BESPOKE
Designed and handcrafted just for you.
ABOUT
I can design any piece of jewellery to celebrate any occasion that suits your style and budget - rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, cufflinks, signet rings. Your piece of jewellery can be made in 9ct or 18ct gold - yellow, white or rose - or in platinum. If you need guidance on design or which gemstones or metal to choose, we can explore the options that will work for you.
THE PROCESS
Please allow 8-12 weeks for your bespoke piece of jewellery.
STEP 1 - INITIAL FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION
We discuss the design, your budget, metal, diamonds or gemstones, who the piece of jewellery is for, their style, and their finger size if necessary. If you don’t know the finger size for a ring, have a look at my FAQ page for a few sneaky tricks! If you prefer, we can do everything via email – I can send videos and pictures of designs from my portfolio and designs that I come up with after our first chat.
STEP 2 - GEMSTONE SOURCING
It’s so important to select the right sparkle! Choose your favourite from a selection of gemstones or diamonds sourced from my trusted merchants based in Hatton Garden and the Birmingham jewellery quarter. I’ll explain the different qualities of diamonds and gemstones so you understand what’s perfect for your style and budget. You may already know about the 4 Cs: cut, colour, carat and clarity but if not I'll take you through all you need to know and you can read through my diamond guide.
STEP 3 - DEPOSIT PAYMENT & DRAWING
Once you have decided what stones you would like and the general design, I will ask for a 50% deposit to be paid via a BACS transfer, the remaining balance is to be paid upon completion. You’ll then receive hand drawn designs or CAD (computer aided design) renders. The design process is flexible and collaborative, we can keep tweaking the final details of the design until you are happy with it.
The first three stages of the process take around 1 to 3 weeks.
STEP 4 - MAKING THE PIECE
Your piece of bespoke jewellery is handcrafted in my workshop using modern CAD techniques and age-old hand skills. Every stage of the jewellery-making process from start to finish takes place in my Aladdin’s Cave in Kent.
A few of the steps involved in making your bespoke piece of jewellery:
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Your chosen metal is rolled to size.
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For a ring, jeweller’s pliers are used to gradually turn the piece of straight wire into a circle.
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The metal is relaxed throughout the process to avoid cracking, this is called annealing.
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Where different elements of the piece join, they are soldered together.
STEP 5 - SETTING
Your ring or other bespoke jewellery is set with its glittering gemstones into the metal framework.
STEP 6 - POLISHING
The piece is polished with various grades of polish that go from coarse to fine, polishing out scratches on the surface of the metal, making the piece become gradually shinier and shinier.
STEP 7 - CLEANING & HALLMARKING
The final step! After polishing, your piece of jewellery is cleaned to remove the polish. It is then sent to The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London for hallmarking to display what metal it has been made in, the year it was made in, and my maker’s mark. It’s now ready for you to treasure forever!
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