Its fun being solicitor/photographer/bicycle restorer – I like to keep myself busy. The best thing is that I’m getting married to my co-photographer Mel. Visiting florists and vintage dress shops and ring designers and documenting the whole marriage process has been plenty of fun for us both.

Today, I’d like to share some pictures I took during during the engagement ring design process with Troy Clancy Jewellery. Because there’s nothing conformist about custom made engagement rings.

I was so surprised when I first saw his studio. I didn’t expect it to be so raw. Its looks more like a high-end blacksmith than a science lab. Troy uses traditional techniques and plenty of custom tools including that string driven, motion free precision drill.

Apart from being a master jeweller, and being a part of an exclusive club of four (which includes the likes of Cerrone), who are the only diamond wholesalers in Sydney, Troy Clancy is an engagement and wedding ring design specialist, who says things like “the out of the ordinary and challenging jobs are the best kind”.

The ring pictured (and the ring he designed for me to give to my fiancée who obviously said yes) was one of those challenging and out of the ordinary jobs, and he loved being part of it. The humble design features 106 small diamonds embedded into a spiralling band, with a total weight of just under 2 carats.

Access to Troy’s studio is by appointment-only and he begins every challenge with a consultation to get an understanding of what you want, and to create something that is uniquely yours. While he has direct access to the best range of diamonds in the world, he’s still a country boy, hailing from Wagga, and has that small business charm (which I think anyone would warm to).

Troy confidently believes he is the best there is, and is also a bit of a know-it-all. He’s got plenty of amazing rings on his website, but also plenty of helpful info to back that all up, including explanations of different cuts and ratings of diamond. His diamond finder application can also help you work out what kind of diamond might fit in your budget.

Images by Kiss and Tell Photography

Ms Gingham says: I love looking at professional work spaces. This is such a great insight into the hard work that goes into creating such beauty!

Andy from Kiss and Tell Photography says: “I honestly can’t believe that this has happened. I can’t believe that I proposed to Mel and we’re now getting married. Every time we sit down to start making wedding plans, we look at each other and think ‘I can’t believe we’re getting married!”