WEDDING RING WORKSHOP
Spend the day creating your very own wedding rings!
Having worked in the retail side of the jewellery industry for many, many years one of my favorite things to do was sell wedding rings! They are by far one of the most important, sentimental, exciting, and loving pieces of jewellery you will go and buy.
Purchasing your wedding rings should always be an enjoyable and relaxed experience, even though it can start by feeling very pressured, as this is a ring you going to wear for the rest of your life!
It got me thinking why not make your own!
You can make it part of your whole wedding experience and make something so much more than just a ring off the shelf. Make them something you look at and smile at every time, with a precious memory attached to them of hand crafting the ring that will say I Love You for the rest of your lives.
HOW IT WORKS
We start with a no obligation chat. This can be at a time that suits you, including weekends or evenings.
During this time we sit down, go through the samples of styles of rings you can make including widths, shapes and the different metals. If you have a specific designs in mind we can look at this as well.
We measure your ring fingers and go through how the workshop day usually unfolds.
Have a cup of tea whilst I work out your prices.
If your happy with everything we then can arrange when you want to come and spend the day at the workshop making your rings.
It takes around a week for you required metals to arrive so there's no rush!
We can make Silver or Gold (9ct, 18ct, yellow or white) in the workshop day. White gold will need to be sent away for Rhodium plating afterwards along with hallmarking.
Platinum works a little differently. We do a split day, you come and make your silver sample bands to your chosen design. Those bands then get sent away to be used to make a mold and replicated in platinum. It takes roughly 3-4 weeks to be cast. Those bands then come back in a rough unfinished form which requires “finishing” and you do your second part of the workshop to finish your platinum bands. I don’t charge any extra for doing a split day workshop.
Your Workshop Day:
We start at 9:30 and take as long as we need (within reason..... I wont keep you until midnight! )
We start by making the silver versions of your bands in the morning and getting familier with all the tools and processes.
You can go for lunch at one of the local eatery's in the high street for a bit of a breather then come back and get cracking again.
Then we making the final bands in the afternoon.
Once your happy with yours rings our workshop day is complete!
I then send the rings away for any Rhodium plating, stone setting or engraving you may want and then Hallmarking. This will take around 2 - 3 weeks to complete (depending on the level of stone setting this may be slightly longer) and be returned to me. You can then either come and collect them or I'll post them directly to you. You can even choose what hallmark stamps you want on the insides of your rings!
Prices
The price varies from ring to ring, it all depends on the metal, the size and width of the ring.
The overall thing to know is I always aim to make the total cost of the whole workshop day as close as possible to the price it would be to go and buy equivalent rings off the shelf. Not the cost of the rings plus the cost of the workshop day.
The workshop day is £350 for the two of you, then I add on the cost of your chosen metals.
Included in the £350 is private use of the workshop for the day with me. A pair of silver practice bands (if you choose to have silver bands there is no additional charge for the metal) which you will also take home with you. The hallmarking, tea, coffee and snacks. Two ring boxes for your completed rings and the administrative costs such as postage for your rings to the assay office and back, the heating, the lighting, and so and so on.
OUR ADDED LITTLE EXTRAS
Lets make it extra special!
Bring your wedding photographer!
If you would like your day documenting please feel free to bring someone along to do this for you.
Add a glass of bubbly at the end!
If you would like to celebratory glass of something just let me know and il arrange it. We don't allow drinking of alcohol due to nature of the workshop but at the end we don't mind!
Lunch
If your not local and would like me to arrange a lunch date at one of places in town I'll get it booked for you. Just let me know the kind of thing you like!
Wedding Ring Workshops Gallery!
FAQ's
Do I make my own or do we make each others?
That's completely up to you!
Does it have to be a full day?
Unless you are working with platinum then yes. to get the full advantage of making your practice rings in the morning it is necessary for it to be the day.
Can we only make plain bands?
No, we can apply a range of finishes in the workshop including hammered textures, or simple stamped lettering. I am also happy to look at designs you may have seen and advise if its possible to do such as shaped bands, twisted or patterned designs.
What if they aren't very good!
In the highly unlikely situation you rings don't turn out as expected I will take your rings and re-finish them or re-make them if needed. We work through the day at an easy pace allowing you the time to make sure you get each stage right and I am always checking that things are going as they should so its extremely unlikely this would be needed.
T&C's
Payments
Full Payment must be made in advance of your workshop.
A 50% deposit is required upon booking so I can acquire your materials and secure your date. Deposits are non refundable.
If full payment is not made 1 week ahead of your workshop your day will be cancelled.
What happens if I break the ring?
If you ring breaks or develops a fault within the first 6 months I will en-devour to repair it free of charge. In the case it needs completely remaking I will do the labor free of charge however any additional materials (additional gold) will have to be charged for along with and engraving and hallmarking.
what happens if we can't attend the workshop?
If for any reason you cannot attend your workshop date please let me know as soon as possible. Illness and emergency's happen and everyone understands that. I will try to move you to another date, please be aware Saturdays do book up very far in advance and can't be guaranteed. Especially when close to a wedding date.
If you cancel your workshop no remaining balance will be required if over two weeks before your date, if within 2 weeks any remaining balance will need to be paid.
If you have decided to not go ahead I can make your rings for you, and an alternative calculation of price can be arranged to not include the full workshop day fee.
If I cancel your workshop due to illness or for any other reason I will do my best to rearrange with you or failing that refund your full balance.
What dangers are involved?
The workshop is very safe and we works through each stage together at your own pace and i explain every step and the safty precautions required. There is a few things that could injure you including soldering or sharp edges of metal. By agreeing to take part in the workshop you accept liability for yourself and the possibility of this.