You need to phone 604 886 9590 to make an appointment to see Claire. When you call, we will give you directions to our studio. You can also communicate with us by e-mail, at: finlaysons@dccnet.com

Some of our customers bring us pictures or drawings and have very specific ideas about style; others need a fair amount of guidance as to what the finished product should look like. Either way, we need to interpret what's inside your head and heart and translate it into metal and gemstones. Good communication at this stage is vital. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Even your doodles on paper can help. Don’t worry, we won’t laugh.

Of all the decisions to be made before your wedding, choosing an engagement ring is one of the first and most important.

For many of you, choosing the ring will be your first time in a jewellery store. You are about to make a lifetime commitment to someone, and purchase an expensive product you probably know very little about. We will need to know a few things about your love’s lifestyle: Is she active in sports? Does she dress up for work? Is she traditional or would she prefer something more avant-garde? Does she wear mostly yellow gold, or should you consider white gold or platinum?

Are you confident that you can pick out something she will love? If so, great. You can choose from our in-store collections, or we’ll help you design the ring that resides in your imagination. If you’re not sure, you may decide to choose the diamond, present that to her, and have her come in for a design consultation.

A good jeweller should be generous with information to help you make the process a little less nerve-wracking, if not downright fun. Always go for the best quality you can afford, since diamonds really are forever. After the wedding day has come and gone, the ring will endure as a symbol of your love.

THE INTERROGATION BEGINS

Here are some of the questions we will be asking you:

What’s your style? Bold and geometric or delicate and organic? Are you drawn to symmetry or do you like things that are more unstructured?
Do you prefer white gold, yellow gold, or a combination?
Should it be 14K or 18K? (See our "Questions" page)
If you like white metal, should you choose platinum over white gold? (See our "Questions" page)
Will the metal be highly polished or textured?
Is the band domed or flat?
What shape is the finger hole? Round, soft square or stirrup shaped?
How wide is your ring? Is it the same width all the way around, or does it taper?
Will there be diamonds? What shape? What size? What quality? How many?
How will the diamond in your engagement ring be set - in claws, in a channel, or in a partial or full bezel? (A full bezel is a lip of metal running all the way around the stone.)
What about coloured stones? What do you love?

These represent only a few of the decisions that must be made for each and every ring we design. We spend whatever time is necessary with you to make sure that by the time our goldsmiths go to the bench, what they create will be just what you imagined. Or better, if we’ve done our jobs well.

Knowing the answers to some of these questions in advance will help the process along, but we are happy to take you from concept to finished design with as much input as needed, depending on your interest, ability and desire to participate in the process.

As part of your pre-design appointment homework, please read our "Questions" page. There, we consider the techniques involved in casting and hand fabricating of metal, and we discuss the properties of various metals, such as white gold and platinum.

We always assume that cost is an important consideration, and no work is undertaken without an accepted quote and a deposit. In our experience, there are two ways to address the issue of cost:

1)You can give us a budget, and we will help you work within it; or

2)You can present your idea or vision and we’ll tell you how much it will cost to build.

In the case of engagement rings, we can work out your fixed cost (the price of building the ring you want) and your flexible cost (usually the price of the centre diamond, which can vary immensely depending on size, colour and clarity).