Planning for the wedding ring is an important part of my Proposal ring process.
22nd March 2024 - Customer location: Cairns
Back when I made this proposal ring in April 2023 the finger size I was given fro the surprise proposal ended up being too large. Following the successful proposal we resized the ring smaller but due to the design the shoulders it could not be bent down to form a circle without risking damaging the diamonds
Article: Rings that cannot be resized
A gap created by the ring being oval after resizing.
The ring would have to be left in an oval shape for now. We would correct this with the free remake of the proposal ring after the wedding ring design had been confirmed.
Article: The proposal ring
There are several issues with an oval ring:
It is difficult to measure the actual size.
A round wedding ring put next to an oval engagement ring will not match.
Getting the wedding ring to match
A sketch of the wedding ring design.
The resized proposal ring was worn in that oval shape for almost a year until early 2024 when it was time to design and make the wedding ring. The customer selected a design that followed the shape of the engagement ring. There was however an issue with this design being worn next to the existing side profile of the proposal ring that we will address in a minute.
Photoshop of the weddign ring design on the recipients hand.
There are times when only the wedding ring can or should be worn. Times such as when an activity is too rough to risk damaging the more valuable engagement ring or when only one ring fits…… perhaps during pregnancy.
Using photoshop I was able to show the customer how the wedding ring would look when worn on its own. She was happy with what she saw.
The wedding ring spinning around the Proposal ring, this would be addressed in the remake.
This photo was taken much later in the process when the proposal ring was returned to me for unsetting. It shows you the problem we knew would happen if the proposal ring design stayed the same. The wedding ring would simply spin from side to side.
The proposal ring was created to take a straight wedding ring. The curved wedding ring had nothing to sit next to/into/around/over to keep it in position as much as possible.
I write “as much as possible” because how a fitted wedding sits next to the engagement ring very much depends on the wearers finger shape. Rings not only spin but they move along and up and down the finger to varying degrees.
Changes required for the wedding ring to sit optimally
The changes planned for the remake to the right of the proposal ring shape.
On the computer I showed the customer the changes needed to be made to give the wedding ring the best chance of staying in place. It would not eliminate movement but this would be the optimal solution ………short of pinning the rings together.
Confirm the correct finger size with the remade proposal ring
The base of the remade ring still much thicker than needed even after stretching to size.
With the changes approved I remade the proposal ring but intentionally to a size that would be too small. I created it with extra thickness to the base allowing me to stretch it up to the correct size during a fitting. I used the remade ring to determine the correct size of the ing when round, prior to making the wedding ring.
Unlike resizing a finished ring, with the diamonds still not being set there was no chance of damaging them whilst changing the shape of the ring.
Siting nicely in place :)
Before setting the remade proposal ring I made the wedding ring. Here you can see how it now wraps around the base of the engagement ring.
The proposal ring with the remade ring to the back. Time to swap the diamonds.
The time had now come for the customer to drop the proposal ring off for me to change over the diamonds. This process usually takes a couple of days or less for most designs.
Safety first when unsetting the Proposal ring
The safest way to remove the diamonds is to cut the metal way. As it was always intended to scrap the proposal ring it does not matter if it is destroyed. The number one priority is to get the diamonds safely out of the ring.
The end result
This is the end result. Both rings made to the correct finger size, the desired wedding ring achieved and they sit together properly. Viewing directly from the top or near that angle none of the side work of the engagement ring is visible.
There was no cost to remake the proposal ring as other than a bit more gold there were no change in materials. The proposal ring process I use delivers outcomes like this every time.