Christiana Layman Designs

10/16/2026

10/15/2026

Your engagement ring should be a work of art that tells your love story 💍

10/14/2026

I still daydream about this ring 🤭💫✨

10/11/2026

summer ☀️ — autumn 🍂

10/10/2026

There is something so special about reworking an heirloom diamond and giving it new life. It carries the history, the stories, the whispers of the past. It honors it and gives it new life and new meaning in this next chapter 💍

10/05/2026

My client wanted to use an heirloom diamond from her grandmother to make into a new design for her engagement ring

The original setting was gorgeous but it didn’t feel quite like her

It was a three stone setting and felt quite chunky. Instead, we wanted to remove the diamonds, save the side diamonds to rework down the line into a different piece, and use the center diamond for her engagement ring

Interestingly enough, for an heirloom diamond, the cut was absolutely spectacular. It had almost perfect hearts and arrows cut which is quite rare for an old diamond - likely cut before we had the modern technology that we do today.

The diamond was not GIA certified, which can be a bit dangerous because it’s basically unidentifiable. I always recommend my clients get their diamonds certified so that way you know what the quality is and what it’s worth, which is helpful for insurance purposes. It also minimize the risk of the diamond ever getting swapped out down the line. Their horror stories of people getting a ring, resized or having work done and their stone being replaced with a synthetic or lower quality stone. When you get the diamond GIA certified, you can request a laser inscription on the diamond which you can be able to trace or cross reference if you ever have any doubts or concerns.

Before sending it to the GIA, I requested that we acid wash the diamond to remove deep surface impurities. This is more than just a normal cleaning - it sets the diamond up to look its best which can help make the Diamonds look good when it’s being graded. A higher GIA grading increases the value of the diamond.

I always tell my clients to keep the GIA certification in a safe place or lockbox. This is a very important document that is basically like the birth certificate for the diamond.

Here is the diamond after being set. It looked absolutely gorgeous. The bezel setting is a great design for people that tend to be more active as it is more durable and protects the stone, something that is important when designing a setting around a high value natural diamond.

To really make the diamond pop, we added a satin finish. I love the way that it’s softens the gold to enhance

10/04/2026

This couch got me thinking about how fun it would be to design a bangle and laser engrave or etch hand written notes, signature, nicknames, flush set gemstones/birthstones, favorite flowers or line drawings of things that are special to you.

I’m obsessed with the way that every single glass in this picture is different and unique and yet it somehow looks cohesive? The cohesiveness is in the uniqueness. I feel like this concept applies well to Jewelry - don’t be afraid to take risks on bold pieces of jewelry. As you create your own signature collection, it will come together in its uniqueness.

I love a cabochon bezel and the texture of these? Absolute perfection.

As a coastal girl, I love finding ways of incorporating the ocean in a way that’s subtle and not so ouvert Laura Brophy - Interior Designer

10/03/2026

CLD SIGNATURE COLLECTION