An heirloom to last a lifetime: Why designing your own ring is the perfect way to say ‘I love you’ this year

Want to make your special gift go the extra mile this year? Consider designing your own ring, with some help from My Unique Ring by Tuula

A piece of fine jewellery is the perfect gift to mark a big occasion. Maybe you want to reach out to a friend to let them know how much they mean to you; maybe you’d like to reward yourself for getting through a really tough year; or maybe you’re thinking of popping the question to your other half. Whatever the reason, finding a piece of jewellery that matches their personality can truly show them you care.

But with so many options out there, and our access to seeing jewellery in person limited from Covid-19, it can be difficult to commit to a style of ring, especially if you’re unsure what the different terms and jewellery jargon means. Knowing that you’ve settled on the perfect choice is so important, especially for a significant gift. And this year, we all deserve a taste of something special.

If you’ve been considering buying a ring as a gift this year, why not explore the process of designing your own? Don’t worry – it’s not as scary as it sounds. Going to the right jeweler, who has the expertise to guide you through the process, can help to make your dream ring a reality.

My Unique Ring by Tuula is Ireland’s only online platform that allows customers to design their own engagement or occasion rings. Led by expert goldsmith Tuula Harrington, dreamers can go online and design their own unique ring with a simple three-stage process:

1. Begin by choosing the style of ring best suited to you, from nine beautiful silhouettes. You can see the names of each type of ring setting, and how they correspond to your vision
2. You can then customise your ring style, choosing the band shape, paving, and detailing, seeing each detail come to life on the screen, and mixing and matching to find a style that suits
3. It’s then time to bring the ring to life, by selecting your metal and stone.

Your ring will then be crafted by Tuula’s team, bringing your unique creation to life.

Tuula herself is passionate about giving people the chance to flex their creative muscles, and find a design that suits their vision and budget. “I love the creative process that’s involved in crafting my jewellery and I wanted to provide an opportunity for couples to experience that creativity for themselves,” Tuula said. “Every one of my designs begins with an idea and a sketch, and the process is the same for My Unique Ring, which embraces new technology.

People can choose from a variety of sketches of my most popular designs and customise to their own tastes in metal and stone options, then bringing their ring to life. There is so much freedom to try out different gemstones and settings, having fun creating ideas that they may never have thought they’d like.

The process is completely non-committal, we just want people to have fun and explore their own ideas for themselves,” she added.

If you’d like to have your loved one experience the creative process, why not invite them to join in on the designing too? The fun of trying out different styles, swapping colours and settings to find a completely unique result, is something that many couples love to do together. “We really want the experience to be simple and enjoyable; having some fun, creating memories and designing their own ring that will last a lifetime,” Tuula said.

“We’ve always believed in taking a truly different approach to our jewellery. Our customers are looking for something a little bit different; a piece that tells a story or means something special to them. We’ve always focused on the overall design of the piece, whether it’s a ring or neck piece. Jewellery is not just about the stone or the size of the diamond, it’s about how it all comes together to create a beautifully crafted piece that feels and fits just right.”

Are ideas already popping into your head? Well, if you’d like to make this Christmas truly memorable, you’re in luck. IMAGE has teamed up with My Unique Ring by Tuula to award one lucky reader a €1,500 voucher towards their dream ring. To be in with a chance of winning, simply head to simply head to myuniquering.ie, and design your very own ring to share with us. We’ll pick the winning design at random, and will contact the winner after the closing date in January 2021. Good luck!