By working with a designer to custom-make your wedding band you can perfectly match the shape and design of your engagement ring.

If you’ve been searching for the perfect ring but can’t quite find what you’re looking for, designing your own wedding band is another option.

Larsen Wedding Rings in Melbourne and Sydney is the only company in Australia to offer couples the unique experience of making each other’s wedding bands. Owner Lars Larsen says making your own wedding ring is the best way to get what you want and have some fun while you’re at it.

“We give couples the opportunity to design and handcraft each other’s wedding rings using whatever metals and gemstones they choose,” says Lars.

“The couples come in for a design appointment and can use the rings we have on display as a guide, or with the help of one of our talented jewellers, let their imagination run wild and start from scratch to design something that is unique and personal.”

Once you have created the perfect design, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

The whole process takes about four hours and you will learn centuries-old handcrafting techniques, which involve melting, milling and filing your chosen metal into a ring.

If you’re after plain wedding bands you can make the entire ring yourself and take it with you when you’re done.

If you’re after a more intricate design or choose to include diamonds or gemstones in your band, you can make the band yourself, and one of Larsen’s experienced jewellers will handle the stones and finish the ring for you to make sure the design is flawless.

And don’t worry about being left with an odd looking ring, Lars guarantees each ring will be perfect, just as if it was made by a professional jeweller.

For Melbourne couple Joanne and Phillip Watts, making their own rings under the watchful eye of Larsen’s experienced jewellers was a “once in a lifetime experience”.

“We were looking for rings that were unique and we came across Larsens,” says Joanne. “I had no idea we could make our own rings and it was a great way to create something that was individual and personal to us as a couple.”

“It was especially great for Phil, who really enjoyed being able to make something so beautiful and feel more involved with the whole wedding process.”

Lars says couples don’t just make their own rings for sentimental purposes, some also do it for practical ones. “A lot of women want to match their wedding ring to their engagement ring. By working with a designer to custom-make your band, you can perfectly match the shape and design of your engagement ring to create a dazzling set you will be dying to show off,” he says.

Your wedding bands are an everlasting reminder of your enduring love for each other.  What better way to make sure that reminder is as unique and wonderful as your marriage, than by making them yourselves.

When your big day is complete and the excitement of pending celebration settles down, you and your partner are left with the exciting and loving journey of spending the rest of your lives together.  One feature that stays with you as a lasting memory is your wedding jewellery.  Whether it is the first declaration of love, with an engagement ring, or the solidifying commitment of your wedding band - they are with you forever.

For over 15 years the jewellers at Larsen Wedding Rings have been on the forefront of everlasting wedding jewellery.  Owners Lars and Susie Larsen take pride in the unique experiences they offer their clients as well as the expertise they are surrounded by.  Head Jeweller Gillian Kilgour brings her many years of skill and creativity in designing exquisite pieces for your momentous occasion.  She is aware of what her clients want and is always prepared to supply them with their dream pieces.

In today’s world Larsen Wedding Rings have noticed the growing trend of individuality in their clients’ requests.  “Most people want unique wedding rings” says Lars “and that links in perfectly with the services that we provide.”  Every facet of the business works to make your jewelled items as special and individual as your romance.  Whether it is the fascinating Wedding Ring Experience, that allows couples to make each other’s wedding bands, or the radiant collection of ready-made wedding and engagement rings available, there is something for everyone.

Choose from their extensive selection of engagement and wedding rings on display or create a one-of-a-kind design with one of Larsen’s talented jewellers.  Your thoughts and ideas coupled with the skill of a Larsen jeweller can be used to handcraft a look that suits your style, personality and flair.

Their collection doesn’t end there.  Say “I love you” with a beautiful set of diamond earrings or walk down the aisle in a diamond necklace that oozes elegance and style while complementing your wedding bands.  Larsen Jewellery aims to cater to your gem needs whether it is matching you with your dream creation, custom designing your precious piece or supplying you with quality diamonds at wholesale prices.

For more information about Larsen Wedding Rings call the studio on 02 9223 2006 (Sydney) or 03 9662 3005 (Melbourne).

When every other element of your wedding can be personalised to a tee, why not create a wedding band with a little bit of yourself blended in.

There is something about the exchanging of rings in a wedding ceremony that always has me scrambling for the tissues.  As the bride and groom each slip a band on the other’s finger and promise to never leave each other’s side, you can always hear me bawling in the back of the church.

Those two little rings, round bands of gold or silver, become an outward symbol of the bride and groom’s personal commitment as husband and wife.  It’s amazing how a simple piece of jewellery can come to mean and represent so much and even more so when the band itself is crafted from your very own hands.

