Custom Made Rings: What’s Possible?
With Taylor & Hart, the possibilities for custom engagement ring design are as wide as your imagination.
Types of Metal
We craft our rings from either platinum or 18ct gold, which comes in three colours: yellow gold, rose gold, or white gold.
The advice we usually give is to go with the colour of metal that matches you or your partner’s existing jewellery. But, this can also be a great time to break from away from the everyday and make a piece that will stand out—what matters most is that your choice of metal comes from the heart.
Platinum
Platinum is an iconic choice when it comes to jewellery. Its naturally bright, white appearance will retain its beauty to ensure your ring will be treasured for a lifetime. Due to its low level of maintenance and its lustrous bright, white finish, platinum continues to be the most popular metal choice amongst our customers.
18ct Yellow Gold
Yellow gold is the most traditional of precious metal options. This warm glowing metal is the second most popular choice for engagement and wedding rings, as it appeals to those who desire its rich appearance and strength.
18ct Rose Gold
Rose gold is created by alloying gold (which is naturally yellow) with small amounts of copper to achieve a pink or blush hue. Contemporary and understated, rose gold brings an element of originality to any design and is durable enough to withstand life’s adventures.
18ct White Gold
White gold has always been a classic choice for sentimental jewellery pieces, and carries with it a history and charm that many people like to incorporate into their design.
To give white gold its sought after sheen, it’s alloyed with nickel, palladium or silver then plated with rhodium. With time, rhodium plating will wear away revealing the yellow tones of natural gold, so your ring will need replating every 12-18 months to maintain its lustre and radiance.
Mixed Metal
Available only as a custom option, engagement rings and wedding rings can also be crafted in a mix of metals in any combination. Get the best of both worlds by combining 18ct yellow gold with platinum, or symbolise the joining of two hearts into one with a platinum and rose gold band.
Metal Finishes
All of our rings come with a polished finish as standard, but a simple custom detail for any design is an alternative finish to your metal.
Matte
Matte finished rings are smooth to the touch but have an opaque surface like a fogged mirror, giving them a warm patina rather than a reflective shine.
Sandblasted
A noticeably coarse finish but entirely comfortable to wear, a sandblasted finish is grainy to the touch and gives your ring a rustic or natural look.
Hammered
Popular with those who prefer a shiny polish, a hammered finish has small pebbly dimples created by gently hammering the metal after it’s been cast.
Brushed
Brushed rings are similar to those with a matte finish but they also bear thin, wiry brush marks that create a near-imperceptible sparkle on the metal’s surface.
Diamond & gemstone shapes
Choosing the shape, or ‘cut’, of your centre diamond is one of the most important decisions in your design journey. We offer all the standard fancy diamond cuts, from round and oval to heart and hexagonal. Your consultant will give you best-in-class guidance when it comes to picking a diamond and help you select the exact diamond that will be set in your ring.
Learn more about diamond shapes here.
Custom and Antique Diamond Cuts
We’re also able to source a wide range of custom and vintage diamond shapes if you’re looking for something more unique. Vintage diamond cuts have a subtle and romantic glow, while custom cuts are great for creating intricate compositions of diamonds within your design.
Rose cut diamond
Old mine cut diamond
Old European cut diamond
Baguette diamonds
Half moon cut diamond (side diamond)
French cut diamond pavé
Carré diamond halo
Bullet cut diamonds
Trapezoid cut sapphires (side stones)
Trillion cut diamond
Coloured Gemstones
We offer a range of coloured gemstones, including coloured diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, that allow you to make your design feel uniquely yours.
No two coloured gemstones are exactly alike, so we’ll work with you one-on-one to choose the exact gemstone you want set in your ring. Our gemstone experts will curate a selection based on your needs from our portfolio of thousands of diamonds & gemstones, ensuring you find ‘the one’.
Ruby engagement ring
Yellow diamond engagement ring
Teal sapphire engagement ring
Emerald engagement ring
Pink sapphire engagement ring
Blue sapphire engagement ring
Signature Gemstones
All our rings come with a Signature Ruby set within the band as a mark of the care and attention that went into designing your ring. It serves as a symbol of the deep and intimate connection you share within your relationship.
