Earlier this spring I had the pleasure of working with a young man ready to propose to his nature loving girlfriend. Her career is in landscaping and they love to enjoy the outdoors together. Obviously, we had to bring her personality and their relationship into the design!
The first thing he let me know is that she wasn't interested in diamonds, not at all.
(nothing wrong with that -- there are plenty of other great options!)
He told me her favorite colors were purple, blue & green -- so that's where we started -- checking out durable (but not diamond), wearable (given her hands-on career), gemstones in that color family.
He chose a 1.28ct, untreated custom round brilliant center sapphire in a pale shade of blue from Torraca Gemcutting. Sapphires are a durable choice and generally suitable for engagement rings and other daily wear rings, especially for those willing to take extra care with their jewelry. (See the "No S---" rule for a few tips!)
Next he wanted to incorporate her career and their shared love of the outdoors into the design. She had mentioned to him that she was interested in a "tree of life" theme. As a jeweler for Walker's Celtic Jewelry I was already familiar with this stunning Celtic Tree of Life design by Jen Delyth, because the Walkers carry some of her pieces in their Andover Showroom.
Design drawings for the custom tree branch wedding set in 14k white gold with sapphires.
We agreed that we should aim for something that looked natural and rustic, almost as though the branches were growing around the gemstone. And that the matching wedding band should compliment, and kind of lock into the engagement ring. Luckily Walker's Celtic Jewelry had some smaller similarly colored sapphires that made a nice accent for the center stone. I got to work on a few drawings for him and he chose the one above.
From there, I began carving the design in wax -- trying to stay true to the drawings, but modifying the design here and there slightly to make sure it was sturdy and would cast well.
Hand carving the custom engagement ring.
Hand carved shadow wedding band modeled against the engagement ring.
I sent him little email updates along the way, and within a few weeks I'd finished this custom wedding set. It's definitely a departure from what I normally design at Walker's Celtic Jewelry, but I loved having the opportunity to branch out 😉 and I'm thrilled with the results. I'm happy to say the couple was equally pleased with the design & was married just a few months ago. (Congrats, if you're reading!!)
Finished tree branch inspired wedding set in 14k white gold with sapphires.