I met Helene, who has a warm and outgoing personality, a few times at a local arts event and each time she had admired a very bold and contemporary ring that I had made from an inherited Citrine. It was quite a sculptural piece, simple in form but very striking and having finally made the decision to have an inherited ring with a very thin and worn shank remodelled, it was the Citrine ring that became the design inspiration for Helene’s bespoke sapphire and diamond ring commission.

A sapphire the colour of the deepest, bluest sea

I couldn’t believe my eyes when Helene first showed me the ring at our first consultation. It was very clearly Art Deco in style but what really caught my eye (apart from the size) was the beautiful depth of colour in the central square cut sapphire- such an intense clear blue. After a good clean, the old cut diamonds were literally winking at us every time I moved it in my hands too.

What was clear to us both was that this top setting had to be kept intact. To take it apart and reuse the stones would have been possible, but we both felt it would be a shame to lose the essence of the period styling as that is also what linked it to Helene’s great aunt.

So, how to go about incorporating such a distinctive set of stones into a new design? Due to its size and impact, it certainly wasn’t going to be an everyday ring. Whilst the claw settings holding each stone in place were in good condition, Helene wanted to know that when she did wear it, they wouldn’t catch on her hair or clothes and so we decided to encase the head of the ring in a modern walled setting with a rubbed over edge. With Helene’s heart set on the design of the Citrine ring, I was able to set about making the components and bring them together.

Final fitting and design decisions

At this stage, we then met up again for a final fitting and for Helene to decide if she wanted the housing for the stones set straight or diagonally. The design worked well in both formats, but Helene’s decision was to go for the diagonal layout which gave the appearance of elongating her finger as well as being more of a change from the original ring.

Helene’s finished ring is a statement ring that certainly has a definite ‘WOW’ factor and whilst we both refer to it as a cocktail ring, she makes sure that she wears it to all parties and events where she loves the attention it attracts.

“Like many of us I imagine, I had a piece of inherited jewellery that was beautiful but ‘not really me’, so it languished in the box never worn. That was until Charlotte wove her magic! Having seen her work and loved it for some time, I approached her about remodelling my ring. Charlotte listened to my ramblings and managed to interpret exactly what I wanted. The end piece was exactly what I’d hoped for – the most amazing piece. I love it.”

〜 Helene