Custom
6 min read
Designing an engagement ring together
A real commission from first sketch to proposal: a grandmother's sapphire, a new setting and six weeks at the bench.
Maya came to the studio with a small cushion sapphire from her grandmother's ring and a photo of the one she wanted to propose with. The two did not match, which is where custom work starts.
The sketches
We drew three settings in a week: a low bezel, a halo, and a four-claw basket that lifts the stone to the light. She chose the basket, with a pavé band.
The making
The old claws were cut away and the sapphire was re-polished. The new setting took four weeks: casting, fitting, setting 22 small diamonds under the microscope, then a final polish.
She proposed on a cold beach in October. We got a photo, and a yes.
Written at the bench by the Aldersmith team
From the article
Pieces made the way we write about
Every piece in the shop is made at the same bench, from recycled metal, and hallmarked.
Keep reading
More from the journal
Craft
5 min read
What “750” inside your ring actually means
Hallmarks are the oldest consumer protection law there is. Here is how to read the tiny stamps inside your jewellery.
Materials
4 min read
Why we only use recycled gold
Mining a single wedding ring's worth of new gold moves around 20 tonnes of earth. Recycled gold is the same metal, without the hole in the ground.
Guides
3 min read
How to find your ring size at home
Three reliable ways to measure, and the one mistake almost everyone makes on a cold morning.
Custom orders
Have an idea of your own?
Tell us and we will draw it to scale within a week.