You have thought long and hard about spending the rest of your life with this one person. You have spent a lot of time with your partner, living with them, travelling with them, and you know them inside and out as well as they do you. And you know that you can’t be without them. Now it’s time to take the next step and commit, and what better way to do that with the symbolism of a handcrafted engagement ring?

First we need to start thinking about your partner’s personal engagement ring style, so gather ideas of their individual jewellery tastes if you don’t already have a clear sense. One way to know what ring styles they like is to snoop around. While this may sound a little devious it’s for a good cause. What other jewellery and unique rings do they own already? How would you describe their style: Contemporary? Modern? Classic? Vintage? Do they have a preference for a particular gemstone like diamond or sapphire, or a precious metal such as platinum or rose gold?

Listen for hints, and take notes of ring styles they point out while window shopping at jewellery retailers or flipping through fashion and wedding magazines. A close friend or sibling can be a good source to talk to about what particular engagement ring style they may have mentioned. Take all of these cues onboard as clues to what jewellery styles your partner prefers. Even if it’s just the shape of the diamond, that’s a great starting point.

Your customised engagement ring is forever a piece of symbolism, and something you may even pass down as a heirloom later on in life. So it’s now time to work out how much you want to invest in your personalised ring. The price for an engagement ring can vary dramatically based on a number of factors. As a guide, a typical custom ring budget is somewhere between one to three months of your salary, but you should factor in your personal financial situation. And Marie Claire recommends you think about your partners expectations and meaningfulness of the ring to arrive at the right investment.

It all comes down to what is important to you. Start thinking about how big a diamond or other precious gem you want for the centre stone. How many diamonds or gemstones in total are you thinking, and how intricate of a band and setting design? Think about the precious metals you desire, as silver, gold and platinum all vary in alloy grades and price. Pick an engagement ring price you are comfortable with spending, but allow room to move in either direction.

It’s time to explore design directions for your custom engagement ring. Now we have a rough idea of jewellery styles and how much you wish to invest we can talk through options. In a personal consultation with me I educate you about the ‘five C’s’ of diamonds, and discuss diamond and precious gemstone choices in all the exquisite shapes they are cut into.

Diamonds and gems are cut by hand, so there is no hard and fast rule as to what the proportions should be for each stone. There are a lot of gradings for diamonds that can get confusing. This is where talking in-person is very beneficial as I explain everything clearly so you understand your investment.

I personally source a range of diamonds and gemstones to evaluate, as it’s important to have a selection to compare against each other, not just on paper. Having a comparison highlights the difference and variables within these diamonds and stones, and makes it easier to choose. Since we’ve already discussed your budget the selected stones are all within your range, including the overall forecast engagement ring manufacturing cost.

This is the part where the design of your custom engagement ring gets exciting and fun. Together we take your style inputs combined with my knowledge and experience in jewellery design to craft a unique ring design that they will be sure to adore.

Using the clues that we’ve attained we design ring options, exploring settings, embellishments and precious metals. We base it all around the treasured gemstone we’ve just acquired, highlighting that as the centrepiece.

We have picked our centre diamond or gemstone, worked out all the fine details and sketched some amazing creations together for your one of a kind engagement ring. It’s now time to pick out which option is the best to go ahead with and get into production.

Because your engagement ring is custom made it takes roughly 3-4 weeks before the final ring is complete. Along the way I send progress shots so you can see our creation coming together.

Your unique ring is finally here, polished and presented in a custom Gavin Fisher Jewellery wooden ring box. Your made-to-order engagement ring is just as we designed together, and you’ve been well informed along the way.

Oh, there is still one other final step to go…

Now all you have to do is find the right time to pop the question and reveal your exquisite custom made engagement ring to your partner!