I purchased this ruby a little under two years ago. At that time, I was not looking for a ruby, but when a dealer showed me the stone, I was taken by its cut—Asscher-cut is not common in rubies, plus it’s my favorite gem cut—and clarity. I knew I had to have it. About six months later, I came across the marquise diamond, and it was love at first sight. I had been obsessed with owning a rare Type IIa diamond, which is free of most chemical impurities, and this stone was perfect for me. I had a feeling that they belonged together, but I did not have a clear vision of a design at that time, although I knew it had to be toi et moi.

 Working on the design of the Olivia ring involves a funny story. I was playing with the stone layout and one of the trapeze-cut diamonds got attached to the facet of the tourmaline. I have never seen anything like it; I even made a video and sent it to my gem dealer friends. A few minutes passed and the diamond did not fall off, so I thought, ‘Let’s see if the second one will repeat the trick,’ and indeed it did. I thought if they wanted to be together so much, I might as well let them be.