Having worked at The Village Goldsmith for 4 and a half years, to say I am passionate (and particular) about jewellery is an understatement. For this reason, creating an engagement ring was always going to be an extremely difficult feat for my partner Ruben, who is traditional and wanted to create a surprise proposal and engagement ring. However, with the help of Ian Douglas, founder of The Village Goldsmith, Ruben did just that!
After being gifted jewellery design stencils for Christmas last year, I began designing my dream ring in my spare time, all while showing my sketches to Ruben as “subtle hints” to the design I dreamt of...
The top secret mission started with Ruben creating a pseudonym name and email address, to send through my design sketches to Ian to begin the engagement ring process. From there, Ian worked with CAD designer Mike and master craftsman Darren to bring my sketches into reality. He let them in on the secret to ensure I would not see them working on the design and ring as I would know immediately that it was mine! In order to keep the ring a secret from not only me but the rest of the company, Ian met with Ruben in a local café to present the ring to him in person.
During a romantic “glamping” getaway to Taupo, the ring safely in Ruben’s pocket and our puppy in tow, we began our walk along Lake Taupo and the Whakaipo - Kinlock track on the journey to a lookout Ruben had scouted online. Once we reached the lookout, while I caught my breath and admired the view Ruben took my breath away once again when he got down on one knee and proposed. I was so surprised and excited that my first words were “That’s my ring!” followed quickly with “Yes, of course!”.
All smiles after the proposal went to plan and I said yes!
The view over Lake Taupo from the Kinlock Lookout.
The moment was even more special with our puppy Teddy being part of the proposal.
When I returned to work a week after the proposal, we were celebrating not only my engagement but also my birthday, so cake was certainly in order! After announcing to the team my big news, it was wonderful to hear the behind the scenes story of how my dream ring became a reality.
Let there be cake! Celebratory cake for the VG team.
I didn't make the design of the ring the simplest of tasks with the gradient of cognac to white diamonds in the half halo of the ring which were not the easiest to source and were hand-picked by Ian at one of the largest jewellery trade shows in the world. The diamonds not only needed to have a subtle gradient, but the fancy shaped diamonds needed to be the right dimensions and size to keep the proportions of the ring balanced. I have the beautiful Popped ring from The Village Goldsmith's Inspired Collection which I wear on my right hand, it features a cognac diamond so it was important to me that my engagement ring complements this ring while still making a statement of its own. Needless to say it certainly does!
While crafting the ring, jeweller Darren, had to keep hiding the ring and its progress, as I seemed to walk past "every 5 minutes" and he couldn't risk me spying it out the corner of my eye.
My custom bespoke pear cut diamond ring!
Knowing the passion, talent and ethical mindset that The Village Goldsmith has, made having the ring crafted by the VG team mean so much to me. My ring not only showcases the many talents of The Village Goldsmith, but the sentiment of the team I work with having created this special ring and ensuring the engagement was the surprise Ruben always wished for is something I will always cherish. The fact that Ian and the team kept my ring a secret, despite me typically knowing everything that goes on in the business, is a true testament to the passion we have to capturing the story of our couples to create memories that will be kept for a lifetime.
Inspired by this story and want to design your own personal piece of jewellery? Find out more and enquire about creating your perfect custom bespoke jewellery item with our experienced team of designers and master craftsmen.
