What happens in the first conversation

Most people arrive expecting to be asked two questions: how much do you want to spend, and what shape of stone do you like. We ask neither for the first half hour, because the answers are almost always wrong at that stage.

We ask about the wearer instead

What they do with their hands all day. Whether they already wear jewellery and, if so, what they reach for without thinking. What they own and never wear, which is usually more revealing. Whether they are careful with things or not — there is no correct answer, but it changes what we should make.

A surgeon and a sculptor need different rings. Someone who has worn the same thin gold band for twenty years will not suddenly enjoy a substantial cocktail piece, no matter how beautiful it is on the day.

Then we talk about money, plainly

Once we know what we are making, a budget becomes a design constraint rather than an awkward subject. Tell us a real number. We will tell you honestly what it can and cannot do, and where it is worth spending and where it is not.

You leave with sketches, not a quote

Nothing is priced until the stone search is done, because until we know what stones exist at your budget we would only be guessing. What you take away is two or three directions on paper and a clear sense of what comes next.

The conversation is free, it carries no obligation, and about a third of them do not become commissions. That is the correct proportion. It would be a worse business if everyone who walked in bought something.