What Happens Before the Gold: The Story Behind a Bespoke Commission
Katherine Elder Fine Jewellery - Bespoke radiant diamond engagement ring with diamond castel set band in 18ct yellow gold
Most people assume a bespoke commission begins at the bench. It doesn't. It begins with a conversation, a blank sheet of watercolour paper, and a brush.
My journey as a goldsmith has not been conventional, I trained first as a fine artist - painting through foundation, BA and MA courses. I worked for 10 years creating and exhibiting my own work and part time as an artist’s assistant, before retraining at the bench. That background shapes everything I do. Before I ever touch metal, I paint. Every bespoke piece I make starts as a hand-painted watercolour and gouache design: a visual record of the story we've discussed, the colours of the stones we've chosen, the feeling the piece needs to carry. The painting is not a rough sketch or a technical diagram. It's the first real version of the jewellery, rendered in pigment rather than gold.
This is what I mean by From Brushstroke to Bench.
The first conversation
When someone comes to me for a bespoke commission, the first thing I want to understand isn't what they want the piece to look like, it's what the piece needs to mean.
For engagement rings especially, this conversation goes deeper than most people expect. Before we talk about stones or settings, I want to know about the person who'll wear it. How do they live - are they always moving, working with their hands, a keen gardener for example? Do they wear jewellery every day or only on occasions? Are they drawn to quiet, refined pieces or something with more presence? Their actual life determines everything about the design, long before I pick up a brush.
Sometimes the most useful reference a client brings has nothing to do with jewellery at all. A photograph, a painting, a place. That's where we begin.
Katherine Elder Fine Jewellery - bespoke hand painted watercolour and gouache design in Katherine’s North London studio - brilliant diamond solitaire engagement ring and curved diamond eternity band
The watercolour stage
After our consultation, I go away and I paint. I'm working from everything we've discussed - the specific details, the stones, the proportions - but also from instinct. Sometimes the painting surprises me. A colour combination I hadn't consciously planned turns out to be exactly right. A form emerges that I hadn't thought of in our meeting but that fits perfectly.
I often paint two options that reflect what we discussed directly, and a third, ‘wild card’ option - something that was perhaps lurking underneath the client's vision but that they couldn't quite reach themselves. Those are the moments I love most: when I manage to tap into a brief that was never actually spoken aloud.
This is the part of the process clients tell me they value most when they receive their finished piece. You're not just given a ring. You're given the painting too. The two objects together, the watercolour and the gold, tell the whole story of how the piece came to exist.
Katherine Elder Fine Jewellery - Bespoke process - hand painted watercolour and gouache design options using a rainbow of sapphires and the the final result - 18ct yellow gold seven stone rainbow sapphire eternity ring
One client came to me ahead of her 70th birthday - a celebration of a lifetime of success, family, and twists and turns. She wanted something to commemorate all her chapters, all her sides: her bubbly, infectious personality, her musical talent, her zest for life.
She knew she wanted an alternative eternity ring in 18ct yellow gold. Our first conversation brought out the practicalities the ring needed to handle; from there, I painted three options. She chose a seven-stone rainbow of sapphires with a diamond at the centre - the sapphires crescendo in size up to the central diamond, bezel set for a contemporary feel with a protective edge. (See image above)
From the painting to the bench
Once the design is agreed, the metalwork begins. For bespoke commissions that involve technically complex stone-setting, I work with master craftspeople in Hatton Garden, some of the finest setters in the country, before bringing the piece back to my North London studio to complete and finish.
My prefered metal is 18ct gold. It's richer in colour, its slightly softer buttery surface wears more subtly than a harsher scratch on, say, 9ct might over a lifetime of daily wear. For a piece that will be worn every day for decades and eventually passed down it deserves the best material. I can also work in sterling silver, white gold and platinum, and the right metal choice comes down to the person who'll wear it and how they live.
Katherine Elder Fine Jewellery - bespoke 70th birthday present - 18ct yellow gold halo ring with cornfolower blue sapphire, white diamonds and ruby accents
What bespoke actually means
For me, bespoke means the piece did not exist before we talked. It is not a variation on something I already make, or an existing design with your initials added. It is a piece conceived entirely for you, painted for you, and made for you - from the first brushstroke to the last polish at the bench.
For an engagement ring particularly that matters. This is a piece that will be worn every day, for the rest of a life. It should feel like it could never have been made for anyone else.
Katherine Elder Fine Jewellery - Bespoke diamond trilogy engagement and half eternity wedding ring set in 18ct yellow gold and platinum claws
Ready to begin?
If you're thinking about commissioning an engagement ring, I've put together a free guide: Preparing for Your First Engagement Ring Consultation. It covers how to think about your partner's lifestyle and style, what to bring to our meeting, how budget works, and what to expect from the process - from first conversation to the moment you open the box.
Simply sign up to my newsletter below and receive your free guide in the welcome email.
Or, if you're ready to talk, follow this link to book a complimentary consultation.