How to get the design and finger size right and it still be a surprise proposal?
13th February 2024 - Customer location: Atherton
Back in June 2022 I was commissioned to make the above engagement ring. It was used for the surprise proposal but it was always planned to remake the ring for three reasons.
avoid resizing a brand new engagement ring
ensure that the desired wedding ring is possible
ensure that the engagement ring design is exactly what the recipient desires
Proposing with a temporary ring based around the selected main gemstone whilst always planning to remake it once the above points are resolved is what I refer to as my “proposal ring” process. It is included in the price of every engagement ring I make.
The customer and myself finalised the choice of diamond to be used and we started designing the ring. We guesstimated the finger size and set about making the proposal ring…..knowing full well that this ring would have to be resized, which is not a good thing for any brand new ring you intend to wear for the rest of your life.
Article: Why you should avoid resizing a new ring
Article: Rings that cannot/should not be resized
Resizing the ring after the proposal
Cutting the band for resizing
Following the proposal we discovered that the ring was slightly too large. We needed to cut a piece out of the ring and rejoin it. This process no matter how well done will thin the ring to some extent. It also adds a join which creates a weak point in the ring.
Article: Another jeweller resizes one of my rings - 18% thinner was the result :(
Ever had a ring resized that keeps breaking at the same spot? This is more than likely due to a join in a band that is way too thin to start with and the ring was resized to your size when you purchased it. Most jewellery sold in the jewellery chains today is way too thin IMO.
Article - What to expect when you buy your engagement ring from a jewellery chain. Not good!
Designing the wedding ring
Proposal ring on the left and the changes required on the right.
In January 2024 it was time to make the wedding ring. After some back and forwards via email a plain wedding ring design was selected. To accomodate that wedding ring we needed the setting to be slightly modified to allow it to sit nicely next to it and for the rings to wear against each other as best possible.
The proposal ring is made to the same quality as the final engagement ring so customers take as long as they need to finalise the ring size, design and wedding ring design before remaking it into the engagement ring they will wear for a very longtime.
Marks of a wedding ring cutting into the base of the setting of the ring worn next to it.
When you put two seperate rings side by side they will over time rub against each other and wear down. By modifying the setting to allow for a bit of vertical movement the wedding ring cutting into the setting can be reduced greatly. Not eliminated…but reduced.
Another great way to reduce wear is to take your ring off when you do not need to be or should not be wearing them.
Article: Wearing your jewellery until failure
Making the wedding ring
The wedding ring is made before the remaking of the proposal ring.
You can see in the above photo that the wedding ring is slightly thicker than the proposal ring. This is due to the resizing of the proposal ring and also because by error I made it a bit thinner than I normally would.
It was noted on the job sheet to increase the thickness of the engagement ring band during the remaking of the proposal ring. Using the proposal ring as a point of reference we have determined the following:
the correct finger size, by resizing the proposal ring
the wedding ring design
changes needed to be made to the engagement ring to optimally accomodate the desired wedding ring
Transferring the diamond into the new ring
The diamond removed from the proposal ring ready for setting into the engagement ring.
Knowing that the proposal ring would be scrapped the diamond is removed using the safest method. Some of the claws are cut off and the diamond simply falls out.
For a ring design like this I plan to have the diamond swapped over the same day. For designs with more setting involved it may take a bit longer but I try to get this process done in days to minimise the time without the ring.
The owner of this ring cleans it quite regularly but you can see that just from washing her hands over a couple of days the back of the diamond is quite cloudy. This results in a less than optimal appearance of that very nice diamond.
Article: Why is my diamond dull?
The finished rings
The two finished rings.
The two finished rings have now been made to the perfect finger size. During the process the customer has been able to select the wedding ring she desired and the proposal ring remade to accomodate it optimally. All this done with very little to no difference in the top view of the engagement ring when compared to the original proposal ring.
What happens if we want to make major changes to the design?
1 carat Diamond proposal ring from 2019 that would be dramatically changed!
Just so long as there are no major changes to the materials used then there is no extra cost. During the remaking of the proposal ring if the couple decide to make any changes that either increase or decrease the amount they have already paid I immediately let them know. They can either choose to accept the quote for the changes or leave the design the same.
The above ring is a great example of making drastic changes to the proposal ring as you will see in the next photo.
The major changes from that 2019 proposal ring to the engagement ring.
There is a level of trust required here but I have never had an issue. In fact quite a few times I have been asked to make a very simple solitaire proposal ring with no intention of that design being the final engagement ring design.
The major changes from that 2019 proposal ring to the engagement ring.
In those cases it was planned that one of the first tasks the newly engaged couple would do together was design the engagement ring………but they still get to experience the surprise proposal using the “proposal ring”.
What happens to the proposal ring?
If you are wondering what happens to the proposal ring then this is video from quite few years ago that I made to answer that question. It gets melted down and recycled.