Why Your Engagement Ring Needs a Location: An Introduction to Sentimental Topography
An engagement ring is often described as a symbol of a promise. But in my atelier, I believe it should be something more: a coordinate. A physical landmark of a moment that changed the direction of your life.
As a goldsmith with a background in high-precision science, I have always been fascinated by the concept of "provenance." Whether in a pharmaceutical lab or a military operation, the origin of a material defines its integrity. In jewellery, I call this Sentimental Topography.
What is Sentimental Topography?
Standard "organic" jewellery often mimics the look of nature - a driftwood texture or a wave-like curve. Sentimental Topography, however, is the process of translating a specific, physical landscape directly into the surface of the gold.
Instead of choosing a generic texture from a catalogue, my clients provide a handful of sand from a location that defines their story. It might be the beach where the proposal happened, the grit from a mountain trail they conquered together, or the earth from a childhood garden.
The Ritual of Destructive Casting
The process I use is an ancient technique known as sand-casting. Unlike modern mass-production, which uses rubber moulds to create thousands of identical pieces, sand-casting is a "destructive" ritual.
I mix the client’s specific sand, with traditional casting sand (delft clay) into a flask to create the mould. When the molten gold—heated to over 1,000°C—is poured in, it captures every microscopic grain and geological imperfection of that sand. Once the metal solidifies, the mould is broken to reveal the ring. The sand is scattered, and the mould is gone forever.
The result is a Modern Monolith: a ring that is physically unique, carrying the literal “topographical DNA” of a place that matters to you.
Architectural Discipline Meets Organic Honesty
My design language is heavily influenced by Art Deco and Brutalist architecture and the structural geometry of icons like the Atomium. I don't believe organic texture should be "whimsical." I believe it should be structural.
By juxtaposing the chaotic, rugged, sand-cast texture with the rigid, clean lines of architectural forms, I create pieces that feel "engineered" rather than just "decorated." This aesthetic appeals to those who value the weight of history and the permanence of stone.
Integrity at the Source: Why I Use SMO Gold
A "landmark" piece of jewellery cannot be built on an anonymous foundation. This is why I have committed to using Single Mine Origin (SMO) Gold. Whilst "recycled gold" is a positive step, it lacks a traceable narrative. SMO Gold allows me to provide my clients with a specific batch number that traces their gold back to a single, responsibly managed mine—such as the Bellevue Mine in Western Australia, the world’s first net-zero emission gold mine.
When you combine the literal topography of your chosen sand with gold that has a verifiable, ethical origin, the ring becomes a document of integrity. It is a piece where the "where" is just as important as the "who."
Starting Your Narrative Journey
Commissioning a piece of sentimental topography is an invitation to look at the world around you differently. It turns a walk on a beach or a hike through a forest into a search for the "raw material" of your future heirloom.
If you have a location in mind—a coordinate that deserves to be cast in gold—I invite you to start a conversation with me.