Adding a whole new dimension to wedding ring etiquette, specialty jewellers are now offering couples the opportunity to make their own wedding bands.  Sydney’s Larsen Wedding Rings are just one such company and when invited to experience the process for myself, I can’t help but feel a little concerned that the mere sight of wedding rings being made will turn me into a blubbering mess.

The studio itself is light and airy and with the romantic voice of Frank Sinatra crooning over the radio, I can’t help but feel a little inspired.  The staff are experienced with beginners like myself and they patiently talk me through the four hour process, just as they would a soon-to-be-married couple.

Despite my belief that making a wedding ring would be like assembling a jet engine, the process itself is surprisingly simple.  Just like a bride and groom would be, I am given complete creative licence in designing my set of rings.  As I look at the many design options available - yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum, sterling silver - and the other opportunities for diamonds, gemstones, two-tones, brushed or matte finishes, I start to appreciate how this experience would feel for a married couple.  Every aspect of the wedding ring can reflect the couple’s journey to the point of marriage and even beyond.

Once colour and design are confirmed, it’s a matter of melting, sizing and bending the metal to make the ring exactly made to measure, which totally eliminates the old superstition that if the ring doesn’t fit then it’s a bad sign for the couple’s future.  This is followed by the symbolic moment of fusing the band together into an unbroken circle which in the context of marriage, reflects the ongoing commitment between husband and wife.  It’s at this point that I feel the tears begin to prick behind my eyes.

With a final buff and polish, my rings are complete and as I hold them in my hand, I feel my chest puff out a little with pride.  If this is how I feel about my own pair of trinkets, I can only imagine how a couple would react to personally crafting the outward symbol that defines them as a couple.  To celebrate this moment, Larsen’s pop open a complimentary bottle of champagne and as I’m packing up to leave, another couple has just begun to celebrate.  I can tell from the way they are looking at each other, that it’s taking all their inner strength not to slip their hand-made rings on now.

For more information about the Wedding Ring Experience visit www.larsenweddingrings.com.au.  Larsen Wedding Rings is based in Melbourne's GPO and in Sydney’s Strand Arcade.  To make an obligation-free design appointment, please call 02 9223 2006 or 03 9662 3005.

One of the questions we are asked most frequently by our clients is: What is the difference between platinum and white gold? The metals are often confused because, at the retail level, the metals look very similar. Both are shiny and very white, and both can be set with diamonds or gemstones. So what really is the difference?

Platinum and white gold are completely different metals with different chemical compositions and molecular structures that give them different characteristics. Without going too far into the science of how they differ, platinum is a metal that is used in its almost pure form, while white gold is alloyed with other metals to create a strong metal with a white colour. Both metals are perfectly suited to fine jewellery, including engagement and wedding rings.

Platinum is a very dense metal. It has a density grade, or specific gravity, of 21.4, which means that a 4.0mm ring made in platinum will be almost one and a half times the weight of a ring with the same measurements in 18ct white gold. Platinum used for jewellery is usually 95-98% pure platinum, with a very small amount of other metal mixed in for strength and durability. It is an ideal metal for people who have a sensitivity to metal, or find commercial jewellery irritating to their skin. Also, given the density of platinum, it is very strong and offers a lot of strength with very little metal, which makes it ideal for delicately set gemstones, including shared claw style wedding bands. Despite its density and strength, platinum is actually a very soft metal, meaning that it will show scratches and scrapes more easily than white gold. Also, given the rarity of the metal, it is a little more expensive than white gold.

White gold on the other hand is an alloy of yellow gold and other metals, used to both change the colour to white, and make the metal strong and malleable enough to be used for jewellery. White gold is derived from 24ct gold, which is a naturally rich yellow colour. By adding 25% other metals in the case of 18ct white gold, the yellow colour is changed to a white colour. Most of our jewellery is made in 18ct white gold, as this alloy is very strong, tough (resistant to scratching and scraping) and greyish white in colour. Unlike platinum, white gold has a slightly greyish tint, which means that it is usually rhodium plated to create the very bright white finish that you see in jewellery stores. Rhodium is a platinum family metal that is applied in a very thin layer to the outside of white gold to achieve a very white, tarnish resistant coating. White gold is a great option for wedding rings, and offers a slightly lower price point to platinum.

The choice is yours as to whether to have your wedding rings in platinum or white gold. Generally, you should match the metal of your engagement ring ot the metal of your wedding ring, but other than that, the choice is yours!