Cupid's Arrow
Beccy and Tom met sixteen years ago at their university archery club. Tom was actually dating one of Beccy’s friends back then, so they were 'just friends' for a very long time before anything more serious. In fact, life went on and they all went their separate ways after uni!
In 2017, Beccy started working at the Tower of London and began meeting up with her old archery friends much more frequently. Tom had also just got a job in London, so we spent lots of time catching up. Recently out of long-term relationships, they found themselves, over the next year, getting closer.
Fast forward 4 years and here we are…
When the time was right, Beccy and Tom talked about getting married and wanting to design their own engagement rings. Beccy felt it was important for Tom to have something to mark the occasion too and he suggested a ‘Wooden ring which tells our story’
Luckily, Beccy loves a challenge and began looking for ways to incorporate some unique elements into the ring.
"I did a LOT of research. I talked to designers and jewellers all over the world, but nothing hit the mark exactly. I wanted it to have a low carbon footprint and be made from ethical or recycled materials as much as possible. I found Eco Wood Rings online and was very happy when I found out that’s what they’re all about.”
Beccy explains her beautiful ideas for the design and reasons behind the materials in great detail...
“I sourced the wood from Woodstock where Tom grew up. Blenheim Palace gifted me a piece of wood to use after I approached them to see if I could buy some - they liked the story so much that they gave it as a gesture of good will! It was important to Tom that his ring was made of local materials from where we live or grew up, so that hit the mark beautifully! We also wanted to incorporate a bit of me into the ring too and I grew up by the sea, which is also where we’ve made our first home together. So, for that, I added some sea glass and a beautiful shell we had found on the beach and collected together. I also wanted to incorporate some sort of precious metal or gemstone in there as we both have an interest in jewellery and gemstones - Tom’s parents had a jewellery company for many years and I work at the Tower of London as a warden with the Crown Jewels. I chose malachite because it’s such a vibrant green - to accentuate and lift the colour of the sea glass - but also because the stone itself is stunning. It has undulating rings of light and dark green, which makes it look like knotted wood and winding rivers at the same time."
Finally, the last piece of the perfect puzzle… Tom and Beccy really enjoy star gazing. He bought her a telescope for their most recent anniversary, and they’ve spent some lovely evenings watching the moon and stars together. Inspired by this, she knew she wanted to include a piece of meteorite that had fallen near where he grew up in Oxfordshire so added that as well!
The challenge was accepted by us along with the brief to ‘keep it looking natural and not too over-done!’
A mention about the ring box seems totally appropriate too, it complements our ring beautifully!
“My proposal to Tom was to take him down to the moonlit beach and read him a story I’d written about us (we’re both writers and editors, professionally). In the story, the ingredients for the ring are magically transformed into said ring and presented in a tiny hollowed out book guarded by a dragon - I had this ring box made specially to reflect the story as we love the fantasy genre and Tom is obsessed with dragons!”
We’re rather pleased with the final results, as are they and we’re absolutely delighted to have been part of the ‘magical transformation!’
If you're feeling inspired, have a look at our bespoke page for some more ideas to help you create your perfect, bespoke ring for any occasion.
Alternatively you can fill in our design enquiry form and let us guide and inspire you further. We love nothing more than helping customers turn their ideas into reality!