Jane’s Remodelled Engagement and Wedding Rings
Jane came to Petra Jewellery after finding herself in a frustrating situation with three rings that meant a great deal to her.
Her engagement ring, eternity ring and wedding ring had all become too difficult to wear comfortably as her knuckles had changed over time. Eventually, they became so tight that they could no longer be removed in the usual way and all three rings had to be cut off.
Jane was understandably keen to find a solution that would allow her to wear her jewellery again, while keeping the original diamonds and precious metal that made the rings so special.
She sat down with our designer, Jo, to talk through her options…
Jo knew that simply making the rings larger wasn't the answer. Jane needed a completely different way of getting the rings on and off.
The solution was to remake her engagement ring and wedding ring using the original metal and diamonds from her existing rings, but incorporate a clever hinge mechanism into both.
Instead of having to slide the rings over her knuckles, the new designs would open and close around the finger.
Once Jane was happy with the designs, it was time to bring them to life.
The designs were sent upstairs to our goldsmith, Behzad, in his workshop, where he would hand make every part of the two new rings.
The first stage was to transform Jane's existing metal.
Behzad carefully melted down the gold from her cut-off rings, giving the precious metal a new purpose while keeping an important part of Jane's original rings within the new designs. He then began creating the head of Jane's new engagement ring.
Using the design as his guide, Behzad measured, cut and shaped the metal by hand, carefully sawing and filing it until he achieved the precise shape needed to accommodate Jane's diamonds.
It was a meticulous process, with every measurement and cut needing to be just right.
Next came one of the most important parts of the design: the hinges.
Behzad fashioned the hinge mechanisms for both the new engagement ring and wedding ring by hand.
These tiny mechanisms would completely change the way Jane could wear her rings. Rather than needing to force the rings over her knuckles, the hinges would allow them to open, be placed around her finger and then securely close into position.
Once the wedding ring was taking shape and the shank of the engagement ring had been finished, it was time for the next stage: attaching the newly made head to the engagement ring.
Behzad carefully positioned the head before soldering it securely into place, bringing the different elements of the ring together.
Piece by piece, the ring was beginning to look like the design Jo had originally created.
With the structure of both rings complete, there was just one final stage.
The diamonds needed to be carefully set into Jane's new engagement ring, before both rings were given their final clean and polish.
Then, after all the planning, designing, melting, shaping, soldering and setting, the moment we'd been working towards had finally arrived…
The finished rings!
Jane's original rings had started this journey cut off her fingers and unable to be worn.
They finished the journey as two completely new pieces of jewellery - made using the precious metal and diamonds from her original rings, but redesigned entirely around Jane and the way she needed to wear them.
If we’ve inspired you and you would like to discuss having something made yourself, please get in touch with us using the button below or you can contact us through Facebook messenger!
Or, if you still need a bit more inspiration, you can see these pieces and many other gorgeous designs in our bespoke collection here:
