If you ask someone to picture an engagement ring, chances are that picture will look wildly different depending on the type of person you ask. Choosing the right engagement ring is an immensely personal journey, the significance of which can be so important that many couples make it together. 

On the flip side, ask someone to picture a wedding band, the ring fitted during the wedding ceremony that lies alongside the engagement ring, and more often than not, the words will conjure up the image of a simple and unadorned gold or silver band.  

But who ever said wedding bands have to be plain or undecorated? More and more couples are now choosing to have their wedding bands made to be as personalised and unique to their story as their engagement rings. And that’s where we come in! 

Bespoke Wedding Band Service 

SAM HAM Design offers a bespoke wedding band service, which puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to the design of your wedding band.

Sam specialises in creating custom wedding bands that are designed to sit seamlessly (and comfortably!) alongside an engagement ring. Here’s a quick run through of the process to give you an idea of how you start your custom wedding band journey with Sam.

Creating a custom wedding band:

STEP 1:

Sam takes your engagement ring and pushes it into non-toxic clay to leave a perfect impression of your ring. She then pours quick drying resin into the impression to create a detailed copy of your ring.

STEP 2:

Sam now has all the dimensions she needs to make a 3D digital scan to create a perfectly fitted wedding band, and the bride never has to be parted from her engagement ring!

STEP 3:

Sam then builds several CAD model concepts of the wedding band to present to the bride as potential options.

STEP 4:

When you have selected a design you are happy with, Sam will print a detailed wax model of the wedding band using the latest technology in 3D printing. The technique slowly builds the model layer by layer and takes roughly 3 hours to complete.

STEP 5:

In contrast to the high-tech and modern 3D printing methods Sam then uses a technique called ‘lost-wax casting’ (a practice which the Ancient Greeks favoured) to create the final version of the ring in a precious metal of the bride’s choice.

STEP 6:

Sam will clean up and polish the casting to transform it into a highly polished piece of fine jewellery.

STEP 7:

Next, the ring will be Hallmarked. The Hallmark acts as a stamp of authenticity, it indicates the type of precious metal and its purity. All of SAM HAM’s jewellery is tested in London’s first assay office in Goldsmith’s Hall, who have been responsible for testing the quality of precious metals since 1478.

STEP 8:

Final touches – The completed wedding band is given a final buff before being packaged and sent to you via tracked special delivery. The process from start to finish normally takes 3 - 4 weeks.

Ready to see some real life examples?

Read on for a look at customers Enya and Krystal’s bespoke wedding band designs.

A contemporary wedding band for an unusually shaped vintage engagement ring

Couple Owen and Enya fell in love with this beautiful vintage engagement ring they found in a shop in Dublin. Though totally happy with the design of the charming ring as it was, Enya was keen to add some kind of personalisation to truly make it hers.

That’s when she had the idea of creating a new and unique wedding band to complement the stunning focal point of the engagement ring’s central old cut diamond.

For bespoke projects Sam usually puts together several different design concepts for consideration. However, in this case, Enya had a very clear vision for what she wanted and the result was what you can see above – a striking pair of gold bands (one embellished with diamonds) designed to sit either side of the engagement ring. Together they form a frame that fits snugly around the square edges of the engagement ring’s centre.

A custom diamond torc wedding band

Krystal, another of Sam’s clients came to her with an elegant vintage diamond and emerald engagement ring set in platinum. Like Enya, Krystal was eager to pair the impressive antique ring with an aesthetically modern wedding band, highlighting that feeling of 'old and new'. ⁠

⁠Krystal was open and excited to explore a number of different style options from big and blunt, to small but unexpected. ⁠So off we went! Scroll along to see some of the concepts Sam designed:

⁠

For her final decision, Krystal chose a clean, understated, and modern 'torc' style diamond band, splitting to comfortably accommodate the engagement ring. ⁠

Interested in creating your own custom wedding band?

SAM HAM’s bespoke wedding band service allows you to choose to design something to complement an existing engagement ring or work with Sam to create a fully customised engagement and wedding ring pair from scratch.  Don’t hesitate to get in touch and see what we can design for you.

Need some more wedding jewellery inspiration?

Check out SAM HAM’s original Wedding Collection which features contemporary gender-neutral engagement and wedding rings.