Bespoke Purple Sapphire Engagement Ring
Sometimes the right gemstone has a way of rewriting the brief.
Our client came to W&W through a recommendation, bringing with him useful notes of his partners likes, dislikes and ideas for her future engagement ring. It gave Simon an invaluable starting point for the commission, although, as the journey unfolded, one particular gemstone would ultimately persuade him to trust his own instinct too.
Simon began by working through the brief with our client, curating a selection of engagement ring styles to explore. These were intended as inspiration rather than finished designs, allowing us to understand which individual elements resonated with him. One of our previous three stone engagement rings particularly caught his attention and established the direction for the design.
The gemstone, however, was always going to be the heart of the ring. From their first meeting, our client knew that he wanted a sapphire with beautiful brightness, life and movement rather than something overly dark or heavily saturated. His partner loves teal sapphires, so Simon sourced a varied selection of stones around that colour palette for him to consider.
And then there was the purple one.
Among that first selection was an exceptional oval purple sapphire with a wonderfully luminous colour. Despite being a departure from the original teal brief, it immediately stood apart to our client. Simon subsequently sourced a second selection of sapphires informed by the colours and qualities he had responded to initially, giving him every opportunity to compare – but when they were presented together, his first choice remained unchanged.
With the centre sapphire decided, we turned our attention to its accompanying diamonds. Simon sourced pear cut diamonds in several sizes so that their proportions could be compared directly alongside the sapphire. The chosen pair creates a beautifully balanced three stone composition, their crisp white brilliance framing the purple centre stone without competing with its extraordinary colour.
The final stage was to introduce some of the romantic detailing his partner had particularly loved. Inspired by the floral basket of another W&W ring, we developed an intricate setting beneath the gemstones with elegant, petal-like forms that sweep upwards around the sapphire. It is a detail that is largely hidden when the ring is viewed from above, but reveals a completely different character from the side.
Crafted in platinum, the finished engagement ring centres around the vivid oval purple sapphire, flanked by pear cut diamonds that taper beautifully towards the band. The cool tone of the platinum allows both the sapphire and diamonds to remain wonderfully crisp, while the sculptural floral basket introduces softness and romance beneath the clean three stone silhouette.
What makes this commission particularly special is the confidence behind the final choice. Our client listened carefully to everything his partner had told him, using her ideas to guide each stage of the design, but when he encountered a gemstone that felt exceptional, he trusted his instinct enough to deviate from the brief. The result is a beautiful and unique bespoke engagement ring that his fiancée loved.
