To California... From Wellington, With Love

Set and Amalya's Custom Hand-Engraved Engagement Ring & Proposal Story

Set and Amalya live in California. Neither have travelled to New Zealand but their love story has a special Kiwi connection.  

The couple met around the same time that Set started his MBA research project at UCLA which was a deep dive into the jewellery industry and our business. Over the course of 6 months, Set learned the ins and outs of how we design and craft diamond ring. When he decided to ask Amalya to marry him, it was his turn to experience the design and crafting process himself! 

Set fired off an email to Chris at The Village Goldsmith with his exciting news and asked us to help him create the perfect bespoke engagement ring for Amalya. 

Chris and our designer Ian chatted to Set over Skype about the styles that Amalya likes and Set’s ideas for the ring. They agreed that the design should be simple and elegant - a solitaire diamond ring crafted in platinum with a vintage twist. With this in mind, Ian got to work on some sketches. 

The next email that landed in Set’s inbox included some concept sketches from Ian. To make the engagement ring one of a kind, Ian’s idea was to subtly incorporate Set and Amalya’s initials into the ‘leafy’ setting for the diamond. 

“The S and A initials are in reality very small and really only you guys will see and know their meaning. To most it will look like a very classically set solitaire diamond ring, but it will have a very genuine point of difference”.

Set then thought of a further way to personalise Amalya’s engagement ring. He explained to Chris and Ian that Amalya owned a family heirloom bracelet which had belonged to her grandmother. The bracelet was engraved with an intricate pattern. Set wondered whether this pattern could be incorporated into her engagement ring so that the two pieces of jewellery could be worn together harmoniously and to add another unique and sentimental element to the ring.

The only thing Set needed to do was take a photo of the bracelet so that our jeweller Darren could replicate elements of the engraved design. However, this was easier said than done as Amalya hardly ever took the bracelet off her wrist! 

Set achieved his mission impossible and sent Ian and Darren some photos of the bracelet. Amalya continued none the wiser.

Darren then sketched how he could hand engrave elements of the bracelet's pattern onto the band of the diamond ring. 

Ian explained to Set that this would be hand engraved onto the ring once it was crafted. Darren had chosen the most delicate details of the bracelet's engraving to replicate on the very fine and rounded band of Amalya's ring. Everyone agreed it would suit the design perfectly. 

Set was also able to visualise how the various elements of the ring would come together through 3D CAD renders showing different angles and profiles of the finished piece. 

“Guys, I’m so pleased with the work! This looks phenomenal. Please tell Darren that he did an amazing job with the sketch and that it really does bring in the essential elements from the bracelet. Let’s get production underway!” 

At this stage, Set was already itching to see and hold the ring in person. He thought back to the beginning of his MBA project when he had admitted to Ian that jewellery wasn’t really his thing! Now, 12 months later, Set realised that it was his involvement in the process of designing and crafting Amalya’s ring that meant it was so much more than simply buying a piece of jewellery.  

Amalya’s custom engagement ring was crafted in our Wellington workshop and our jeweller Darren meticulously hand engraved the bracelet design onto the band of the ring. The finished ring was truly stunning - an elegant and simple design which beautifully captured the couple’s personal story. 

The ring was then sent to Set in California. It arrived on the same day that Set submitted his final UCLA exam paper. He emailed to let us know. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to see it today. It’s such a funny coincidence that I submitted my last exam today, closing one chapter of my life, on the same day that this ring arrived, which will open a new chapter in my life. The ring is perfect and I know that Amalya will love it! Thank you all for being a part of this special piece”. 

The Proposal 

Set proposed to Amalya while on holiday together in Cancun, Mexico. Amalya was completely surprised and the only words that could come out of her mouth were “oh my God”. She repeated it so much that at one point Set had to ask her to say yes so he could stand up! 

Amalya was in love with her engagement ring and once again overcome with emotion as Set explained all the details of the design to her and told her how he had sent pictures of her grandmother’s bracelet to create the matching hand-engraved design on the band of the ring. She agreed it was so elegantly done and created such harmony. “It’s more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you from the bottom of my heart”.