Bespoke Eternity Ring to Celebrate Arrival of New Baby
I could tell a story about every piece of jewellery I make - both the story of how it was created and the story of the people who own it. I feel really privleged to be involved in very special moments in people's lives - be it a 16th birthday present, and engagement ring, or a push present. I don't really like the name. It cheapens one of the most fundamental events in a person's life. But it is a shorthand for a gift traditionally given to a new mum.
Having made the engagement and wedding rings for Chris and Hattie, I was really excited when Chris came back to me with a new ring commission in anticipation of a baby's arrival. It's the obvious next step in a couple's life and it was also the next step of our jewellery journey together. I recall advising Hattie on her choice of wedding band, and suggesting that it might be a good idea to keep it simple and classic. Her engagement ring really was something special and the wedding band shouldn't necessarily try to compete with it. At the time I suggested that there might come a time when she might have occasion to have an eternity ring that could be worn on the other hand.
Green is Hattie's favourite colour and Chris wanted to propose with an emerald engagement ring. However, emeralds can be risky as engagement rings. Emeralds rank about 7.5–8, while diamonds are a 10 and sapphires 9 on the Moh hardness scale. This means emeralds are more prone to scratching and surface abrasions, especially with everyday wear. Most emeralds have natural inclusions (known as the jardin, or "garden"), which can increase the risk of chipping or cracking. As we were looking at a design with a large central stone, I suggested looking at alternative green stones and after extensive research and rounds of selection, we settled on a teal sapphire of more than 5 carats for the engagement ring.
When it was time to design the eternity ring, Chris really wanted to revisit the idea of using emeralds. So I went back to my network of gem dealers and pulled together a selection for Chris to view. We ended up choosing a parcel of emeralds which came as a graduated set, the central stone being the largest (bottom set on image below). We developed a design that worked around these emeralds, which were meticulously measured the CAD design built precisely to hold each stone in its own setting. This involved close teamwork between me, the CAD technician and the stone setter in order to come up with a design that would be the most secure for the emeralds.
Once the CAD drawing was done, we obtained a 3D resin printout to double check that the stones would fit into their respective positions before the piece was finally cast in 18 carat gold.
I must admit that I was very nervous about this project as emeralds are really problematic and can shatter during the stone setting process. With a parcel of stones, it can be impossible to find a replacement if one of the stones is damaged. So it was a very slow and careful process. Thankfully Chris and Hattie know that they can trust me to get the design and execution of the project right and they will have another, truly one of a kind ring, that will be future heirloom. I can't wait to hand it over and hopefully see the look of joy on their faces!
Do you have a dream of owning a unique piece of jewellery? Or perhaps you have an heirloom gemstone that you would like to be brought to life. I love working on bespoke projects and I would be happy to discuss options with you.