Top cuts: The designers setting the standard in gemstones.

So we're pretty obsessed with bespoke and original gemstone cuts and settings.

Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires are inherently beautiful pieces of rock, thus they naturally withstand jewellery trends that sweep years, decades, and even centuries. A beautiful diamond is always a beautiful diamond. So why do designers stick to traditional ways of setting a stone, when technology has moved on so much that possiblities are almost endless? It's just all too easy to go for a bezel or prong setting...in fact we just think it's plain lazy.

Here are are our top 3 stunning feats of engineering and skill - and trust us, it's ridiculously hard to set a stone in the standard ways, let alone to do what these designers have managed...

First up, The Cut favourite Hannah Martin's secret stud rings in 18k yellow gold with sapphires:

And rubies:
To 'hide' a beautiful stone such as a ruby or sapphire is a deliberate jab at the 'pretty pretty precious precious' nature of jewellery-land - where the stones are deemed as unquestionably central to the piece and it's not even an option to position it somewhere unexpected. But Hannah is obviously not bothered with what is expected of her designs, and turns this notion on its sharp little tip.

This is a technical marvel - faceted stones set on the inside of a ring? - we're seriously impressed. In fact we may devote a whole post to Hannah's inventive setting ideas we love them so much...

Secondly is the Martin Margiela 'Upside Down' ring. Not demanding quite as much engineering skill as the above setting, it's sheer simplicity in a basic flipping of a traditional style makes us love it even more.
This simple and innovative design is typical of Margiela's twist on the traditional; an aesthetic that is seen through the (main) fashion arm; producing classic but contemporary basics with trademark immaculate tailoring.

Last up (and first up at the top of this post) is parisian designer Marie-Helene de Talliac. Visiting Marie-Helene's website is a little trippy - like being inside a huge gemstone sweet-shop - colourbursts of all the colours in the spectrum. Cute - but spend too long there and you might be sick. There's only so many rainbow gemstones one person can take - just a little warning.

Saying that, this ring is a clever example of centre-drilling of a relatively soft stone (amethyst). It's simplicity sings through - and lets the pure beauty of the stone really shine, without any surrounding walls to dampen it's luminous glow.
Shop Hannah Martin's collection online, and also at top independent designer boutique Nina & Lola.

Images copyright Hannah Martin 2009, Martin Margiela 2009 and Marie-Helene de Talliac 2009.