Custom Designed Engagement Ring

Another of our couples who haven’t let COVID-19 dampen their spirits is Henry and Felicity. Like our last feature couple Henry and Felicity also got engaged before stage 3 restrictions.
At Abrecht Bird we love making new items of jewellery but we find it so special when our clients visit us with family heirlooms with the idea of modernising or remodelling the item of jewellery.

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Felicity’s mother and grandmother have been long term clients of Abrecht Bird. When Henry proposed the family were quick to suggest making an appointment with Peter to work through ring designs.

Felicity received an old cut diamond from her late grandmother and wondered if it could be incorporated into her engagement ring. After looking at a variety of oval shaped diamonds, the couple decided that they would like an oval shaped diamond cluster ring. During this appointment Peter and the workshop team came up with a design that would feature grandma’s diamond and would give the illusion of an oval shape centre diamond. We were even able to source a matching old cut diamond to sit alongside the client’s diamond.

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Henry took up the opportunity to take part in our ‘Workshop Experience’ and helped in the making of Felicity’s ring. Having Henry help in the construction of the ring added another lovely sentiment to the new family heirloom

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During Henry’s time at Abrecht Bird he was given a guided tour of the workshop and a very unique hands on experience into the initial stages of how his engagement ring would be made.

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Within a couple of hours Henry learnt a variety of hand skills and manufacturing techniques in our workshop to turn the 6mm bar of yellow gold (pictured in the first image) into the basic ring shape that would later be fitted to the diamond settings.

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After Henry had finished his time in our workshop, Eleanor began working on the settings. Each setting was made from a piece of chenier (hollow tube). Multiple pieces of different sized chenier were made up for this ring as there was a variety of diamond sizes. Each of the settings have to match perfectly with the diameter of each of the diamonds.

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Using our laser welder Eleanor tacked each of the settings and the central claws into position so they were correctly spaced and would not move during the soldering process.

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A basket setting was made out of wires to create the support structure for the cluster. The number of claws required determines how many wires will make up the basket. The wires are soldered together while they are flat and then domed up using a doming block and punches.

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Using pliers the wires are further bent and shaped to correspond with the oval shaped cluster and claw location. In a cluster ring like this there are many more components and solder joins required in the manufacturing compared to a ring of simpler design. This demands a steady hand, many years of practice and a well trained eye to ensure clean solder joins and a high quality product.

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The shoulders of the up-swept band are shaped to fit and support the setting perfectly.
Both the band and setting are then given a final polish and carefully soldered together. The ring is now ready to have all the diamonds set into the individual settings.

Congratulations to Felicity and Henry on your engagement. It was such a pleasure working with both of you to create the perfect ring to showcase a beautiful treasured family heirloom and to allow Felicity to carry the memory of her grandma with her everyday. We are thrilled to welcome you both into the Abrecht Bird client family and we hope that your stunning new ring gives you a lifetime of happiness.

If you are interested in any more information on our ‘Workshop Experience’ or you’re looking for the perfect gift for that someone special in your life please contact us on (03) 9650 3830. We would be more than happy to help you out.
For more inspiration please head to our website or social media and have a look through our online gallery.