Skills used in hand-making a piece of jewellery
This is an 8mm wide 14K yellow gold version of the Saxon Rune ring found in the British Museum. The main page for it is here. Runes predate the English language and where prevalent in Norther Europe, Scandinavia, Ireland and the British Isles over 1000 years ago. The...
Custom engraving characters inside a ring makes it unique and increases the heartfelt message. Inside ring engraving is starts at $45 for 16 characters (including spaces) and fonts include script or Roman block as in the photograph. Bellchamber's can also copy...
Our client wanted us to create a ring for a retired firefighter. She brought us the design and together we created a square signet tapering ring with custom lettering and the numbers. The top of this signet is just under 15mm square and has an inside engraving as...
A very small bracelet needed to have a name engraved. The proud papa wanted a custom first letter with his own design and the other letters in an easy to read font. The bracelet is a gold baby bracelet which he brought us. This work was done in house at our shop.
Family Crests are a special source of pride for the owner. Pictured is a ring our client brought us to engrave the family crest of Bingham on it. If you have a special engraving you would like please contact us. We can usually do them in 2 weeks or less.
Hand engraving by a master graver can transform a ring or even give it new life. This ring was one a client brought us to size and commissioned us to add classic scroll work to three quarters of the shank and symmetrical leaf patterns on the top of shank too....
This Custom Claddagh wedding band set is finished in yellow gold. The interlace features an Eternity Triskele design which spans the shank on both sides back to the sizing bar. One is 7mm and the other is 10mm. A unique feature is that the gold is 'antiqued' showing a...
The Wolf is found in Celtic art from the Iron age and the golden age of illuminated gospel books. Even Rome was founded by twins raised by a she-wolf. It is an auspicious symbol of a family (the pack), intelligence and loyalty. The Claddagh is a classic Irish symbol...
The Book of Kells has many secret designs everywhere within it. It has been theorized that there was three groups of artists who produced it, or even three single monks who worked tirelessly. One of them is called the 'goldsmith' because of his use of gold leaf...
Welcoming a new life into the world is has many different traditions. A keepsake will mark that time. Ours are hand-made in our shop and come with a free engraving on the top (in either a script font or block font). They measuring 3cm long x 0.5cm wide and the solid...
The Anglo Saxon artifact this ring is inspired from is found in the British Museum. It is a heavy gold ring from the 8th century decorated with runes and and three character inside engraving. Bellchamber used the same runes in bas relief to create this 10mm wide ring...
Bellchamber Rings offers hand and machine engraving on rings and other pieces of jewellery. If we do not hand make it, we must examine each item to be engraved before giving a go ahead. Most can be done in less than a week. Engraving styles range from standard block,...
Our client wanted the nickname "gypsy" for a personalized 18K yellow gold charm. This one could alternate as a bracelet or anklet. There is quite a bit of design layout to consider in the details of such a small charm; the font and characters should match and some of...
Forged rings like these are handmade and not cast from wax models. They are not produced en-masse by stamping machines either. These ones were made using fire and tools of steel, leather and wood. Some of the metal was from our clients own family gold material. They...
A client wrote me and asked where I source my metals from. Here is my reply 'Thank you for writing to me. I have always sourced my new precious metals from local metal refiners & recyclers. Interestingly, 1/3 of my clients bring me their own gold to reuse in a new...
A School Ring or Team ring made of gold will carry a lot of memories for the owner. Over decades the design can fade and the gemstone in the center may become worn. Often the stone is a vibrant coloured lab-made crystal called spinel. Synthetic spinel is 10x harder...
Pictured is a pair of 15 year old Love Bird Tree Triskele Rings, both in sterling silver. It is an honour to make jewellery and wedding bands which have so much sentimental value. The thinner model has raised 14K yellow borders. Sterling Silver is the same hardness as...
Our client wanted an octagon (emerald cut) faceted blue sapphire for her engagement ring. Together we designed this split shank design in white gold with hand engraving on each plane. Six gypsy set accent diamonds lead up the curve of the split shank. Emerald shaped...
A client brought us an ring they inherited. They wished to have it sized and re-engraved. We hand=engraved the initials CG in a script font on the re-polished signet.
Annealing a ring involves heating it to a cherry red (700 degrees) to 'soften' the metal. Repairs, sizing and adjustments are all done in our store. This is a 13mm Eternity Triskele ring being annealed on a charcoal brick using an oxy-acetylene torch.
A client brought us her 3 stone setting with oval ruby and mine cut diamonds, the shank of which was in need of replacement. Pictured above is what we remade her; a new yellow gold band 2 mm wide, welded her 3-gemstone platinum setting to it and finished the sides...
Inside ring engraving, especially for wedding bands, is a service we provide. Pricing starts at $45 for 16 characters or less (including spaces). Custom fonts or copying your partner's handwriting is also available. Work is done in our shop. Size of letters range...
A one-of-a-kind custom ring. This unique ring is finished in 14K Rose gold. The heart was taken from a sketch the client made and the ring created in our shop. We can make custom jewellery with 100% the client artwork and even gold material.
If a client wants us to source a gemstone, we usually obtain 3 or 4 to illustrate the differences in value. Sapphires are a very cost-effective coloured stone for setting in a ring. They are tough and will last a lifetime without scratching if taken care of. Pictured...
Many people want to set gemstones as low as possible in a ring. The lowest style of setting for this is the bezel setting. Diamonds and gemstones which are smaller than 2.25mm can be gypsy set into the band. Larger gems are required to have a setting to hold them. A...
From the pencil sketch to the finished ring, we turn lead into gold! Initially when Bellchamber designs a ring we start with a rough sketch and then move to a final black and white finished design. The final black and white art is used to make a wax model which is...
Determining a ring size is an initial step before ordering a ring. Have at least 2 different jewellers measure your finger size if you are unable have the staff at Bellchambers do it for you. Your fingers will be slightly larger in the summer than the winter, usually...