Designer, Kristin R. Laughter of KRL Designs
May I Have the Ring, Please?
By Frances Figart
For most couples, symbolism is an all-important part of planning for the perfect wedding. And there is no stronger symbol for the uniting of two people than the ring. The Laurel talked with a few of our local designers and makers of custom jewelry about how they create special rings and other wedding pieces.
For the past 20 years, jewelers and metalsmiths Tom Reardon & Kathleen Doyle (trkd.com) have been creating custom pieces in their North Asheville studio. “We have produced a gallery and vocabulary of symbols and imagery for customers to use as starting points of inspiration and then we mix and match to create something special for them,” says Kathleen. One example is their popular “Pisgah View” mountain rings showing celestial skies with diamonds standing in for stars.
Tom and Kathleen were early adopters of computer-assisted design (CAD). “Customers love that we can show them our designs with variations in photo-realistic rendering,” says Kathleen. “We show couples one of our existing designs; they ask about using rose gold, platinum, or silver with their existing stones or changing widths and thicknesses. Using CAD, we can make any changes, helping them see it before they make their important final choices.”
Also in Asheville, Meryl Lefkovich Design (meryllefkovichdesign.com) concentrates on nontraditional styles and organic shapes with an art nouveau feel. A transplant from Boston, Meryl believes custom jewelry is about connection and self-expression.
“I want to hear the couples’ stories, learn their personalities, tastes, and visions and see any inspirational images they may have,” she says. “After some sketches, I will either carve the wax model myself or enlist the aid of CAD to produce a three-dimensional rendering for their approval.”
Meryl likes to use nontraditional stones: raw diamonds, diamond slices, and particularly colored stones, such as sapphire, topaz, and ruby. “A small splash of color can set off a focal diamond and greatly enhance the design as well.”
Designer Jennifer Jenkins, of Miya Gallery
Among many customized products, Lauren Moody of downtown Asheville’s Fox and Beaux Boutique (facebook.com/foxandbeaux) offers an “Azalea Ring” with five small baguette cut diamonds in rose and yellow gold. “This is a minimalist, yet quirky ring design that is not that ‘every other ring you have seen before.’ It can be customized with differently size diamonds, and polishes and textures on the band,” she says. Fox and Beaux customers can choose from signature-designed collections for women or men, or present their own ideas to incorporate into their one-of-a-kind dream ring. Jennifer Jenkins sells her popular and innovative pieces at Weaverville’s Miya Gallery (miyagallery.com), which exhibits the work of 80 artists and craftspeople. Jennifer makes individualized wedding rings using diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and semi-precious gems. She says the most popular metals are white and yellow gold and platinum, but she makes some rings in sterling silver. “It is an honor to take part in a couple’s wedding plans and to create something that will be part of their marriage.”
Kristin R. Laughter of KRL Designs (parkerskaratpatch.com) in North Asheville has learned that contemporary metals such as tungsten and serinium offer a wide variety of designs for the man’s wedding ring at a very affordable price. As a custom designer, she loves that moment when the bride sees the finished ring for the first time.
“As little girls we dream about the ring and the wedding, so by the time the moment comes, there are years of expectations built up,” she says. “Giving the man the confidence that he ‘got it right’ and the excitement he has when she squeals with delight—this is why we do what we do.”
All of these jewelers stand ready to help their customers create something truly unique from family gemstones or relics, sea glass found on the beach, or diamonds from their grandmother’s antique jewelry. They can also create bridesmaid’s earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings—a special way to honor those closest to the couple with a gift that will always remind them of this important day.
