OUR BESPOKE ENGAGEMENT RING PROCESS

HOW TO DESIGN AN ENGAGEMENT RING WITH HATTIE

First and foremost, congratulations! If you have found this article then you must be looking for an engagement ring. If you haven’t quite started the research process yet and are still in the preliminary phase, this may seem like a high-stress, impossible task. It’s true, with endless design options available and Instagram flooded with gargantuan diamond rings, it is difficult to determine the best and most cost-efficient way to go about buying this incredibly important piece of jewellery. Well, have no fear because as a bespoke jewellery designer with over 13 years of experience, I am here to tell you that designing an engagement ring with me will not only guarantee you the perfect ring, but it will be an enjoyable and exciting experience.

You also might be asking yourself, why should I create an engagement ring from scratch when there are so many ready-made options? Firstly, designing a bespoke engagement ring allows you to be more vocal about who you or your intended are as a person. You can include a plethora of personal talismans in the design, which add further emotional value to the piece. Secondly, creating a bespoke engagement ring is a guarantee of uniqueness. The piece you create will be unique and will come with a beautiful story to be passed down from generation to generation. If you would like to know more about the Hattie Rickards Bespoke Engagement Ring Process, keep reading!

My approach to designing engagement rings for my clients is very straightforward. I take your tastes and budget and combine them with my design skills and honed intuition to create a one-of-a-kind piece that you and your partner will enjoy for a lifetime. You will work with me personally throughout the design process. What I am most known for is taking classic styles and elevating them into uniquely modern designs. Always keeping your budget and time frame in mind, we can reinvent the wheel together on pretty much any ring style you want! Please find below a step-by-step guide on how to create a bespoke engagement with me, Hattie Rickards.

THE INTRODUCTION

The first step, like in any relationship, is our first meeting. This initially comes in the form of an email exchange in which you are free to ask me as many questions as you wish. You might want to know how I work, what my lead times are and my starting prices. The answers to these important initial questions are as follows: When creating an HRJ bespoke engagement ring, you and I will work closely together to design a piece you or your partner will be able to wear seamlessly every day, no matter the wardrobe. The starting price for one of my bespoke engagement rings is £10k and it will take twelve to fifteen weeks for me to create the final product. If you are planning to propose in a shorter timeframe than my production schedule, have no fear we account for that as well. Many of my clients pop the question without the final ring. I call these instances “The Promise To Come” proposals. This is a wonderful service I offer where I write a handwritten note to your beloved congratulating them on their engagement, and I provide them with a few refined sketches of ring designs you and I have worked on together from which they can get fully involved in the next design iterations.

DETECTIVE WORK

Once I have answered your initial questions and you have given me a better sense of your proposal situation, we begin the exciting stage of detective work. I now want to know everything about your partner. Who they are, what is their style, what they do for a living – I want to know what makes them tick! I will ask you for photographs of them in their everyday clothing and whether or not they have ever hinted at certain ring styles. This may seem like too much information but in my professional opinion, when it comes to building an engagement ring design, the more detailed information you can provide me with about your partner the better, as it’s often the little things that make the greatest difference. This is the USP of a Hattie Rickards bespoke engagement ring – I take the time to understand the intended wearer of my rings from the inside out. Please, do not worry if you have no idea at all about what ring they would want. I am intuitive, and there is nothing I enjoy more than reading a person and figuring out what ring they want before they even realise they want it! Tailor-making a piece to fit seamlessly into a client’s life is what I do best.

HOMEWORK

Once I have gathered all the necessary information I can then begin to create a visual of the person I am designing for. As I mood board, brainstorm and sketch, I will get you to do some homework of your own. I will ask you to take a field trip to a local vintage jewellery shop and wholesaler, as there is truly no better way for you to interact with different gemstones and cuts. As you peruse and look at different styles, you will start to get a better sense of what your partner’s stylistic preferences might be. Please feel free to send me pictures of the pieces you like most! If your partner joins you on this field trip, that’s information I would be interested in.

As you start to learn more about what you believe your partner might like, I will be at my desk working to create a mood board with all the information we have gathered. Before I start, I will ask you for your budget, as this will determine the type of materials and quantity of them that I use in the ring. Have no fear if there is a gap between your dream ring and your budget, it is my job to marry the two and provide a version of that perfect ring for your perfect budget. There is a lot that can be done to minimise cost whilst still creating an elegant and eye-catching design.

SKETCHING

Once I have finalised the mood board and we have spoken about your preferences in gemstones, colours, cuts and of course budget, I will create a selection of ring sketches for you to look through. Each detailed drawing is hand drawn by me, which we will then go through together so you can let me know either the one you like most or what elements of each you like best, which I can then collate into a brand new sketch. This is a very exciting moment as it is the first tangible step where your engagement ring starts to take shape!

Once a sketch has been approved, I will give the chosen drawing to my talented goldsmiths, who will provide me with a final quote for the ring, detailing the price of all the materials as well as craftsmanship work. As soon as you have approved this final quote, I will reach out to my private gem dealers to help source the most beautiful gemstones for your ring.

PLAYING WITH GEMS

This is one of my favourite parts of the HRJ Bespoke Engagement Ring process! If we haven’t yet, I will finally come to meet you in person, so that you can take a look at the gemstones I have gathered and hand pick which ones you wish to be included in the final ring design. I will provide you with a few different stones to choose from for the central stone of the design and go through the pros and cons of each gem with you so that you are fully aware of and understand the investment you are making. I am there to guide you every step of the way, to consult and advise you on which one I think best fits the design, and most importantly your budget, all whilst ensuring that each option provides the shine and shimmer desired of any engagement ring.

After going through each option and settling on the final gems you would like to incorporate into the ring, I will ask you for a fifty per cent deposit to start building the final piece. The first step in creating the physical piece is building a CAD model which will help me decide what are the best setting techniques to use with each gem you have selected. Once the CAD design has been approved, please allow eight to ten weeks for the production of your ring.

YOUR PERFECT RING

And just like that, you will have your dream engagement ring for your perfect budget. This may seem like a lot on paper, but rest assured, I will be there every step of the way to support you through this exciting journey. When you choose to work with me, we will make your dream ring come to fruition, no matter the time frame, the budget or how much effort it takes on my end. You can completely let go and trust me to build an everlasting piece. The client-jeweller relationship is sacred, and one that lasts far beyond the proposal. If you ever need to resize the ring or adjust it in any way, I will always be there to lend a helping and expert hand.

If you would like to choose me as your jeweller in creating your bespoke engagement ring, please do reach out! I promise that the journey will be exciting and smooth, resulting in your perfect one-of-a-kind engagement ring.

Would you like to browse a selection of my bespoke engagement ring designs?