I really enjoyed working with Joshua to design a gorgeous peridot triple ring for his girlfriend! I'd been looking forward to having the opportunity to make a gemstone version of the sea glass triple ring that's been so popular since I listed it on my site earlier in the year, but I'd been so busy with commissions I'd not had a chance to make one to keep as stock.
The commisssion
Joshua came to me through the Glasswing website to commission a handmade ring for his girlfriend. He'd seen my sea glass rings, but wanted his ring slightly different. He wanted something ethical, personalised, very elegant but with the rustic texture and warmth of the other organic hammered rings in my range.
The process
Communicating via emails and photographs, we discussed the colour of the gemstones Joshua wanted, which metals he liked, and what he thought his girlfriend would like based on the style of jewellery she already wears, and her favourite colours.
He was really keen on a mid-green stone, and wanted a bit of a whopper at that! Over half a carat in fact, and he envisaged diamonds either side, with gold around the stones. The rest came down to budget, the ring size and the time it would take to make.
I asked Fairtrade Gems, the wonderful ethical gemstone supplier I use in Hatton Garden to send me some suitable stones to show Joshua. Once he'd seen it, he was intent on a 5mm diameter, luscious green peridot ethically sourced from Arizona. We agreed the last few details including the price, the finish and the stamping to go inside.
Personal touches
Joshua wanted the silver band to taper in towards the stones - a good way to keep the band wide enough to accomodate some stamping inside, whilst becoming slightly more delicate towards the front so the stones take all the glory! It was also important to keep the setting as low and unobtrusive as possible, so I made the settings just the tiniest bit deeper than the stones, and set it into the band rather than placing it on top.
Materials
I'm really pleased with the look of Joshua's ring! The clear sparkly green peridot works beautifully with the warm
tones of lightly polished 14ct yellow gold. 14ct gold has a higher gold
content and a richer colour than 9ct yellow gold, but not being quite as pure
as 18ct gold, it's more reasonably priced. 14ct gold is a very
popular choice in the United States where it's used a lot for wedding
and engagement rings, because of the combination of colour, durability and
price.
Ethical credentials 💚
Joshua's ring is made with 100% recycled gold and silver, the G-I colour diamonds are recycled (sourced from pre-owned jewellery then polished and re-graded). The gorgeous glassy green peridot is ethically sourced and fully traceable back to the mine.
For more details on my ethical gemstone ring range or to talk about commissioning your own Glasswing ring contact me via the website or email: kate@glasswingjewellery.com. Alternatively join my mailing list to stay updated about my new work, events and promotions.
