A Decade, Then a Diamond: Josh & Hannah's Bespoke Engagement Story

"Making this once-in-a-lifetime purchase was made all the more special by the ability to make it so personal. The expertise and care shown made the process so easy!" — Josh

A decade, and a date in mind

Josh had the date long before he had the ring. He wanted to propose to Hannah on the tenth anniversary of the day they met — a decade of shared life he hoped a single ring might somehow hold. What he didn't yet have was a clear idea of how to get there. He knew he wanted something personal rather than something lifted from a tray, and, like a lot of people standing where he was, he wondered whether "bespoke" might be more daunting, or more formal, than he was ready for.

He'd grown up near Ditchling, and although he and Hannah had been in London for six years, his mind kept returning to Pruden & Smith. He'd bought gifts from us before. "I really wanted to go with something personal," he said, "and I'd bought from Pruden & Smith before and felt confident I'd be given an attentive, personalised service to match exactly what I was looking for."

A paisley nod to her heritage

The first appointment was with Rebecca, one of our designers. Nothing had to be decided on the spot — it began as a conversation about Hannah, about the ten years, and about the shapes and metals Josh found himself drawn to. "The whole process, from my first meeting with Rebecca to picking up the ring, made me feel like I was in safe hands," Josh said. Together they worked through stone, metal and form, exploring the options unhurriedly until the design felt unmistakably Hannah's.

One detail did the quiet work of making it personal: a paisley motif — a nod to Hannah's heritage — worked into the shoulders of the band. From Rebecca's sketches the design moved to a CAD render, the first time Josh could see the ring in three dimensions before a tool ever touched metal. From there it went to the bench, where our goldsmiths in Ditchling brought it to life: a GIA-certified oval diamond of 0.75 carat, set in platinum, with smaller round brilliant diamonds following the paisley repeat along the shoulders. The band was made wedfit, so a wedding ring will one day sit flush against it.

Josh had worried about getting the size right. He needn't have — the ring came back a touch large, and our complimentary resizing brought it to a perfect fit well before the day arrived. If you'd like to see where a commission like this begins, our bespoke service walks through every step.

The question at Kew Gardens

He proposed at their favourite spot in Kew Gardens, on a bright summer's day in 2023. Hannah hadn't seen it coming. "I was firstly so happily surprised, as I was not expecting Josh to propose," she said. "I was so touched that he had been able to design such a personalised ring, with so much thought gone into it — especially the nods to my heritage with the paisley design."

The finished ring: a 0.75ct GIA-certified oval diamond in platinum, with a paisley repeat set along the shoulders.

Newly engaged at Kew Gardens, summer 2023.

Josh hadn't simply chosen a ring. He'd made something that held the ten years behind them — and pointed quietly to the ones still ahead.

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Thinking about a ring of your own? It starts exactly the way Josh's did — with a relaxed, no-obligation conversation. Book a design appointment, or browse our engagement rings for a little inspiration first.