Temelli Jewellery's 9ct yellow and white gold marquise cut-cubic zirconia dress ring. It was an engagement dress ring which was then replaced by a joint design.
More couples design engagement rings together
3.0 k views | Posted May 24, 2011 |
By Sonia Nair
Joint designs are the future of engagement rings, according to Melbourne-based Temelli Jewellery, which recently won the ‘Best Rings in Victoria’ award from the Australian Bridal Industry Academy.
Temelli Jewellery received the accolade at the Victorian Annual Bridal Industry Awards on May 17. Held by the Australian Bridal Industry Academy, the awards are designed to recognise the highest quality suppliers in the Victorian bridal industry and are voted for by more than 2,300 brides.
In 2010, Temelli Jewellery was inducted into the Australian Bridal Industry Academy’s hall of fame for winning the ‘Best Jeweller’ award five years in a row.
Designer James Temelli said he believed it was Temelli Jewellery’s attention to detail, personalised approach and unique designs that resonated with brides.
Close one-on-one relationships with clients are an important aspect of Temelli Jewellery’s business.
“We make a lot of custom-designed and handcrafted rings, specifically to customer specifications,” Temelli said.
However, Temelli said he had started to create plain or diamond-band dress rings as initial engagement rings in response to escalating demand for joint-design engagement rings.
“Some men are starting to propose with a diamond-set band, which is then used as a dress ring. If a man wants to surprise his future wife, and is not exactly sure what kind of setting or shape diamond she would like, this is a great way to maintain the surprise element and make sure she loves her engagement ring,” Temelli said.
Couples then come in after the proposal to look at engagement ring designs together.
“Considering an engagement ring is a piece of jewellery that will be worn for a lifetime, the importance of having a design that everyone’s happy with is important,” Temelli said.
“The process gives the bride the chance to try different options, find a style she really likes and create something with her partner that will uniquely represent their relationship,” he explained, adding that the process was no more expensive for the consumer than buying a ready-made ring.
Despite the Global Financial Crisis, Temelli revealed that he had not seen any drop in consumer spending on engagement rings: “It seems love has no financial barriers – the average amount spent on engagement rings has remained unchanged during the past five years.”
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