The Secret Behind Our Bespoke Process
Round, oval, pear or square?
Diamond, sapphire, zoisite or morganite?
Triple excellent cut, custom precision cut, rose cut, mixed step cut?
1ct, 2ct, 3ct or 4?
Knife edge, half round, bezel or claw?
Feeling a little overwhelmed? We don’t blame you! There is a lot to learn if you are new to the world of engagement rings, diamonds and jewellery.
Even if you don’t know a thing about rings we are here to help. The secret behind our bespoke process is that we BREAK IT DOWN! Genius I know, but wait here me out.
When you book an initial consultation we have a series of tried and tested questions that will tease out your ring design even if you don’t have a clue. Our bespoke process is unique because we have a gemstone first approach. This means we focus on guiding you to the right gemstone for your needs, sourcing this stone and designing the ring around the gemstone.
Because we breakdown the process into actionable steps, we generally don’t talk too much about the ring design until we have found the perfect gemstone. Why? Well we believe the engagement ring is all about the stone and the ring design is complementary.
Below are the EXACT questions we ask at the first consultation.
P.S. You aren’t supposed to know all the answers, that’s why we are here. Our aim is to guide you through so it’s stress free and hopefully even fun!
What is your budget?
This is the first questions we generally ask, why? ‘Cause if your budget is $2,000 but you wanted a 1ct natural mined diamond then I have a bit of educating to do. It’s also important to work out if we are the right fit for each other. Budget matters as we need to know what we can offer you within your price range and perhaps some alternatives. We work with budgets of $2,000 and up for bespoke pieces. It is important that bespoke rings are accessible to all price ranges and we always try to accommodate your budget as best we can.
What gold would you like the ring made from?
The main options are Yellow, White and Rose gold. But Platinum is a popular option too. We mostly produce rings in 18k gold but if you are budget conscious then 14k and 9k are good options to reduce overall cost.
What gemstone ?
Diamonds are the go to for engagement rings but there are a plethora of diamond look a like options such as lab grown diamonds, moissanites, white sapphires etc which all have their own unique qualities. Perhaps you want to go for a coloured gemstone, sapphires, spinels, morganites and emeralds are popular choices too. This is where we can really educate you on the colours and range of gemstone options.
Shape of the stone
There are your standard shapes round, oval, pear, emerald, square, cushion. You also have the more fancy shapes and cuts marquise, asscher, radiant, then the new age geometric cuts or rosecuts. The IGS has a great guide on shapes if you are after more details.
P.S. A note on shape vs. cut. These terms can be used interchangeably but they are different. The cut of a gemstone determines how its facets interact with light. Shape on the other hand refers to the geometric appearance of the gemstone.
What is the desired size of the stone you wanted?
Things to consider include, finger real estate i.e. how big or small will the finger be that wears the ring. Carat refers to the weight of the stone, whilst there is a correlation between dimensions and weight (as most stones are cut with similar proportions) the shape of the stone has a huge role to play in this. If you are going for a solitaire you want to be aiming for at least 1 -1.5ct. An engagement ring should pack a bit of punch!
What is the overall aesthetic you are trying to achieve?
Modern, vintage, minimalist, chunky, one of a kind, quirky. Art Deco. This is starting to get into the ring design territory but have an idea of what the overall look of the ring you are trying to achieve. If you are a lost think about your partners clothes, homewares and other things they may like. We can help translate this into a ring style.
Ring Size?
This can be very tricky to get right, especially if you are aiming for a surprise proposal. There are a few ways:
- Ask them casually
- Steal a ring they wear and measure it using our ring sizer chart (be sure to take note of what finger and what hand the ring is worn on as not all your fingers are the same size)
- Ask their Mum/sister or a friend who might know their size
- Go for an average a small finger is a size L, a medium finger M and a larger finger size P
What are your timelines?
For our bespoke process we need 6 weeks from the time of approving your computer render to be able to cast, polish and set your ring. Generally speaking, on average the bespoke process takes 3 months from initial consultation to deliver the ring to you.
How will you communicate?
Is this a surprise proposal, how are you going to keep this a secret? After the initial consultation which is either via phone/ video call or face to face in our studio, we generally converse over email. Occasionally we like to send through videos of gemstone options via chat or message too so if you are keeping things a surprise please let us know so we don’t blow it.
Other considerations?
Are you ethically minded, do mined stones go against your ethical values? We are passionate about working to our clients bespoke needs. Every client has different values of which we like to support. Please let us know what is important to you
If you thinking of proposing why not book a free no obligations consultation? We offer a personalised and relaxed environment with no strings attached. We take the time to understand your requirements and guide you through the design process. We are local and trustworthy, your ring will be made in Australia supporting a network of other small businesses. We are passionate about removing the intimidation and barriers to buying an engagement ring whilst taking the mystery out of the bespoke process.
