Posted: 2nd January 2016
How to design and commission the perfect ring
Tip 1: Gather Some Research
The more you know what you do or don’t like, the easier it will be for your
designer to come up with what you want! Rip some pages out of magazines,
forward on a Pinterest board or email over some snaps, all of this will help
your designer form your ideas in to a tangible design that can be made
uniquely for you. A general idea of what metal, stones (if any), and styles
you like is a good start, plus of course your ring size is also a must!
Ladies, if your wedding ring is going to be made to fit in/around an
existing engagement ring, be aware that your designer may need/ask for your
ring temporarily to ensure they suit and fit perfectly.
Tip 2: Set Your Budget
Planning a wedding is a seriously expensive game and the wedding rings part
of it is said to account for just 2% of it! From the outset, it’s better for
everyone involved in a commission process, to know what you have to spend.
Be upfront and set expectations, then these constraints will allow the
designer to show you what options within you price range are possible. It
always worth leaving a few pennies for contingency just in case anything
changes from either party, perhaps your deadline moves and the designer
might need to fast track certain processes for you. Always ensure you can
afford what you’ve set out to commission, it may be that you will expected
to pay everything upfront or alternatively you may be lucky enough to spread
the costs, either way it’s best to discuss this from the outset so you know
when you need to comply with your side of the deal!
Tip 3: Work With Someone You Trust
One of the most important things with undertaking a commission is that you
trust and are comfortable with the person/persons you are commissioning.
Going on recommendation is always a good place to start but if you find on
first meeting the synergy just doesn’t feel right to you, it’s no harm doing
a little more research. This undertaking is a big deal for you and this is
probably one of the only items of jewellery you will be wearing every day
for the rest of your life, so it needs to be right! So before taking the
plunge it’s worth checking out their previous customer testimonials, ask to
see their previous work and when meeting in person/conversing over
email/phone, ensure that you ask all the questions you want and need to, to
get this commission right – any good commission specialist will want a happy
customer, so they will be happy to help.
Tip 4: Be A Little Open Minded
You may have the perfect vision in your head of what your bespoke wedding
ring should be like and though clarity is great, just be aware that your
dreams may in fact be a little more difficult in reality. You are going to
expert because they know their stuff and have done this before, they can
help with the knowledge and experience they have learnt over the years. If
they say it won’t work and it’s a risky undertaking, my advice would be to
believe them. The chances are that they’ve been there and done that and it’s
simply not worth blowing your budget by doubling your spend by having to
start at square one if things go wrong!
Tip 5: Leave Enough Time
Bespoke commissions could take anywhere from 2-10 weeks (and potentially
longer) depending on the complexity of your design, the materials needing to
be sourced and the workshop’s schedule. Many independent designers and
retailers are much busier on the run up to Christmas for example, so
consider factoring in extra time if you have a festive wedding planned. It’s
always better to have your rings locked up safely at your home with two
months to spare then adding to stress of your planning and build up by
worrying that THE RINGS will not arrive in time. Do yourself a favour and
get the rings (as well as anything else possible inn my experience!) sorted
well advance!
Tip 6: Get Adequate Insurance
I know it’s the really dull bit after the exciting commission process but
there’s no point commissioning your dream wedding rings to (god forbid!)
lose them and not be able to afford to get them replaced! As a rule of
thumb, many household insurance policies cover theft of any single item from
the home up to £2k, but often if you lose or have it stolen from anywhere
else bar the home, you are not covered, which is a pretty scary thought! For
the sake of a phone call, it’s worth checking your policy and upgrading
where necessary to ensure that your wedding rings (and engagement ring if
it’s not been done already) are insured at home and away, then you can relax
and if the worst case scenario did happen, at least you’re covered.
The full blog post can be seen here
About Sarah Kelly: “I’m a passionate creative, published author, occasional lecturer and someone who aspires to always innovate within my design field. I’m interested in entrepreneurship and small, independent, British labels. I have run my own jewellery business since 2008 and am excited to also now be Director in British Luxury Watch brand W. T. Author. The future is bound to be a full and inspiring one!”
