Emma's Story: An Engagement Ring Commission

"I have always had a keen interest in art, music, pottery – anything creative really - and the process behind how such things are made.  After seeing an exhibition about how Indian jewellery is made at the Victoria and Albert Museum (one of my all time favourite museums), I took an interest in how jewellery is made in the UK.

I have my mum to thank for showing me Justin’s jewellery - being an artist herself, I always trust her opinion and as soon as I saw the commissions gallery I knew this was the style I was looking for, and I loved how unusual the sandcast pieces look. I also love colour, and wanted to include as much colour as possible in my ring - something that I couldn’t find much of when searching online for inspiration.  Additionally, I am an avid supporter of independent businesses where we live, and it’s important to me to make sure I am supporting businesses which are ethical, and whose ethos surrounds sustainability, and welfare for workers.

My partner has Sri Lankan heritage, and we got engaged there; he has only been back to visit twice due to civil unrest, but his family felt it was safe to return this year (February 2024) and this was so special in many different ways. I felt so lucky to be able to witness the beauty of north Sri Lanka and stay in the ancestral home of my partner’s family, visiting all the places they frequented before uprooting to the UK. When they moved, his family settled in Wales, and he spent a lot of time at Ynyslas Beach, making many happy memories there.

Since my childhood, my family has frequently visited Carbis Bay and we have many fond memories of spending half-terms there, staying in the sea until we were blue, exploring the small caverns and waving to the seals that would come into the bay. I decided to pay homage to happy memories from our childhood on the beach; a place that we love to go together.  I already had a 22ct yellow gold ring I wanted to use in the making of a new ring, and was overjoyed to find out that Justin Duance already had sands in their sand collection from Carbis Bay and Ynyslas for the casting. 

To signify our getting engaged in Sri Lanka, I asked for a cornflower blue sapphire from Sri Lanka (which is coincidentally my partner’s favourite colour), and also an orange sapphire (my favourite colour) to be placed either side of the diamond.  Taiman thoughtfully ordered another sapphire from Sri Lanka to include in my ring, as well as sourcing the other coloured sapphires from different countries - which she told me all about, making this even more special.

During the whole design and making process, I always felt I could ring up and ask more questions. Taiman and Issy were so supportive of my ideas and offered great suggestions and recommendations for different aspects of the ring.  There was a lot of patience from their side after my relentless questions asking about different stones - the process of obtaining the stones, where all the stones came from, what ring sizes to go for.  On this last point, Taiman gave me a lot of advice, as my finger size fluctuates daily.  She sent my ring to me before the stones were set, as well as a smaller ring, so I could try them on and make sure the sizing was just right before they finished it.

In addition, along with the finished ring, Taiman very kindly sent me the sketch she made of my ring during the design process so that I could get it framed. I am absolutely elated with my ring; there is so much meaning and sentiment within it and I had a good dance when I received it and wore it for the first time, and I still feel like dancing every time I wear it (which, as it’s my engagement ring is all the time)! I loved my ring so much that I bought an engagement ring for my partner from Justin Duance’s wood collection so we could both have something from them.

Thank you so much to everyone again for all the effort and thought that went into making my ring a reality."

-

We're very grateful, Emma, for your beautiful words and sharing your story, and Pro for the brilliant photos that capture the moment so perfectly - check out Pro's awesome travel photos on his instagram and creative work on his website.

If Emma's engagement ring commission has inspired you to have a piece of your own, you may find our Journal post on how to commission a piece of jewellery useful.