From a WhatsApp Message to the Perfect Ring: A Bespoke Journey
Names have been changed to protect our clients' privacy.
Every ring we make starts somewhere different. A screenshot saved months ago. A vague feeling that hasn't found words yet. A stone seen in a video that stopped the scroll.
Sam's started with a WhatsApp message.
The first message
Sam had found us through Instagram – a video of one of our rings, a few taps to our profile, and then a message sent on a Tuesday evening well outside of standard working hours.
This is actually how a lot of our conversations begin. We work with clients across the UK and internationally, and WhatsApp allows us to respond quickly, share videos easily, and have the kind of back-and-forth that email doesn't quite capture. When someone is in the middle of planning a proposal, they don't always want to wait until 9am Monday for a reply.
Sam's first message was already well considered. He'd done his research. He knew he wanted the Arabella – one of our most loved designs, an oval centre and marquise-cut shoulders – and he had a rough idea of the carat weight he was thinking: somewhere between 3 and 4 carats. He wanted more details, more angles, and he had a few questions.
A client who already knows what they want is a joy to work with. But even when they do, there are almost always details worth refining.
Getting the details right
Sam wanted presence. He also wanted his fiancée to actually be able to wear the ring comfortably every day, and those two things sometimes need balancing.
His fiancée's finger size was a J, which is on the smaller side. With a smaller finger, a very large stone can look beautiful but can also tip forward, catch on things, or simply feel unwieldy over time. We advised that a 3ct oval at a 1.5-1.6 length-to-width ratio would give him exactly the elongated look he was after – visually striking, elegant – while sitting well on a smaller hand.
He liked that. We sent him videos of the Arabella from multiple angles, close-up and on a hand, in different lighting. We like to make sure clients can really see a design before they commit to it, not just a product photo from one flattering angle.
Sam was ready to move forward. But he wanted to choose his diamond.
The diamond sourcing process
Most clients trust us to select the centre stone – we always choose with the same care whether a client is involved or not, and for many people the ring being a genuine surprise extends to the stone itself.
But some clients want to be part of it. Sam did. He wanted to see options, compare them, and make a considered decision. We offer a diamond sourcing service for exactly this reason – a small fee of £250, taken off the final balance, which gives us the time to go out to our network, find the best available stones within a client's brief, and present them properly with recommendations and full details on each.
Sam paid the sourcing fee. We told him options would be ready in seven to ten days.
He followed up after five days, completely understandably. We replied the same day to confirm things were on track and that options would be with him in around two days.
Two days later, he had three diamonds to consider. We gave him our recommendation and the reasoning behind it, then left the decision to him.
What he did next was one of those things that stays with you. He chose the diamond together with his fiancée. Not the ring – she still didn't know what design he'd chosen – but the stone. She had a hand in it without knowing what it would become. When he told us, we thought it was a lovely way to do it.
They chose. We moved on to the next stage.
A small change that made it his
Once the diamond was selected and Sam was ready to confirm his order, he mentioned something: he loved the Arabella, but he'd been thinking about the basket – the part of the setting that holds the stone above the band. Would it be possible to do a tulip-style basket instead of the standard design?
Yes. Absolutely yes.
This is something we want clients to know: we don't make jewellery from a fixed menu. If you have a vision – a small detail, a different profile, something you've seen elsewhere that you want to incorporate – we will find a way to do it. A tulip basket is a beautiful, slightly more sculptural option that cradles the stone differently. It suited Sam's taste perfectly.
Because this was now a fully custom design rather than a catalogue piece, we gave him an updated quote. The difference wasn't significant. He confirmed his order with his deposit – 50% upfront, with the remaining balance due when the ring was ready to ship.
We gave him an expected completion timeline and told him we'd be in touch as things progressed. We immediately began work on his CAD – a precise digital render of the ring before physical production starts.
The CAD approval
After roughly one to two weeks, Sam's CAD was ready. This is a detailed 3D model of the ring – every angle, every proportion, the tulip basket exactly as we'd discussed. Before a single piece of metal is worked, the client approves the design.
Sam approved it immediately. He was happy with it.
Physical production then began. Five weeks to go.
The quiet month
This is the part of the process that's easiest to misunderstand from the outside.
For the next few weeks, Sam didn't hear much from us. This is completely normal – and it's intentional. Your ring is being made. The stones are being set by hand. The metal is being worked, refined, and finished. Rushing this stage helps no one.
But Sam had questions in the meantime, as most clients do, and we were always happy to answer them.
He wanted to know what the ring box looked like. We sent him photos: a sleek matte black box with a light on the inside that illuminates the ring when it's opened. He wanted to know whether his IGI certificate would be included in the parcel. Of course – it arrives with the ring, with full grading documentation for the stone.
Small questions, readily answered. WhatsApp makes this easy. A client in the middle of one of the most significant purchases of their life should never feel like they're waiting in a queue.
Courtesy of the International Gemological Institute
The final week
About a month after CAD approval, Sam checked in. We were already in the final stages.
With one week remaining, we sent him a confirmed updated ETA – slightly sooner than originally expected. He was delighted.
The ring went through its final quality checks. Every prong examined. The stone inspected. The finish polished to the standard we hold every piece to before it leaves us.
Then we took videos.
Not every client wants to see their ring before it arrives, some prefer the surprise intact. Sam wanted videos. We sent them.
He was wowed. His words, not ours.
He paid his remaining balance. The next working day, the ring shipped via Royal Mail Special Delivery – secure, tracked, insured, next-morning delivery.
It arrived the following day.
What happened after
Sam sent a message to say it had arrived safely. Then he sent a photo.
We don't always hear what happens next – proposals are private things, and we respect that. But every so often a client lets us know. Sam did.
We're not going to share the details, because that moment belongs to him and to her. But we can say that the ring was everything it was supposed to be.
What we want you to take from this
Sam's journey took around nine weeks from first message to delivery. It involved a diamond sourcing process, a design change, a CAD approval, and more than a few questions along the way. None of that was a problem. All of it was part of how this should work.
Bespoke jewellery isn't complicated when you have the right person guiding you through it. Our job is to make the process feel easy, to answer questions before they become worries, and to produce a ring that is genuinely, specifically, irreplaceably yours.
If you're at the beginning of that process – or even just thinking about it – we'd love to hear from you. There's no obligation. No pressure. Just a conversation about what you have in mind.
Begin your bespoke journey →
Explore all diamond rings →
Every piece at Clementines is made to order using D colour, VVS certified diamonds, set in 18k gold or platinum. All rings carry a full UK hallmark and arrive with their IGI or GIA certificate.
