A Romantic Remodelling: Using Inherited Gold to Create Bespoke Engagement & Wedding Rings
Want to propose to your partner with an engagement ring you’re confident they’ll love, but don’t want to ruin the element of surprise?
Choosing an engagement ring without the guidance of the person it’s for can feel daunting and overwhelming. J, a brilliantly imaginative client, had a fantastic way of tackling this. He proposed to his partner with a small box full of inherited gold rings, and a newly purchased lab grown diamond. Then all they needed was a bespoke jeweller in Cornwall.
J and M wanted to use this inherited jewellery as the base for an engagement ring (and their wedding rings - but more on that later). We spent time sketching and chatting about styles she preferred and we settled on a delicate twisted band which would embrace her sparkling diamond.
Melting the Gold
My first step was melting down the rings and pouring the recycled molten gold into an ingot mould. This part never fails to delight me! 9ct yellow gold melts at around 900° C and cools in the ingot mould into a shape which can then be used for further processing.
Making New Wire
The rectangular-ish ingot was then heated and rolled, elongating the gold bar and making a narrower, neater wire to work with. I cut sections of it away to make sheet for the stone setting and left the rest as wire for the band.
Encasing the Diamond
With some modified pliers and a little grumbling I curved the little section of sheet that I’d made into a circle. That was then rolled up to form a collet to fit around the diamond. The setting is then soldered closed and hammered into a collet block to improve its form and ensure a neat finish.
Shaping the Engagement Ring
With the wire cut to the correct length, and hammered and tapered at each end, I began to form the shape of the new engagement ring around the tube which will hold the diamond.
Connecting the Components
After carefully aligning the ring band and tube for the diamond, I held it with binding wire to keep the piece in place for soldering. Once neatly soldered together I used a file to smooth out the connecting joints, and refined the definition in the ring.
Melting the Remaining Gold
Any discarded gold from the process was collected and melted to produce a very satisfying nugget of leftover recycled gold. The nugget and ring were then sent off for hallmarking, before the diamond was set. Hallmarking which is a legal requirement which confirms the precious metal contents in a piece of jewellery.
The Finished Ring
I was so pleased that the couple were so happy with the engagement ring, and the collaborative design process they had been a part of.
And that’s not the end of the story…
Wedding Rings From Leftover Recycled Gold
A year later, JFS and MFS got back in touch, and asked me to create their wedding rings from the disc of excess metal.
For her, I made a wave shaped fitted band which fitted her engagement ring perfectly, and for him I made a classic court shaped band. With a tiny bit of gold still to spare, waiting for its next chapter.
Have you been inspired to start your own bespoke jewellery journey in Cornwall?
You can book a relaxed chat with me using the contact form at the bottom of this page:
