The attraction of a secret message in jewellery goes far back in history

The reality is that I am a romantic at heart. In today’s world where our entire lives are online having a little secret is simply delicious and ridiculously romantic. Making jewellery with a little detail that only the wearer can see is something I just find irresistible.

The Victorians did it all the time. They were true artists in hiding messages in their jewellery, from engraving poems inside lockets to using gemstones to create acrostic jewellery that spelled messages such as “Love” or “Dearest” by using the first letter of the name of the gem to spell the word.

They were also very much into “eye jewellery”, which are both beautiful and bizarre at the same time. The eye jewellery was steeped in mystery as it usually had one eye of the lover painted on it and only one eye. That way their identity was kept secret. The Victoria and Albert museum has some beautiful examples.

Click to see Victoria and Albert eye jewellery.

In fact, the trend goes even further back to 1785, when the Prince of Wales sent Maria Anne Fitzherbert a brooch with his right eye painted on it. Soon after he sent this eye brooch they were married despite royal laws that forbade a Catholic widow to become a British royal. But, that is the power of love and jewellery.

Meanwhile in France, Marie Antoinette’s favourite jewellery designer, Jean-Baptiste Mellerio, is said to have invented acrostic jewellery. Napoleon was said to be fascinated with acrostic jewellery and commissioned several bracelets, which he gave as gifts.

A secret message in a modern bespoke gold amethyst ring

But, my client J is no Marie-Antoinette, in fact she is quite the opposite. She is kind and has a huge heart. So when she commissioned a bespoke cocktail ring with a beautiful regal purple amethyst she had not considered adding a little secret to it.

Even though jewellery with a raw and organic feel is very much my signature style a simple setting to show off a stunning gemstone is unbeatable. But I could not help myself and suggested to her we added a secret touch to it. Because is there anything more exciting than having a secret?

A heart cut out behind the setting to remind her of her own big heart was what we decided to go for. Not only is it a reflection of self love and her warmth and generosity but it also has a practical purpose: it helps keep the stone clean.

Details of the bespoke secret message amethyst ring:

• The stone: Purple Amethyst

  9 carats of deep and elegant purple amethyst. Beautifully faceted into a round gemstone. This amethyst was sourced in the UK to a reputable gemstone dealer. I had bought quite a few years ago and kept it until the right client came around. And it suits J’s skin tone beautifully plus it is a colour that she wears a lot so she knew she could get a lot of use from it.

  The setting is a modern and clean bezel, wide and enveloping the entire stone to hold it and show it off with flair.

• The ring band:

  The band that surrounds the stone is usually called a shank. This one is round and soft but slightly bigger at the bottom to give it a bit of weight to help keep the stone from swaying. With such a large gemstone swaying is inevitable but keeping the in proportion with the weight of the stone does help minimise this.

• The metal: 18 carat yellow gold

  A beautiful ring like this deserves the most noble metal of all: 18 carat yellow gold. Chosen to set off the purple and give a more majestic look to it. I love it because it soft and never tares. It will last for many generations to come.

• Little details that make the ring that extra special

  The secret heart hidden behind the setting for J to see and feel is a hidden feature but an extra special one.

  The London Assay office was used to verify the metal and hallmark the ring. These tiny inscriptions in the ring are essential to every piece of jewellery that leaves our studio. Symbols of assurance that the metal is exactly what we say it is, plus our sponsor’s marks and the seals that assure you that it was made in Britain.

A bespoke jewellery piece is something that is unique to you and only you. It is a process that involves much love and attention to detail. I love listening to my client’s needs and do my best to adapt to my designs to them. But the true magic begins when the client leaves our Wimbledon studio to create wonderful memories with their new jewellery. Memories that hopefully will later be passed on through the generations in their families.

If you would like see examples of some of our bespoke work please click here.

Please do not hesitate in contacting us if you are interested in having a bespoke piece of jewellery made for yourself or a loved one.

We would love to help you with all your bespoke jewellery needs. Our small jewellery business is located in Wimbledon, South West London.

Perhaps you would prefer to work remotely, that is fine by us. We are happy to work via zoom or google meets.