Jodie Gearing Bespoke Jewellery Design

I designed rings for a couple getting married at Dick and Angel Strawbridge's chateaux, which was very memorable!

Imaginative, Innovative, Enduring, Adventurous, Elegant

I am most proud of the quality of service and final outcome that my customer's receive. I know that the rings they design with me are heirloom quality, and also ethically sourced and made.

Your wedding rings are the one true tangible item from your wedding day that you will wear for the rest of your life. They deserve to be high up the priority list when planning your wedding, and you should allocate a reasonable budget for them. I had a couple once tell me they were spending 2k on their wedding cake, and they had grand plans for their wedding rings, which came out less than the cake, but they were over budget for them. A beautiful cake is a lovely thing to have at your wedding, but the ring will be with you forever. It deserves to be made to last.

I have just finished some wedding rings where the gents band is white and rose gold, with the rose gold shaped to the silhouette of the Scottish highlands and a castle that means a lot to the couple. The white gold is the sky above it - it's most unique and personal ring I have designed so far!

It all begins with a conversation. We usually start with the bride's ring as it often has to work alongside an engagement ring, and this creates a starting point. We discuss their style, their lifestyle, their dreams for their ring, I make suggestions and we look at existing products online and in my online galleries of past projects to get inspiration. I then sketch out my interpretation of their requirements, and if it is going next to an engagement ring, I draw them together so you can see them as a pair. I do all of this during our consultation so we can talk about each detail as we go. We then turn to the groom's ring, which is sometimes inspired by the design of the bride's, but not always. We look at silver samples of different widths and profiles to see how they look on his hand and how they feel to wear. I will then discuss their designs with my goldsmiths and put together a specification and quote. If the couple proceed, I take a 50% deposit to get started with the remainder payable on completion between 6-10 weeks later depending on the complexity of the designs. If we make the rings using CAD, the couples will see photorealistic images from several angles so they can truly visualise the piece. We can also produce a 3D print for them to try on. If the piece is fully handmade, I try to share photographs of the piece through the making process. I will send a sneak peek of the rings before they are collected/posted. The handovers are often emotional as my customers see their dream wedding rings in the flesh for the first time.

I love rings made of precious metals, rather than titanium etc. Marriage itself is routed in tradition, and I think precious metals like gold and platinum are worthy of this symbolic piece of jewellery.

A line from the couple's first dance song is always lovely, as well as their initials intertwined as a monogram. I also like to set their birthstones inside the rings as a hidden sentimental detail.

I think long term, the wedding ring is the most significant, but the engagement ring marks the beginning of such an exciting and romantic time. It is a statement of commitment to the person being proposed to and is drenched in symbolism and love.

I once collaborated with a carpenter - we handmade an engagement ring for him to finish off with an inlay of wood around the band. They then came back for wedding rings, which we finished with a wood-like hammered texture. It was really unique and so lovely for the groom to be able to say he made an element of the ring.