A Love Story From Italy
Venice Inspired Ring
Leo and his partner, Elizabeth, went on a holiday with their daughter to Italy and completely fell in love with the architecture. When they came back to New ZealandĀ Leo wanted to propose, but he wasnāt looking forĀ aĀ classic engagement ring; he wanted theĀ ring to be inspired byĀ aĀ VeniceĀ canalĀ bridgeĀ thatĀ sparked inspiration on their trip. He explained this to our talentedĀ jewelleryĀ designer, Allette, who immediatelyĀ got to work sketching some ringĀ design concepts. Alletteās designs drewĀ inspiration from their belovedĀ Venice canal bridge,Ā shown inĀ the photoĀ Elizabeth tookĀ of Leo withĀ theirĀ daughter:Ā
Allette drew a range of design ideas for Leoās diamond engagement ring basedĀ on the Venice canal bridges,Ā using prongs which reach up to secure the marquise diamond as representation of the bridgeās balustrades, as well asĀ playing with the idea of using blueĀ sapphires to represent theĀ canalsĀ which flow beneath theĀ bridges.Ā Leo opted for a design crafted in rose and white gold, not only to create a contrast between the fine details of the design but also to reflect the pink toned bricks and white edgings often featured in Venetian architecture ā as you can see in theĀ buildings behind Leo and his daughter.Ā
Once Leo had selected his favourite design,Ā ourĀ 3D modellingĀ team got to work bringing a photo-real render of the design to life. Seeing the designĀ transform from a sketch to a photo-real render really emphasisedĀ the specific details.Ā ThisĀ inspired the ideaĀ that the ring could even further represent the Venice canal bridges if it had some engraved bricks along theĀ front.Ā TheĀ bridgeāsĀ steps along the sideĀ were also made slightly smaller during this change.Ā You can see the processĀ and comparison of theseĀ changesĀ in theĀ 3D modelĀ renders below:Ā
After theĀ ringĀ CAD design was approved, the ring wasĀ craftedĀ andĀ setĀ by our master craftsmenĀ withinĀ ourĀ on-site Wellington workshop.Ā Leo came in store to view the finished ring and when he sawĀ it,Ā heĀ wasĀ amazed. It was everything heĀ imagined, and he was so excited to present it to Elizabeth.Ā
Colosseum Inspired Ring
In fact, LeoĀ enjoyed the process of designing a ring based on architectureĀ so muchĀ that he wanted to do it all again for his ownĀ wedding ring.Ā Using another landmark from their trip to Italy, Leo decided to base his wedding ring designĀ onĀ The Colosseum in Rome.Ā Allette began creating concept sketches for this idea immediately, again using two tones ā but this time white and yellow gold ā to create the design.Ā
The reason for using two tones was to connect Leoās ring to Elizabethās, but also to reflect the idea of the sun shining through theĀ Colosseum, allowing it to bask in a warm and romantic summer light. This also helped to create a contrastĀ and add depth to the window cut-outs.
Once Leo was happy with the proposed design ourĀ 3D modellingĀ team created a photo real renderĀ of the ring, and from that render printed a 3DĀ model of the ring for Leo to view in person and try on.Ā Leo took the wax ring home and now his daughter uses it as a one-of-a-kind tiara for her dolls!Ā
After the design was confirmed theĀ ring was beautifully finished by our master craftsmen,Ā who thoroughly enjoyed working on such a unique design.Ā Once completedĀ the ringĀ was ready to present to Leo, and again he was so happy with the outcome and even said he wants to ājust keep designing rings based on architecture!āĀ
View a 360 video of Leoās Colosseum Ring below:Ā