This year has presented us all with very harsh times to face as well as a lot of uncertainty, but it is also wonderful to see love is still in the air and our clients are still showing their nearest and dearest how much they mean to one another.
Before stage 4 lockdown and restrictions were brought into action in Melbourne our client Aaron was lucky enough to propose to his girlfriend Mietta at a local beach that has meant a lot to the couple throughout their relationship. Of course Mietta said YES!

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After selecting a beautiful brilliant cut diamond with Peter in our showroom, Aaron was welcomed into our workshop to add that little extra touch to his engagement ring and proposal. Aaron took part in an exclusive opportunity to help in the hand making of his platinum and white gold diamond engagement ring.

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While Aaron worked on the white gold band for the ring, our jeweller Eleanor handmade the six claw platinum setting. The setting was made using a collet block to create the tapered ‘cone’ shape, then a series of needle files were used by Eleanor to carve the six claw into the coronet setting.

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During Aaron’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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Some of the techniques that Aaron took part in during his time in the workshop were rolling gold down using the rolling mill, annealing the gold and drawing down metal using the draw bench.

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Once the bar of white gold had been drawn to the correct dimensions, Aaron used the ring bending tool to round up the strip of gold and create the basic ring shape. The inside of the ring was then stamped with five stamps (Abrecht Bird’s hallmark, the makers mark, carat stamp, Gold and Silversmiths Guild stamp and the year it was made).

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From here Eleanor soldered, sized and shaped the ring shank into the knife edge profile that had been chosen by Aaron.

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While working on the ring shank, Eleanor refined the shape of claws and hand carved the intricate detail into the base of the setting. Once the setting and band were completed they were soldered together and polished – ready for the diamond to be set into position.

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From everyone here at Abrecht Bird Jewellers we would like to send our biggest congratulations to Aaron and Mietta on their engagement and we wish them a lifetime of happiness together. It was an absolute pleasure working with you to handcraft your perfect ring.

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If you are interested in any more information on our ‘Workshop Experience’ or you’re looking for a gift for that someone special in your life please email or contact us on
(03) 9650 3830.
We would be more than happy to help you out.