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Jodie Gearing
3rd March 2010 11:34

Celtic inspired bespoke 9ct white gold engagement and wedding ring set

 
White gold and sapphire engagement ring

The best bit about my job is seeing a commission through every stage; from the initial enquiry to finally handing over a beautiful ring to a happy customer. I thought I'd share the background behind this design with you to illustrate exactly what happens during a commission and how this ring was made!

Michael proposed to Nicola with a proposal in a box as he knew she wanted a purple stone and white gold but didn't know where to start. When they came for an appointment with Alice, Nicola had thought about every aspect of the design she wanted and came with a complete design! As she has studied jewellery design in the past, she even knew she wanted a double gallery, four claw setting like the ring below. This is very unusual! However not only is the history behind this ring interesting, but also how it was constructed.

Yellow gold and garnet engagement ring

The vast majority of our rings are handmade from precious metal in sheet or wire form which is exactly how this ring started its life. Alice ordered a length of square profiled wire in 9ct white gold the same width of the widest part of the ring. The wire would then be cut to exactly the right length to form up into a ring the correct size for the customer, taking into account the size of the setting that would be soldered between the two shoulders of the band. The goldsmith would have cut into the centre of each end of the wire along its length about 5mm to create the split effect on either side of the stone. The prongs that would be created would then be manipulated apart to create the split effect. When the ring shape had been formed around by hand using parallel pliers, the setting would then be soldered into place. The outside shape of the angular Celtic shapes would then be pierced out using a piercing saw and then the inside shapes would be drilled, pierced and filed using tiny needle files to get the basic look of the ring.

Piercing Saw

To get the appearance of the overlapping lines, the surface would have been gently filed back to give the impression of slim wires twisting over each other in a Celtic style. This method gives the ring a lot more strength and durability than if thin, overlapping wires had been used.

Here are some other rings that use the same technique in other styles

White gold and diamond engagement ring
White gold and cognac diamond engagement ring

These ready to wear rings use exactly the same production technique but with more flowing, rounded curves which still give a Celtic feel. The previous commission below uses these infinity symbols to echo the shape of the central stone and are again made in the same way.

Celtic inspired engagement ring

This technique has also been used in eternity rings, as in these previous commissions below. The first design has a Celtic style twist going all the way around the ring, and the second has just three 'twists' at the front of the ring, both with stones grain set into the petal shaped spaces between the twists.

Platinum Celtic design
White gold and amethyst eternity ring

Michael and Nicola were over the moon with their rings, so I hope that this has given you some inspiration to create your own Celtic inspired commission that you will love as much as they do!

Jodie x

Jodie Gearing
 

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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