Yesterday, I got to give the lovely Sarah her bespoke engagement ring – it’s my favourite part of the design process when I get to see the delight and joy of a client when they are handed their dream ring! Sarah’s fiancé Lee popped the question six months ago on the beach with a gorgeous engagement ring charm for her … Read More
The History of Gemstone Jewellery
Gemstones have had a mysterious hold on mankind for as long as humans have been on the planet. Before written language or even the spoken word, there was jewellery. British archaeologist Archibald Campbell Carlyle said of primitive man, “the first spiritual want of a barbarous man is decoration.” But jewellery is more than a mere ornament, a flash of cash … Read More
Proud to be able to offer Fairtrade gold and recycled Silver
I’m really pleased to be able to announce that I now offer bespoke jewellery made with Fairtrade Gold and Recycled Silver! Fairtrade Gold As we are becoming more and more concerned with the provenance of the items we buy, Fairtrade Gold is a fantastic step in the right direction. This is so important when you consider that 90% of the labour force … Read More
Why white gold should not be Rhodium plated
White gold is one of my favourite precious metals and is still a popular choice for bespoke jewellery. However, I worry it is often chosen as a budget white metal option opposed to Platinum rather than being selected for its own merit. This is because white gold is traditionally Rhodium plated; what you see in jeweller’s windows is actually white … Read More
Charlotte’s 21st Birthday Ring
Charlotte’s Mum, Anna, asked me to re-design her engagement ring for her daughter’ 21st birthday. The original ring held a single pearl in the centre of a bypass band in 9ct yellow gold. The pearl had long gone missing so she wanted to replace it with a bezel set moonstone and add some diamonds either side of it. I drew up a … Read More
What does bespoke actually mean?
Bespoke is a word often bandied around by companies, but what does it actually mean? The word has an interesting history as discussed in this article. Initially, the word bespoke was “a past participle of the verb ‘to bespeak’ which meant ‘to exclaim or call out’, then it changed to describe ‘to discuss, decide upon’ and lastly became ‘discussed in … Read More
Diamond Education: The 4 C’s
When choosing a diamond, the first things you will need to decide upon are the shape and your budget. If you’re opting for a white diamond, there are four things a good jeweller will discuss with you when giving you your stone options, collectively known as the Four C’s. But before we go into these four characteristics, you’ll need to … Read More
Diamond Shapes
When it comes to choosing a diamond for a piece of jewellery, the first decision you’ll need to make is its shape. The shape of a diamond means more than simply the outline shape of the stone. Each cut has a totally different number, shape and positioning of facets. These variations can have a real impact on sparkle and how … Read More
How to Propose Without a Ring
So you’ve decided to pop the question – but then the fear seeps in… how on earth are you going to find a ring a) that fits perfectly, and even more scarily, b) that she likes?! Is the fear of picking out the perfect ring putting your proposal on hold? In this article I am going to discuss several alternative … Read More
Palladium 950 Vs 500
I am a big fan of Palladium. It was first introduced in the 1930’s when Platinum was all the rage, and then again in the 1950’s, but it never caught on. When Palladium was given the stamp of approval in 2009 when it received its official hallmark, the jewellery industry took a huge collective intake of breath – what would … Read More