Why the proposal ring process I use is so important
8th July 2023 - Customer location: Cairns
The proposal ring made in October 2020.
Of late I have been explaining the benefits of my Proposal Ring process quite a few times. I thought this job I just finished is a great example of why it is so useful in ensuring that your are happy with your engagement ring….even after the wedding ring comes along.
In the case of this customer and most others she made very small changes during the process and there was no additional cost for the process. I use this process with pretty much every engagement ring I make.
As a rough description the proposal ring is a temporary ring used for the surprise proposal. It is used to confirm both the finger size and design and worn by the recipient whilst we plan for the wedding ring. In the end it will be totally remade to the correct size with any design changes required to suit the desired wedding ring.
The above proposal ring I made back in October 2020 and the recipient has been wearing it right up until July 2023. After the proposal I had to resize it by cutting a piece out as it was too large. I had now resized a brand new ring :(
Article: Why you should avoid resizing a new ring
Article: Different width = different finger size, Even standard wedding rings are customised.
Planning for the wedding ring
Original design on the left, altered to suit the wedding ring on the right.
After the proposal ring has been resize to fit (often required) I then discuss what the wearer has in mind for the wedding ring. This does not have to be done immediately. The recipient can wear the proposal ring for as long as they like.
In the case of this customer it was about two and half years before we started planning for the wedding ring. Once we had designed the top view of the wedding ring we discovered that some changes needed to be made to the side of the engagement ring.
The setting halo was raised by .2mm and the gallery under the halo modified for the diamond set wedding ring to pass through with more space.
Changing from the Proposal ring to the Engagement ring
The unset Proposal ring
For all intents and purposes her Proposal ring and Engagement ring were the same in appearance from the top. Other customers make greater changes to the design during the process but for her all she wanted was for it to sit nicely next to her wedding ring.
After I had made her final ring with the changes required she dropped her proposal ring off to me and a day or two later the diamonds were transferred into her final engagement ring.
The often asked question: What happens to the Proposal ring?
The Proposal ring awaiting its demise.
I often get asked this question and the answer is they get scrapped. Once the gems are removed and set into the final engagement ring it gets placed in a crucible……
Heat applied to the ring.
….the ring is then heated up until it starts to melt. You can see at the bottom of the ring the first section to melt is the join at the bottom of the band from when it was resized. Joins no matter how well done will always be a weak point in a ring.
The ring is reduced to a blob of metal.
After a period the ring is reduced to a blob of metal. At a later stage it will be recycled back into fresh precious metal. This method might seem wasteful and time consuming but it get things done perfectly.