Redesigning a birthstone family ring into a modern mother’s ring
Before and after photos of the Mother’s birthstone ring redesign
There are so many kinds of love and relationships but I doubt there is a stronger bond than that of a mother and her children. Family really does become her whole world, and a mother’s ring is a beautiful way to celebrate this unique connection. It’s a piece of jewellery that tells a family's story, with each birthstone representing a cherished member.
The BRIEFA complete redesign of an existing mother’s birthstone ring
I’ve had the pleasure of working with this particular family for several years, so when the client's daughter, E, called me, I was delighted. She wanted to redesign a mother’s ring she already owned. There’s nothing I love more than working with clients who trust my vision and experience.
The original ring was a lovely piece, but since she first received it, the family had grown with the arrival of her son. The brief was simple yet exciting: an entire overhaul of the ring, with a new birthstone added to the design. My client also wanted something a bit more modern—a real statement piece. She also wasn’t keen on the original pearl, a June birthstone.
June, it turns out, is one of the few months with multiple birthstones. We had a choice of pearls, moonstones, or Alexandrites. The second change was to add an amethyst for her son, born in February.
My client also had the foresight to ask for space to be left for a fifth gemstone, should their family grow again in the future.
Three gold bands holding each family member’s birthstone.
The ApproachDesigning the Mother’s Ring
As a jewellery designer, my job isn’t just to follow a brief. I also bring years of experience to the table. While my client wanted a statement ring, I knew from the size of her hands and the length of her fingers that the design needed a sense of "airiness" to it. A big solid, chunky ring would not do.
Incorporating four gemstones—with space for a fifth—is a bit of a challenge. I decided to space them out across three separate gold bands, which gave the ring a bold look without feeling too heavy on her hand. The back of the ring was left solid, so we could engrave her family’s initials inside.
We were careful to ensure the new gemstones worked in harmony with the existing ones. Amethyst can be quite dark, but I was fortunate to find a stunning lilac amethyst that complemented her aquamarine and emerald perfectly.
My client immediately fell in love with the moonstone we chose to replace the pearl. It has a mysterious quality, with ever-changing hues that picked up on the beautiful blues of her aquamarine.
Hand engraving each family member’s initial inside the ring gives it a special touch.
The final touch were each family member’s initial hand engraved inside the ring. I find that there's no substitute for a skilled artisan's touch, that is why I always prefer hand engraving to machine engraving. Some say that hand engraving is an art that can take a lifetime to truly master. With each passing year, a master engraver's style becomes more distinct and their tools become a part of them—a deeply personal connection that means those tools are never shared. It adds a profoundly personal element to a piece of jewellery, creating a handcrafted feeling that machine engraving, no matter how precise, just can't achieve.
The result.
The result:For me, the final moment of a project—handing a completed piece to a client—is both the scariest and most rewarding part of being a jewellery designer. You can show countless drawings, but they can never capture the magic of the finished creation. I was so relieved and delighted when she finally saw it; her face lit up, and it was clear the piece was even better than she had hoped.
A mother’s ring that is a true statement to her family’s love. Made in 18 carat gold with a moonstone, an emerald, an amethyst and an aquamarine. Each birthstone as special as each member of her family.
“I’m in love. I not only love the beauty of the ring, I love it because it is my ring, and only mine.”
Related: The jewellery redesign process.
If you're thinking about redesigning a special piece of jewellery for yourself or a loved one, I'd love to hear from you. My passion is creating custom pieces that are uniquely yours.
While I'm located in leafy Wimbledon, South West London. I’m very flexible and can easily work with you remotely. Whether we connect on Zoom or Google Meet, I'm excited to explore how we can transform your heirloom pieces. Let's start a conversation and see what we can create.
A Wimbledon, London based jewellery designer/maker with 20 years experience.
I am passionate about envisioning and hand creating future heirlooms.
