Matt & Olivia

I had a catch up with Matt and Olivia after their engagement in Australia. They commissioned a bespoke ring from me and we designed it together so I had to hear all about their experience and how their special moment went down.

1. Congratulations to you both! How did the proposal go? Can you walk us through how it happened? Were there any funny or unexpected moments? We heard you got engaged in Australia - how was that?

M: Since we were going to be so far from home I removed any mystery. Olivia was in the know on where, when and how. We enlisted you to design and create the ring and really wanted my dad to be part of it - so thought Perth would be the perfect location. We spent 2-3 days on the coast enjoying an eco retreat and stopped by a beach (one of two location options I gave Olivia for the big moment). Flypocalypse at the first beach! Yikes, that swarm made it a no-go, but Eagle Bay beach was just the ticket. She slathered on the factor 50 and went “Now I'm ready to get engaged". I didn't want to ask Liv: “Will you marry me?”, I chose: “Shall we get married?”

O: I loved the ring - lots of kisses for Matt here. I then managed to get stung by a bee! No engagement story ever goes quite to plan!

M: Bee was just jealous, taken aback by the ring. It was beautiful!

O: And Matt didn’t have his laptop for the whole weekend - which made it extra special.

M: Nothing but kangaroos, swimming, and love.

2. Did you have a sense that you were getting proposed to that day, or was it a complete surprise?

O: I knew everything, and the best part of knowing was getting to help design my ring really!

3. How did you know you wanted to get a bespoke ring?

O: I love your jewellery, this was the perfect opportunity to add a piece to my collection.

M: Liv has quite a look around her jewellery. I don't think we could get her something that had just been sat on a shelf.

O: I wanted something different, and being a part of the process was ideal for me. Personally, I would have hated being proposed to with a ring I wasn't involved in. Bespoke was the way to go.

4. What was your favourite part of the bespoke process? How did you end up choosing the design, including the colourway and the centre stone?

O: I had already seen one of your rings and loved the gemstone colour I went with. I wanted something that reminded me of the ocean.

M: My favorite part was the fact that we aligned on colour and vibe. This sparked something in your mind, Genevieve. You then went and found the perfect stone, it was meant to be! We liked learning that that stone was mined in Australia. It had a few round-the-world trips.

O: Australia is a special place for us and it was so meaningful that it was from there.

M: Plenty of symbolism for us.

5. Some people may find it unusual to have a signet ring as an engagement ring - how did you make that choice? How have other people responded to it?

O: I like chunky jewellery. Other people have responded really well - They exclaim "Oh that's SO you! Matt did such a great job!" Hey— it was a team effort thank you very much!

6. Do you have any tips for couples struggling to decide on their engagement ring?

O: Think of what colour you like? What shapes you like? What means something to you as a couple? Like if you love enjoying red wine together, I say choose a red stone.

M: From personal experience I liked doing everything as a joint decision. Liv is my first proper girlfriend so each thing in our relationship has been a first for me. You're always told how these relationship milestones are going to feel, and then you're there, actually proposing and it takes a moment to clock whether it’s really happening with you. Kind of like an out of body experience.

O: Have a clear idea of what you like - bring examples. Have a conversation about budget/expectations etc. ahead of the meeting for the design details.

M: Not knowing everything is also nice - leaving room for serendipitous choices is a perfect combination.

Interested in commissioning a bespoke piece? Book your free consultation with me here. Or read more about the bespoke process here.