Bespoke Jewellery Design Service

Our bespoke jewellery design service is one of the most unique and valuable services available at Laings of Glasgow. We offer the expertise of jewellery designer Kirsty berry (BA Hons, Glasgow school of Art) and highly trained and experienced Goldsmith Stuart Thomson - as a team they design and handcraft your bespoke piece from a drawing on paper to the finished object.

1. CONSULTATION - The process begins with a meeting in our luxurious diamond lounge where designer Kirtsy meets with the client to discuss the commission. First she establishes if it is an old piece to be remodeled or a brand new item to be created from scratch - the work is usually a remodeling job in which the customer brings a piece of treasured family jewellery to be adapted into something more to the taste of the owner. The great skill of this process is to rework the piece into something beautiful whilst successfully maintaining the condition of the original elements for sentimental value.

2. OPTIONS - During the first meeting Kirsty will establish the clients preferences to get an idea of their taste, she will often let them try on pieces from the store to help inspire the client and gain a better idea of what suits them and allow them to point out the features they like best.

3. TO THE DRAWING BOARD - The next stage involves the trusty sketch pad where some rough designs are drawn up of how to incorporate old stones (if a remodeling piece) or if its a new piece to show the positioning and detail of what goes where - this allows the customer to visualise the piece and helps to start bringing the concept to life.

4. LOGISTICS - After the creative and arty side of things then comes the science bit - Kristy consults Goldsmith Stuart on what is technically possible using the metals and stones he will be working with. This is particularly tricky when remodeling an older piece of jewellery as the skills required to retain the beauty and condition of the original components can only be undertaken by a technician of the highest excellence. This stage usually involves a meeting with both Designer and Goldsmith to ensure that the client is happy and comfortable for the work to commence.

5. SO IT BEGINS - Once 100% settled on the design the physical work will start, the usual timescale for this is approx. between 4-8 weeks depending on the intricacies of the work. From start to finish all pieces made by Laings of Glasgow will be designed and handcrafted entirely in Glasgow by only 2 people - it is an extremely intimate and unique experience for the client and the best way to truly experience the magic of jewellery creation.

6. THE UNVEILING - Once the piece is complete the client will return to the diamond lounge, met with a glass of Champagne and presented their creation by Kirsty. Our most recent client was a gentleman called Richard Wands from Australia who came across Laings while studying in Scotland. Since moving back to Australia and deciding he was in the market for a unique piece of jewellery he had searched far and wide to find the best people for the job. From his time in Scotland he knew Laings as a reputable high end jeweller and was delighted to discover a bespoke jewellery design service on our website.

After speaking with Kirsty he settled on a pear cut diamond pedant for his girlfriend, they communicated via email and then upon a visit to Scotland he was invited to view the diamonds that had been sourced for him. After selecting the most exquisite stone he advised he would also like to add a little more personalisation to the piece and requested a white gold tag engraved with his partners initials as a perfect finishing touch. The best part came when Mr Wands collected his tailor-made pendant and he was delighted and overwhelmed at the outcome - he was even kind enough to share his experience with a wider audience and wrote a wonderful review about his journey with Laings. (Click here to read).

Following on from the successes of our already established design department we are set to further develop the service, our flagship store is being fitted with a fabulous designated design area on the second floor and our designer Kirsty is taking on a CAD (Computer Aided Design) jewellery design course which will gain her yet another qualification. This will allow her to bring the designs to life by generating virtual, 3 dimensional images to allow the customer to better visualise the end product. This means that the process from start to finish will be speedier, but will of course retain the handmade element. Work has already begun for the new design department and is scheduled to be fully functional by November 2014.

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