At Claddagh Design there are two things we’re especially passionate about; beautiful jewellery, and the beautiful moments they help create for our clients. There’s no better feeling than sending off a one-of-a-kind piece that we’ve designed with the person who’ll be giving/wearing it… except maybe seeing their reaction when they open the box!
If we had to choose, our favourite type of custom jewellry project would have to be wedding rings. Specially made wedding rings add a truly personal touch to any couple’s big day. It really is an honour to make such a meaningful piece of jewellery that they’ll wear for the rest of their lives - and maybe even pass on to future generations, too. Recently we worked on a very unique set of custom wedding rings for the lovely Chloe and Benjamin from France.
They got married in April, and kindly agreed to let us share the journey of their wedding rings here. This was a highly collaborative process and Chloe had lots of creative ideas right from the beginning. Here’s how these fantastic rings went from vision to reality…
Getting Started
Benjamin is the proud owner of our silver men’s claddagh ring (like this one), and Chloe has our ogham pendant with Benjamin’s name engraved (similar to this one). They both liked the theme and style of these pieces (thanks guys!), so they contacted us last November about custom made wedding rings for their upcoming big day. We were only delighted to oblige! Luckily they had already made some of the most important design decisions:
- They wanted silver
- Chloe wanted her wedding ring to curve around her engagement ring
- They wanted both rings to fit together in some way
- They wanted engraved details
Although they both liked different styles of rings, they wanted the designs to complement one another. Chloe also sent us some rough drawings of what she had in mind, plus pictures of her engagement ring and designs they’d found online that they liked:
All combined, it made the perfect starting point.
Finalising the Design
Over the next few weeks Chloe and our silversmith Eileen kept in contact through email, discussing possible design elements and planning timelines so that the rings would be ready in time for the wedding. Because Chloe’s ring needed to curve around her engagement ring, we needed exact dimensions to make sure they matched perfectly when worn together. We sent Chloe some mouldable plastic so she could make an impression of her ring, which she then sent back to us. This way she didn’t have to part with her engagement ring and we could still get a perfect view of its design and size. We often do this for wedding ring projects - and don’t worry, the plastic doesn’t damage the ring in any way.
Here’s how it works.
Step 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Y2EWRap_I
And step 2:n> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2rIlz9kOhg
Both Chloe and Benjamin also had their ring fingers measured by a local jeweller before we began creating the rings. By mid-January, we had reached a final design that everybody was happy with. Benjamin really liked the design of the men’s ring in the ‘inspiration photos’ they had sent, so we adopted something similar for his ring. It’s sterling silver with a matte finish and polished edges, and 4.5mm in thickness including the bevelled edge. We came up with two potential designs for Chloe, both curved silver rings, one plain and polished and the other inlaid with gemstones to match a detail on her engagement ring. She opted to keep it simple and chose the plain ring.
The back of the rings (i.e the part that you see when looking at the palm of your hand) have a hidden engraved detail that makes these wedding rings really special. In keeping with Chloe’s ogham pendant and Benjamin’s claddagh ring (which has Chloe’s name engraved in ogham on the inside), we came up with this design:
Chloe’s ring has a ‘B’ for Benjamin and his has a ‘C’ for Chloe engraved in ogham at the back. The initials are joined with a heart, with one half of the heart on each ring so that when placed together, they form the whole shape. It’s a visual representation of their marriage… with an ancient Irish twist!
Making the RingsChloe and Benjamin’s rings were, like all Claddagh Design jewellery, hand made from start to finish. Once she had the right ring sizes and the final designs, Eileen started by cutting the required length and width of silver from a silver sheet using a jeweller’s saw. Before making these pieces of silver into a ring shape, the edges had to be filed down for a smooth finish. She then hammered the silver into a ring shape (with a curve for Chloe’s) and soldered it before adding the main design details - the engravings and Benjamin’s matte finish. After that, it was just a matter of polishing, packaging and sending them off to the happy couple.
The Finished Piece
Here’s Chloe and Benjamin’s finished rings, right before they were shipped off to France for their role in the wedding. Check out the gorgeous ring box they got too!
If you’re interested in getting your own custom wedding rings made by us (but designed by you), you can get started here: https://www.claddaghdesign.com/irish-wedding-engagement-jewelry/ You give us your ideas, we’ll work with you until you’re 100% happy with the final design, and then your finished rings will be sent right to your door.