Designing a bespoke ring - whether for an engagement or a milestone moment - can feel overwhelming if you’re not part of the jewellery world. Birmingham-based designer Laura Vann wanted to change that. With her sharp design instincts and signature style, she set out to make the custom process feel inspiring, not intimidating.

This vision materialised in The Bling Ring series, showcasing bespoke design in action behind the scenes. Collaborating with creative trailblazers like Self Esteem, Camille Charrière, Charlotte Dellal, and Naomi Smart, Laura brings their dream rings to life - capturing every step from initial sketch to finished piece.

We sat down with Laura to delve into the world of bespoke jewellery, her creative process, and what really goes into designing something truly one-of-a-kind.

 

Camille Charierre with her bespoke emerald and diamond ring

 

How did you come up with the idea of the series?

It was 2021 and the brand was then 8 years old. I had just had my first child and after a short mat leave, I went back to work feeling like something had to change. I had been giving so much of myself to others - but now with a baby that needed me, if I was going to be at work, away from her, it had to be worth it.

During this time, our bespoke service had been growing rapidly and without any real marketing push. I loved doing bespoke and so I wondered, how could I do even more of this? How can I demystify the bespoke process to make people feel more comfortable about it, how can I reach a wider platform and how can I promote our incredible Birmingham based craftsmanship.

That's when the idea came to work with influential people who I admire, design their dream ring and film the entire process: from consultation to completion. As it happened, a friend of mine Kerry McKenna who is also from Birmingham and an incredible talent agent, was also at a bit of a turning point with her work, so we met for a coffee. I had the idea, she had the connections - the rest is history!

 

Laura Jackson's bespoke 'MUM' ring

 

What is it like working on bespoke designs?

I just love it. It's slower paced, considered and different every time! With bespoke work I'm not designing multiple pieces at a time or pressured to conform to a trend. I am working with a client to achieve their dream ring with real time feedback. And at the end, when the piece is made, I wait to see happy faces, not Instagram metrics. I love the creativity of it and the knowledge that this piece will have a story that is passed on for generations.

 

Charlotte Dellal's bespoke ring being crafted in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

How do you work with people to create their dream piece?

Everyone is different! Some people come prepped with a fixed idea and a tight mood board, others want my help in figuring out what their style is. When this is the case I ask how they want the ring to feel - feminine, masculine, playful, bold. We then go into details and discuss stone types, shapes and setting preferences. For broader briefs I often return a number of sketches and encourage the client to cross out what they instantly don't like so that we're left with favourites that can be tweaked to perfection.

 

Laura Vann working with Naomi Smart to create her dream ring

Outside of the Bling Ring series, what have been your favourite bespoke pieces to create?

Joe and Ozge: I loved that this client was bold enough to choose ruby - I love this gemstone but no one seems to choose it so it was a joy to work with. We worked with a local lapidary to cut the stones perfectly to size and then channel set them in my favourite sloped silhouette.

 

Joe and Ozge's bespoke diamond and ruby ring

Charlie Boyd: Charlie has been a friend and champion of our brand for almost as long as it has existed so it was incredibly special crafting a piece for her. Of course, the central diamond is a work of art in itself, but it's the shoulder sapphires that were the labour of love. I spent weeks sourcing the perfect rainbow palette (Charlie's signature colourway) and the stones were cut with utmost precision.

 

Charlie Boyd's bespoke diamond and sapphire ring

 

Theirry: It's the story behind this ring that makes it one of my favourites. I was on the Eurostar to Paris and sat next to a man who pretty quickly fell asleep as we set off. About 15 minutes before arriving into Charles de Gaulle, him now awake, we got chatting and I asked what he'd been doing in London. "Shopping for an engagement ring" he replied. I laughed as he told me he loved "Art Deco Style" and after explaining to him that I was a jewellery designer I sketched a ring on the back of my Eurostar ticket and we arranged to speak again.

Fast forward 3 months and we were shipping a his ring to his home in California. Set with a 3ct VVS natural emerald cut diamond and two shoulder bullet cut diamonds, the ring was a real beauty and still to this day I think wow - of all the days, of all the times, of all the seats on the train - we sat where we did!

 

Theirry's diamond bespoke ring

 

Matt: I really liked this design - the diamonds encased in a full channel of gold, and the slightly thicker band with that ridge detailing. I didn't really want to give it away - but seeing Matt's eye's well up with happy tears when I did hand it over made parting with it that little bit easier.

 

Matt's bespoke diamond ring

Discover more of Laura Vann's designs or enquire about your own bespoke engagement ring here.