But this detail can be customised and replaced with 26 other types of precious gemstone. Having this range of options is perfect if you want to swap out the ruby with your partner’s birthstone or a gemstone that’s found in the geological region where you fell in love. See our full range of Signature Gemstones here.
Diamond and Gemstone Detailing
Once you’ve chosen your centre stone, you can add whole mosaics of gemstone detailing to your design. Tell a story through side stones and pavé, or embrace a more contemporary look with diamond cluster detailing.
Design Styles
There are four main setting styles: the solitaire, pavé, halo, and trilogy. To create a custom engagement ring, we usually begin with a design from one of these four base categories then build out details and bespoke features from there.
Solitaire
Solitaire rings are those with a single centre diamond or gemstone. The centre stone will be held within a ‘setting’, which refers to the way metal is used to encase and hold the stone in place. The two most popular types of diamond ring setting are a claw setting (also known as a prong setting) and a bezel setting, but there are many to choose from.
Prong setting
Bezel setting
Basket setting
Tulip setting
Tension setting
Pavé
Named after the French word for paving, pavé refers to rows of tiny diamonds or gemstones that ‘pave’ the metal of a ring’s setting. Pavé detailing can run along the band, head, shoulders, or gallery of a ring, encrusting it with sparkling gemstones.
Halo
A halo design features a ring of diamonds or other precious stones surrounding your centre stone. A standard halo of diamond pavé can be added to most engagement ring designs, but can be further customised with coloured gemstones, different stone cuts, or sizes.
Trilogy
A trilogy engagement ring (or ‘three stone’ or ‘trinity’ engagement ring) features three diamonds or gemstones at its centre. The three stones are said to symbolise your past, present, and future together as a couple.
Similar to the trilogy ring style are Toi et Moi engagement rings and five stone engagement rings. Toi et moi rings (from the French for ‘you and me’) feature two centre stones set next to each other while five stone rings feature five diamonds or gemstones, usually in graduated sizes.
Trilogy ring with pear diamond side stones
Toi et moi engagement ring
Five stone engagement ring
Band Styles
The band, or the shank of your ring is the part that wraps around your finger. This is one of the most customisable elements of your design and a great place to incorporate something that symbolises your love.
Engravings, twists, milgrain, filigree, pavé, coloured gemstones—subtle detail or stand-out shapes on the band can make your design truly one of a kind.
Split shank band
Twisted band
Pavé band
Engraved band
filigree band
Design Features
With your metal, centre gemstone, and design style chosen, there’s a wide selection of design features that you can add to your ring to give it a romantic touch. A personalised ring can incporporate one or many added design features, from a hand inscription to a fully custom sculptural element.
Relief Work
Relief work creates three dimensional shapes and designs on your ring. Our industry-leading designers use digital sculpting technology to create your unique design as though they were hand sculpting it from clay.
These shapes are then either hand carved by our metalsmiths, or cast into metal from a 3D render of your design (the latter being a slightly different design process known as a ‘cast shape’).
Nautical knot engagement ring
Blue rose diamond engagement ring
Lobster claw engagement ring
Hand Engraving
Completed by our master engravers, hand engraving can achieve a variety of results from organic or floral designs to patterns or motifs. This is a great custom feature if you want your ring to have an artisan, antique, vintage feel or to include a pattern that holds cultural significance for you or your partner.
Filigree
This antique engagement ring detail emerged in the Edwardian era between 1905 and 1915. Inspired by delicate lace, filigree features swirling hand carved shapes and designs in the collet and along the band. It’s a perfect custom option if you’re looking to elevate a classic design into something more intricate.
Milgrain
Milgrain is a beading detail often seen in antique-style jewellery. Typically featured along the edges of engagement ring designs, milgrain offers a subtle sparkle to your design and helps to make your diamonds or gemstones appear larger.
