The Laings Journal
As part of Laings inaugural annual golf day, we gave away the chance to work with our expert design team to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery incorporating a beautiful ruby gemstone, an experience worth £3000.
A piece which is rooted in sentiment, creativity and fine craftsmanship, Laings Ruby Raffle ring is brought to life by the skill and expertise of our craftspeople. From ideas sketched out on paper, our experts unite the imagination of our client and designer to bring to life a piece of jewellery which will be treasured for generations. Follow the journey of our Ruby Raffle prize winner from helping to raise vital funds for a cause close to the hearts of all at Laings, to creating the most exquisite ring designed around the beautiful and alluring ruby gemstone.
British Heart Foundation
A cause close to our heart, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a charity that resonates personally with the Laing family. Funding research to find cures and treatments for heart and circulatory disease, the BHF have helped to develop machines that can restart hearts and devices to correct heartbeats. An experience which Laings was fortunate enough to be provided with, the BHF also offers lifesaving training in CPR and awareness, to equip workplaces with the means to save the life of someone suffering from cardiac arrest. With devastating conditions like these still causing fatalities in 1 in 4 people in the UK, there is still work to be done. Together with the BHF, Laings strives towards beating heartbreak forever.
Gleneagles Golf Day
In our mission to help the British Heart Foundation, Laings hosted its annual golf day at the world-famous Gleneagles Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort where we invited our clients to enjoy a day of sport, while raising money throughout the day with auctions and initiatives. The silent auction saw incredible prizes, kindly donated from businesses in the UK, from fine dining experiences to exclusive rounds of golf at renowned courses.
One of the most exciting prizes of the day was a stunning ruby gemstone and one-of-a-kind bespoke design experience with Laings worth £3000. The raffle prize allowed clients the chance to meet with our in-house design team to help create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery of their choice, incorporating the beautiful ruby gemstone. The lucky winner of the ruby prize worked with our Laings team on the design and creation of a unique and breath-taking ruby and diamond ring.
Computer-Aided Design with Sally Fenton, Jewellery Designer
Following the initial design process with our incredible designer, Kirsty Berry, the client is allowed to see their vision begin to be brought to life as designer and CAD specialist, Sally Fenton, transforms sketches into the first 3D renders and waxworks.
Speaking to Sally, she takes us through the meticulous CAD process, whereby each detail is considered to ensure the design translates to manufacture. From sketch to computer-design and wax 3D printing, the CAD process creates the visual representation of the piece which allows both the client and the goldsmith to envision its creation with fine materials and gemstones.
“To create the CAD from the sketch, I need to know all the measurements – i.e., finger size, stone size and any other specific sizes that the designer requires. We start by creating a ring rail, placing the stones, and building the model around this. I often start with the stones and settings, leaving the creation of the shank till last as this needs to blend into the settings. As we made this in 18ct yellow gold and platinum, I created the model in two parts, and we printed two waxes – one for the settings and the other for the shank. The waxes were made specifically to slot exactly into each other to facilitate the assembly process.”
“Sometimes, as designs progress, we need to make minor adjustments to the CAD from the sketch as we must ensure sizes are correct to the mm. However, in this instance, there was no adjustments required. I usually create two CAD models of the same piece – one model for manufacture with extended claws and indents for connecting the two parts, and the other to give a render which is an overall impression of how the ring will look. As we progress throughout the manufacturing process, the model often looks different from the drawing. We make the ring with more extended claws to give the goldsmith as much metal as possible to work with when setting the stones. Once the setting is complete, the claws are reduced, offering the same overall impression as the drawings and renders.”
“The client chose a beautiful Ruby for this piece, and I loved creating it as the marquise and pear shapes really complement one another. Marquise is a more unusual stone choice, so it was nice to do something a bit different.”
Craftsmanship with Stuart Thomson, Goldsmith
Goldsmith, Stuart Thomson, channels his 43 years of experience to apply precision skill in creating the carefully crafted and beautiful ruby ring. Taking each detail into account, from the metals and materials used, to the characteristics of the gemstones, Stuart manufactures the ring with fine tuning and finesse at the forefront of its creation.
“A delicate balance of beautiful design and ensuring security had to be established when creating this piece. With the unique marquise ruby, v-shaped claws were applied to the end of the stone, giving protection to the most vulnerable parts of the stone. Enhancing the security further, platinum claws were chosen to encase both the ruby and diamonds. The impressive durability of platinum lends this metal perfectly to jewellery for everyday wear and its white colour will be maintained forever. Rubies are an excellent choice for an everyday piece of jewellery and, because of its durability, is also great to work with when setting.”
“Creating this piece was a pleasure, transforming the client’s vision and working with the unique ruby gemstone. It was made even more special knowing that this piece helped to raise money for such an important cause.”
The Marquise Ruby and Diamond Ring
The collaboration of our skilled designers and craftspeople resulted in a stunning 18ct yellow gold marquise ruby and diamond ring. The distinct shape of the marquise ruby along with its deep red hues not only enchants but also flatter its wearer with a striking silhouette and spectacular colour. This unique combination of ruby and diamonds is paired with a classically beautiful 18ct yellow gold shank. Demonstrating exceptional diversity in their creations, the bespoke team illustrate the ability to create bespoke pieces which accompany us in the everyday, wearable yet stunning.
Create your own one-of-a-kind piece to treasure forever with Bespoke Design at Laings.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Bespoke Design and the Ruby Raffle Ring. Follow our latest news on Facebook, Instagram , LinkedIn and YouTube.