Amulets by Merlin's Blog

More often than not,
folks who want wedding rings want something special,
something that would be uniquely their own.
When a couple contacted me a bit ago,
they were looking for someone who could create rings they designed themselves.

Stag and Doe Wedding Rings

After approaching the larger companies and corporate jewelry stores,
they found the “custom” typically means “choose a shank,
setting and stone” from a catalog.
They were refereed to me by a good friend for whom I had created several pieces in the past.
After I received sketches over the internet with detailed telephone conversation and emails
I began the rendering process: developed their sketches into several versions
until we struck on a combination between what they wanted and what was physically possible.

The goal was to create a pair of rings of a stag and doe facing each other
with a diamond between them.
Because they wanted something that would last a long time,
they decided on an “etched” look rather than an embossed. The “etched” images of the deer
cut into the shank of the ring,
thus preserving the images of the deer over time.
The heavy banding of gold raised over the deer and stone setting
to protect the surface and stetting damage of direct blows to the ring.
The over all feel was to be medieval, strong and enduring.
The shanks were to be heavy and in sterling silver with a touch of gold.
Being as they were to be on the finger of someone who is allergic to gold
yet have the gold incorporated in the design,
the gold banding is raised off the finger.
The sketches were to be “as close to the sketches as possible” and still look recognizable as deer.

Stag and Doe rings
In Progress

After the design was approved,
I carved the rings by hand and cast the main shanks in sterling.
Gold banding was cast separately for the man’s ring while the woman’s ring was adorned with gold wire.
The settings are of white gold.
All assembled with diamonds and blue zircons.
They are now happily married with their new rings they designed themselves,
created by hand from start to finish.

The progress of the ring’s creation is illustrated in my Gallery Page for the rings and may be found here.
If you are interested in wedding rings made just for you,
please visit my “How to order custom” page.