Aug 23
Love0

Customer Feature Story: Jack & Symmie

By General

Scrolling through Instagram photos of Jack Hingert’s most recent Europe trip with his girlfriend Symmie, you wouldn’t know that he was hiding an Artisans Bespoke Jeweller’s engagement ring in his pocket.

Wanting to choose just the right moment to propose on their European jaunt, but not having planned exactly where to do it, Jack – who is a Defender for Brisbane Roar FC – kept the ring on him until he felt it was the right time. How he got away with it, we’ll never know! But thankfully the right moment came in Positano.

“I can’t think of anywhere more perfect!” he said, and we couldn’t agree more.

After meeting on a night out in Brisbane through mutual friends, Jack and Symmie quickly realized they’d found ‘The One’ and before he knew it, Jack was seeking recommendations for jewellers in Brisbane. Luckily for us, a Brisbane Roar teammate had also had an engagement ring made by Artisans, and he highly recommended us (thanks for that Daniel!).

Not long after that, Jack met with Tammy and they got to work designing the perfect engagement ring for Symmie. He chose a pear shaped 1ct diamond and wanted to surround it with a halo, and after consulting with Tammy, she added some beautiful design ideas to personalize it to the pair.

Upon seeing the ring, Jack said Symmie “just burst into tears – happy of course! She still talks about how much she loves it”.

In Jack’s words, he would definitely recommend Artisans Bespoke Jewellers to family and friends as it was such a great experience. “Tammy and the team were fantastic. They were so friendly and went above and beyond to get me exactly what I wanted. I’m so happy that Daniel recommend them to me. Can’t fault any part of the service”.

We’re so happy for Jack and Symmie. Thank you for choosing Artisans Bespoke Jewellers to be part of your beautiful story, and congratulations on your engagement!

Contact Artisans Bespoke Jewellers to book a jewellery design consultation today to design your own bespoke diamond engagement ring.

Aug 03
Love0

Do not be fooled into buying brand name jewellery

By All

Is it worth investing in a brand name piece of jewellery?

Many buyers commonly think that purchasing jewellery from a brand name means that the quality and design of the piece will amount to the money invested. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Left: Brand name jewellery ring.
Right: Artisans Bespoke Jewellers handmade ring made with 10% more metal to give the piece structurally integrity.

Purchasing jewellery from an international brand name could lead to costly and lengthy repair and maintenance fees. For instance, we recently met with a client who had diamonds that had fallen out of her ring. When she took it back to the brand, they quoted a high amount for the repair work and the repair was drawn out over a period of 3 months as they waited for diamonds to come in from overseas.

Our client was not happy with this service and or the lack of quality in their ring, so they entrusted Artisans Bespoke Jewellers to provide a solution.

The piece was manufacturing using CAD and cast technique. Read more about the difference between handmade jewellery and why we think it is superior to cast made jewellery.

Strangely, each of the diamonds in the ring varied in size from 2.98 – 3.20mm. This only increased the chances of another diamond falling out in the future.

Smallest diamond on the brand name ring measured at 2.98mm
Larger diamond on the brand name ring measured at 3.20mm

Since the client liked the style of the ring and did not want to significantly invest more time and money. Tammy advised to hand make an exact copy of the ring, using the existing diamonds, but to increase the ring dimensions by 10% to help give the ring structural integrity.

The additional materials ensured that another diamond would not fall out with general everyday wear.

If you are considering buying jewellery from a brand name or own a brand name piece that requires repairs, please book a design consultation with Artisans Bespoke Jewellers first to see what handmade options are available to you.

Jul 29
Love0

Tim, Tabitha & The Katherine Rose Ring

By General

At Artisans Bespoke Jewellers, we consider it an honour to play a part in our customer’s stories. Every story is different, but each time someone shares them with us, we feel privileged to be part of it. We might even tear up a bit when we see your reactions to the final product (we will neither confirm or deny this).

Our part in Tim and Tabitha’s story began when Tim decided he was going to propose to his girlfriend.

He started to search for a jeweller, and he began the search online. We received an email enquiry from him and quickly made an appointment. Tim says “When I first met Tammy I knew I had found the perfect place”.

The Little Prince by
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

In that meeting, Tim shared with us that Tabitha’s favourite book was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. For those who are familiar with this famous fable, you will know that a rose is an integral part of this story and Tim had a strong vision of designing a ‘rose ring’.

Working with Tammy, they designed a ring that perfectly encapsulated the essence of Tim’s message. He initially wanted a ruby as the centre stone for the rose, but Tammy guided him towards a pink/bronze sapphire to account for durability and everyday wear. Tsavorite garnets were chosen to depict the leaves of the rose.

Our jeweller Kathy, got to work on the design and created the ring on time and to Tim’s budget. Tim’s thoughts on seeing the completed ring for the first time:

“For me, the first time I saw the finished ring, I was completely in awe. It captured my idea and made it a thousand times better. The craft and design are incredible.”

Not long after picking up the ring, Tim sent us the following message:

“Just wanted to let you know that she said yes and she loves the ring! It really is incredible. Thanks again for all your help. It looks amazing in the sunlight!”

She said yes! We were so happy for them both, and Tim followed up later to let us know Tabitha’s initial reaction upon seeing the ring:

“For Tabitha, firstly she was wrapped up in the moment. The ring itself caught the light beautifully and when she realised what it was inspired by she was speechless. She loved the idea that the ring was unique to her, and how well it represents our journey together”.

It was such a pleasure designing and hand making this bespoke piece for Tim and Tabitha. We loved the design so much we wanted to create our own ‘Rose Ring’ inspired by Tim and Tabitha’s story, but with our own Artisans flair. The result was a beautiful rose ring set in 18ct White Gold with a Round Brilliant Solitaire – it was one of the most beautiful engagement ring designs we have seen our jeweller Kathy make, so we named the ring design after her – ‘Katherine Rose Ring’.

