Three Stones, One Family: A Bespoke Flower-Set Ring in White Gold
A bespoke three-stone ring made in white gold from stones that already had a life of their own.
This is a bespoke three-stone ring I made in white gold, and it began the way the pieces I love most usually do — with stones that already had a life of their own. My client did not come to me for something off a shelf. She came with three diamonds and a story, and asked whether I could bring them together into one ring she could wear every day.
Three stones, three relationships:
The stone at the centre is her engagement diamond. It is the largest of the three, and it sits a little higher so the eye goes to it first. On either side sit two smaller diamonds — gifts from her parents. So the ring holds three things at once: the person she chose, and the two people who raised her. That is what turns a beautiful ring into a family heirloom. It is not the size of the stones. It is who they came from.
Why a three-stone design:
A three-stone ring — sometimes called a trilogy — has long carried the idea of past, present and future. Here that meaning is close to literal. Her parents' diamonds flank the stone she was given when she was proposed to. Read across, it is almost a small family portrait in white gold. When stones arrive with this much meaning, my job is simply to hold them well and to let each one be seen.
The flower setting:
The flower is the centre of everything I make, and it is not only a shape — it is also a way of setting a stone. In a flower setting the little claws that hold each diamond are formed into petals, so the setting itself becomes part of the flower rather than a fixing bolted on top. You can see it here around all three stones: each diamond sits in its own small bloom. It is slow to make and impossible to rush, which is rather the point. It softens a very classic three-stone line and makes it unmistakably mine.
Made by hand at my Hatton Garden bench:
The ring is white gold, made and finished by hand at my bench in Hatton Garden, where I have designed, drawn and made jewellery for around three decades. Working in the heart of London's historic jewellery quarter means the craft I need is close at hand — assay and hallmarking, and the trusted specialists I have worked alongside for years. You can see the hallmark struck into the inside of the band in the photograph: a quiet mark that this is a real, assayed piece, made to last and to be passed on.
Working with your own stones:
People are sometimes surprised that you can bring your own diamonds to a jeweller and have something new made around them. You can. Resetting inherited or gifted stones is some of my favourite work — an engagement diamond, a grandmother's ring that is no longer worn, stones that have been waiting in a box for the right idea. I draw first, we agree the design together, and then the piece is made for you: your stones, your size, your metal, from sketch to bench. That is the real joy of commissioning from a maker rather than buying off a shelf — the ring starts as yours.
If you have stones with a story:
If you are holding diamonds that mean something — an engagement stone, a gift from a parent, something inherited — they do not have to stay in a drawer. They can become one ring you wear every day. If you would like to talk about a bespoke commission, or about remodelling stones you already own, I would love to hear what you have and what it means to you.
— Kate
