This unusual Bespoke Blue John Engagement Ring Commission was designed and handmade in our Ditchling workshops to a client’s own ideas. At his design consultation our client discussed that he wanted to incorporate Blue John and a Yin-Yang symbol in a diamond engagement ring design for his partner. We took him through our engagement ring design samples and discussed all the options. He liked our tulip claw setting so we took that as a starting point for the diamond setting and created the design combining all the elements discussed.
The Rare Gemstone used in our Bespoke Blue John Engagement Ring Commission
Blue John, sometimes called Derbyshire Spar, is a rare form of the semi-precious mineral fluorite, found only at Treak Cliff Hill, near Castleton in Derbyshire Peak District National Park. During the 19th century, it was mined in larger quantities for its ornamental value, it is now only mined on a small scale in two caverns: Treak Cliff Cavern and Blue John Cavern. There is much debate over the origin of the name. The most commonly held opinion is that it is derived from the French words ‘bleu jaune’, meaning ‘blue yellow’, the main bands of colour in the rock.
We contacted one of the mines to source some rough material to send to our stones cutters, they sent a number of samples so we could choose the exact shades that our client liked.
For the final design, a blue grey and white part of a piece of Blue John was specially cut into the teardrop shapes of half the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol and used to form the shoulders of the ring. They sit either side of a 0.6ct round brilliant cut diamond. The final result is the perfect marriage of personal symbolism, contemporary design, traditional craftsmanship and a unique rare material found only in the UK.
