One of the wonderful things about jewellery is that it can have a great deal of significance. Engagement, wedding, eternity and anniversary rings are prime examples of this. Pieces of jewellery that will get worn more than any other. Symbols to the outside world and, most importantly, to you and your partner. If you would like to discuss engagement, wedding or eternity jewellery, please contact me.
Advice about stones for engagement, wedding and eternity rings
As these rings are likely to be worn every day and will be worn for many, many years, it is best to opt for stones that are hard-wearing. As diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance on Earth, this makes them great for everyday wear. If you’re not keen on a clear stone, it’s possible to get coloured diamonds . The next best alternative to diamonds are sapphires or rubies. They are the next level down in hardness on the Mohs scale (used to measure mineral hardness). Sapphires aren’t just blue. They are available in many other colours, including: pink, green, yellow, orange, purple, black and clear. I make rings using other stones too, but like to make my customers aware that these stones won’t be as hard-wearing.
Image kindly provided by weddingdayphotos.co.uk
18 carat yellow gold wedding rings. Hand engraved and flush set with diamonds.
18 carat yellow gold wedding rings. Hand engraved and flush set with diamonds
Cushion cut blue sapphire and 18 carat rose gold engagement ring
Remodelled diamond, ruby and 18 carat yellow and white gold ruby anniversary ring
The diamond was taken from my customer's mum's engagement ring and set in a new ring with a ruby for her 40th wedding anniversary
Pear shaped amethyst and silver engagement ring
Post-proposal photo. Congratulations Nikki and Adrian!
Amethsyt, cubic zirconia and leaf embossed nugget wedding and engagement rings
Remodelling a gold and diamond engagement ring
Remodelled 18 ct diamond engagement ring
This video shows the process I went through to remodel a customer's great great grandmother's 200 year old 18 carat gold, diamond and sapphire ring into a new engagement ring. I used the central diamond from the original ring, and made a pair of studs using the remaining gold and diamonds.
Left over gold and diamonds from the original ring were made into stud earrings.
Alternative eternity rings
This pair of rings were a very special commission to signify a couple's family. I set their two daughters' birthstones (ruby and amethyst) in 18 carat yellow gold, with 4 diamonds flush set into both of the silver ring bands. My customer wanted silver leaf skeleton embossed leaf shapes as the initials of their family's first names are L, E, A and F.
Wedding and engagement ring remodelling
I was asked to use the diamonds from a customer’s wedding and engagement rings in a new ring, for her 30th wedding anniversary. Her original rings were 9 carat yellow gold, and had been worn away by the 22 carat gold ring she wore next to them.
She had a clear idea of how she wanted the new ring to look, which fitted well with the style of my jewellery. I produced a mock up of the design in CAD and showed the client some pictures so we could finalise the placement of the diamonds. We worked together to decide upon the width and thickness of the ring band and the choice of metals. She opted for a 9 carat white gold court shaped band, with 18 carat yellow gold settings for two of the diamonds. The remaining six diamonds were flush set into the ring band.
New ring with 8 diamonds set in it.
18 carat yellow gold settings and 9 carat white gold band.
Top left: old rings
Top right: new ring before diamonds were set in it
Bottom: CAD mockup of new ring
When she first saw the finished ring, there was a sharp intake of breath before she said “I absolutely love it. It’s amazing.” It was so lovely for me to see how delighted she was with her new ring.
Diamond and gold ring remodelling
A customer commissioned me to give a new lease of life to a stunning 1 carat old cut diamond from a ring she’d owned for over 20 years, but hadn’t worn for over 10 years.
She liked the style of one of my rub-over set rings on a wide band. She wanted something elegant, chunky and contemporary. We worked collaboratively on the design, discussing the style of setting for the stone, the choice of metal types and colours and the shape and thickness of the ring band. We settled on a 18 carat yellow gold rub-over setting for the diamond. This would sit on a wide, heavy court-shaped band of 9 carat white gold.
1 carat diamond rubover set in 18 carat yellow gold, on a 9 carat white gold band
Top two pictures: original diamond ring
Bottom two pictures: diamond in old and new mount
It’s a huge privilege and responsibility to be trusted with family heirloom. Both the customer and I were very excited, and nervous, when I took the finished ring to her. It was a wonderful feeling when her first reaction was to say “Oh wow! It’s beautiful. I love it. It’s taken me a long time to feel ready to do this, but I’m so glad I have”. Seeing how she couldn't take her eyes off the ring, and hearing her repeatedly say how much she loved it, made me a very happy jeweller!
"Jigsaw" Wedding rings
I made a pair of wedding rings for a couple who had a great idea of their wedding rings fitting together when stacked together. I love the symbolism of the two rings fitting together, but being worn separately.