Katherine Rose Ring
Katherine Rose Ring
Katherine Rose Ring
Katherine Rose Ring
Artisans Bespoke Jewellers 98 Latrobe Terrace Inside
Contact Artisans Bespoke Jewellers about our stunning handmade engagement rings or to book a design consultation
Jun 28
Love0

Why Handmade Jewellery is Superior to Cast

By General

Advancements in technology has led to Computer-Aided Design (CAD) jewellery which has resulted in international brand names entering the jewellery market in droves. CAD jewellery is made by creating a design by computer and printing a 3Dimensional wax print (or mill the design onto metal). Metal is then poured  into a plaster mould and the piece can then be manufactured in bulk. This practice is generally done in factories overseas where labour and manufacturing costs are much lower than in Australia.

Due to the nature of how gold is set in the mould, cast made jewellery lacks strength and integrity compared to a piece that is made by hand. There are very few jewellers in Australia that can manufacture a completely handmade piece without the assistance of a computer. International brand names claim that their pieces are handmade, however the truth is that they are CAD, cast and then ‘finished’ by hand, or the components are individually manufactured by cast and then soldered together. These are not classified as being genuinely handmade.

Continue reading below where we explore the reasons why handmade jewellery is superior to cast.

Handmade Benefits:

Strength

A handmade ring is inherently stronger as the forged metal has been hardened by the process of forging, rolling, bending, hammering and shaping with a series of tools by hand.

No Faults In The Metals

During the casting process, the chance of porosity or crystallisation in the metal used are common faults of the casting process, which results in weakened metal. This possibility is easily avoided with a handmade piece.

Bespoke Gem Sizes

The setting of a gemstone/s in a handmade piece is measured and made to fit the selected gemstone/s perfectly, unlike a cast piece where it is limited to a select size of gemstones.

Variety Of Metal Colours & Modifications

Different coloured metals and modifications are also possible during the handmaking phase as opposed to a cast made jewellery. For example, if you wanted a yellow gold shank with white gold top this would be easy to achieve with a handmade piece.

No limitations In Design

Cast made jewellery can also be limited by the software however, handmade jewellery has a limitless range of design styles.

Common Misconception:

A common misconception is that handmade jewellery will take longer and cost more to make. This is definitely not the case with Artisans Bespoke Jewellers. Our team of talented jewellers and setter have fine-tuned their craft, making the process of hand making faster, which can often be less expensive and timely compared to making the same piece using CAD and cast techniques.

A more sustainable option:

We believe that handmade jewellery is a more sustainable option in the long run (as opposed to cast made jewellery) because you have the option to remodel from an existing piece. For instance, did you know that we can reuse the gold, gemstone/s from your jewellery collection even if it’s broken? This is a great way to keep sentimental pieces and their memories within the family and be able to hand it down to future generations.

Explore our handmade jewellery ranges below:

18ct White Gold Transitional Tear Drop Morganite and Diamond Earrings.
See our handmade earrings
Green Black Ring Stack
See our handmade dress rings
Diamond Round Brilliant 4 Claw Diamond Shoulder Engagement Ring
See our handmade engagement rings
Pearl Necklace
See our handmade pendant/necklaces

Rose White Bar Bracelet
See our handmade bracelets/bangles

Ladies Rose and White Gold Diamond Art Deco Wedding Band
See our handmade wedding bands

Contact Artisans Bespoke Jewellers to book a jewellery design consultation or to discuss your jewellery design options with our team.

May 21
Love0

Salt & Pepper Diamonds: A Brief Description & Why We Wouldn’t Recommend Them For Your Engagement Ring

By General

Diamonds can come with flaws or inclusions. These imperfections can actually come in various colours, although typically they’re black and white.

What Is A Salt & Pepper Diamond?

A salt and pepper diamond is essentially a diamond that has white (ie salt) and black (ie pepper) inclusions within it, hence the fact that they are sometimes referred to as ‘imperfect’ diamonds.

Almost all diamonds (99.9% to be precise) have some flaw, but mostly they are so tiny that they can’t be seen with the naked eye. Conversely, salt & pepper diamonds are so full of imperfections that it affects the look of the entire stone.

Where a normal diamond refracts light and appears to shine and sparkle, a salt and pepper diamond has a flat, mottled and grey look about it.

Historically these gems have been around for millions and sometimes billions of years!  Traditionally they’ve been considered undesirable due to the imperfections, but more recently they are enjoying an increase in popularity by brides seeking something a little different.

Why We Wouldn’t Recommend Them For Your Engagement Ring

At Artisans Bespoke Jewellers we wouldn’t recommend using a salt and pepper diamond for your engagement ring. Depending on where the imperfections are within the stone, and how big they are, it could compromise the strength of the diamond.

Even if you’re careful with your engagement ring and try not to bump it or scratch it, the risk to damaging the stone is much greater than with a normal diamond.

Our Recommendation

Instead, if you like the look of the salt & pepper diamond and would like a similar look for your engagement ring – we would recommend a grey spinel. The grey spinel has a gorgeous silver tone and also has the added value of being an 8 – 8.5 on the Mohs scale, which measures the hardness of a gem (10 being the highest/hardest).

Hex cut grey spinel and diamond engagement ring

Grey Spinel Diamond Ring
Grey Spinel Ceylon Pink Sapphire Diamond Ring
See our Grey Spinel Collection

Hopefully this information helps you in your engagement ring research! If you’d like to meet with us and learn more about which gems we would recommend for your engagement ring, don’t hesitate to contact us at the shop on (07) 3369 3798.