Handmade 6ct Sapphire Engagement Ring in rose gold

Go big or go home…

About 90% of the rings I make are custom made, this was a recent commission which started as all bespoke projects do, with a casual chat.

I met my clients on a wet evening in Dublin Ireland after everyone in the workshop and gallery had gone home. We discussed the type of dream ring they would like.

We tried lots of different styles of rings from the wonderful independent designers at Designyard we also tried on lots of my engagement rings which I had ready… But nothing was sparking the feeling you get when you find “the ring”.

Our conversation went from diamond engagement rings to coloured gems and sapphires in particular of which I am a complete geek on, it sometimes leads me to ramble on about the fascinating mineral corundum, I tend/try to stop when my clients eyes glaze over… I have a collection of sapphires in all colours imaginable and sizes that range from the tiniest one pointer to over 10cts.

I asked my clients in an ideal world what would they like, again the answer which I get a lot at this stage of the process is I just do not know until I see it. We left it at that for the evening and agreed we would all put our thinking caps on and regroup the next day after the initial meeting.

The next morning I looked into my collection of loose gems to see what I had which could may work, the client mentioned she was a big fan of rose gold which many people are including myself, my wedding ring is rose gold, well I have three wedding rings which I wear altogether one yellow gold from the year 1771, a black carbon fibre and diamond one and my ‘official’ 18k heavy rose gold one, I think there is a post coming up on that shortly…

I opened my sapphire treasure trove and the first stone I took out was this gorgeous 6ct, I got a little excited as I knew this would be the stone we would end up using. Later that evening again after the rest of the team had all gone home I met up with my clients.

Once the 6ct came out of the special wrap it had been hiding in for years it never went back in, within minutes the agreement was made for me to go mock up a few CADs to get an idea of the end result to help my clients visualise.

When designing a ring in my head it is very easy for me to visualise the end result as its been 21 years of making very special engagement rings so there really is not a challenge I cant rise to, so I don’t usually waste my time CADDING Up but for clients sitting down with me it can sometimes be a rollercoaster full of emotion, nervousness & excitement so in order to help ease the process I sometimes do a basic CAD.

Above you can see CAD has its limits, it doesn’t show the detail we can create by hand making, the fineness of my eagle claws although this ring is big and bold it is also extremely elegant and I wish its new owner a lifetime of happiness wearing it.

Private appointments with me can be arranged by email ronan@designyard.ie

To stay up to date with what I am making for clients and to get some inspiration ideas for engagement rings and my general adventures in the diamond and jewellery world keep an eye on my instagram

Private appointments with me can be arranged by email ronan@designyard.ie or through my instagram

Ronan Campbell is a private jeweller, Diamond & Gemstone specialist at DESIGNYARD Dublin Ireland