognised the melody.
It was their favourite song.
She looked at Ruslan and said, “Let’s dance.”
They began dancing as they had done so many times before, without an audience and without any reason other than the music. For Kateryna, it was a spontaneous moment during an already beautiful day in Paris.
Then Ruslan looked at her and said, “Let’s dance forever.”
He took out the platinum engagement ring that had been created for her in Paris and asked her to marry him.
A FINAL SURPRISE
After the proposal, Ruslan still had one surprise left for Kateryna. Their friends were waiting for them at a restaurant overlooking the Eiffel Tower, where a beautiful table had been reserved for the celebration.
They arrived with the ring on her hand and joined the people who had been waiting to share the evening with them.
What I remember most is how naturally everything happened, even though every detail had been prepared in advance. Kateryna chose to dance because she recognised their song. Ruslan’s words came from something they had always shared, and Paris became part of their story without the moment ever feeling staged.
A STORY THEY WILL TELL THEIR CHILDREN
One day, Ruslan and Kateryna may tell their children how he secretly borrowed a ring from her jewellery box and sent its measurements to Paris. They may explain that her diamond crossed the Atlantic before being set into platinum by our artisans, and that she first saw the finished ring after dancing to their favourite song in the Tuileries.
They will tell them what Ruslan said that evening.
“Let’s dance forever.”
And the ring will still be there when they do.
PLANNING YOUR OWN PARIS STORY
This way of bringing the engagement ring and the proposal together continues today through Le concierge Diamant.
Every experience begins with the ring. Once its creation is underway, the proposal can be prepared around the couple—the way they met, what they share and how they want to remember Paris.
Tell us when you will be in Paris and what you have in mind. We will begin with the diamond and explain what can be created within the time available.
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