Fine jewelry is full of invisible decisions. The ones made before the metal is poured, before the stone is set, before the piece ever reaches the person it was made for. At Austen & Blake, those decisions belong to Sophie Lomax, Head of Design.
We sat down with our in-house designer to find out what drives the decisions behind every piece we make. See behind the design process to understand what it takes to create jewelry that's built to last…
What first drew you to jewelry design?
When I was six, I started making friendship bracelets and sold them at my school fair for charity! This quickly transitioned into beaded and pearl jewelry which I made at first for friends and family, then started selling at craft fairs. However, my school was quite academic, so I was encouraged to go down a more academic route.
While studying History of Art at the University of Birmingham, UK, I came across the School of Jewelry in Birmingham and discovered that I could actually get a degree in jewelry – the rest, as they say, is history! I moved to London the day I finished my Jewelry Design for Industry degree and have spent the past 15 years working as a designer, product developer and diamond buyer across many Mayfair brands, designing both collections and bespoke pieces of jewelry.
Can you walk us through what a typical design looks like, from the first sketch to the finished piece?
There is so much more behind the process than a lot of people think. For a collection, we typically begin with a brief so that we can fully establish what we want to achieve from the launch. From this, we develop a creative concept and narrow the design direction. 2D designs are created through hand sketching and digital sketching, and when we are happy with these, we move into detailed and technical 2D digital designs. We then brief our CAD designers and work closely with them to ensure the CAD models are an exact copy of the 2D version. After this is approved, the CADs are 3D printed and the jewelry is cast via the lost wax method. The precious metal and diamonds are then carefully mounted together in our workshop to produce the final piece.
Where do you find inspiration?
Coming from a History of Art background, symbology is something I am passionate about and like to weave into my designs. I find it’s a great way of combining a personal or sentimental touch without overwhelming the entire piece.
I love photography and have over 100,000 photos on my phone. You will often find me snapping away at a reflection in a window, a shadow across the pavement or a door handle! I also have the travel bug, so I enjoy capturing these moments abroad where the light seems more mystical. Venice is my favorite city for inspiration, where the water, sky, architecture and art all seem to complement each other in a different way each time I visit.
Sophie’s travel shots
Is there a particular era, style, or design movement you keep coming back to?
I wouldn’t say there is anything in particular I always go back to for inspiration, as I like to keep concepts and designs fresh and innovative. Even though jewelry doesn’t have trends like fashion does, due to the cost of the materials, there are still trends that come about every few years. For example, I take inspiration from family heirlooms and vintage pieces to give them a modern edge. I lean into this trend as it is more timeless.
For my own jewelry, I feel the style is always evolving. When I first started designing, I really enjoyed wearing delicate, intricate designs that were set with as many diamonds and gemstones as possible! I now enjoy wearing more sentimental pieces that are still beautiful designs, but more pared-back and transitional across seasons and with the clothing I wear.
What's the most challenging piece you've designed, and what made it hard?
Sometimes the most classic or seemingly ‘simple’ pieces are the most challenging. I designed an engagement ring for the first company I worked for, which soon became a bestseller because I had considered the piece's comfort and wearability alongside its aesthetic.
On the other hand, I designed a suite of jewelry which featured custom-cut diamonds and sapphires to fit perfectly into the metal and next to each other. In both cases, lots of technical designs need to be created alongside the CAD designer, with 3D printed resins being used for product development. It takes time to perfect, but it makes the outcome even more rewarding, especially when you see the piece on a customer.
How involved are customers in the design process and what's that collaboration like?
It really varies from customer to customer; some come with a rough idea of what they would like but allow the experts to guide them and suggest something perfect, while others come with Pinterest boards and have a very strong idea of what they are after.
In both instances, it is best when the customer and the brand collaborate through diamond selection, comparing jewelry details and viewing designs, as it results in a more personal piece – the beauty of bespoke!
Is there a piece you've designed that you're especially proud of? What's the story behind it?
As a collection, the Era collection is something I am particularly proud of. It’s the first collection I have designed at Austen & Blake, which spans bridal and jewelry categories. We are working hard to ensure that all designs have an aesthetic language that becomes recognizable as we take the brand into its new ‘era’!
What's a common misconception people have about custom or made-to-order jewelry?
I would say the main misconceptions are that it is expensive and pieces take a long time to make. However, at Austen & Blake, we pride ourselves on being not only competitive in our pricing, but also offering a service that fills the customer with confidence, inspiration and options.
Our diamond and gemstone buyers have access to thousands of stones internationally, meaning no stone request is too big or small, always at the best price. In terms of timeline, after a design is approved, the piece will be made within 5 weeks. This is an exceptional lead time for a custom piece that is being made for the customer’s exact requirements, and sourcing the stone internationally, as well as being created in our workshop to a superior standard.
If you could design one piece with no budget or material constraints, what would it be?
This would not be an everyday piece, but I would love to design a tiara that can be converted into a collar necklace or take the center detail out to create a cocktail ring! This is something that was popular in the Edwardian era, when materials and technology were not as developed as they are now, so I would combine some custom-cut diamonds and anodised titanium to give the piece a contemporary aesthetic.
Sophie in Ratnapura (aka The City of Gems) visiting a sapphire mine
What's one piece of advice you'd give someone designing their own engagement ring?
I would always suggest they consider how suitable the ring is to be worn. Even if trends come and go, you will not want to wear the ring if it is uncomfortable, catches or swings around your finger.
I would always suggest going for as low a set center stone as possible, as this reduces the risk of the stone getting caught or knocked (which could damage the ring or even make the diamond fall out). A lower set diamond also decreases the chance of the ring swinging around on your finger and helps keep the center stone centralized on the finger.
The final comment on the suitability of wear is also how delicate the ring is and the profile of the band. I would suggest something with a slight curve to the inside and outside profile (a feature that the Era rings have) to make the ring as comfortable on the finger with a minimum width of 1.8mm. Any narrower than this and the band is likely to bite into your finger and not keep its shape very well over a lifetime of wear.
By Kat Hill
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Fine jewelry is full of invisible decisions. The ones made before the metal is poured, before the stone is set, before the piece ever reaches the person it was made for. At Austen & Blake, those decisions belong to Sophie Lomax, Head of Design.
We sat down with our in-house designer to find out what drives the decisions behind every piece we make. See behind the design process to understand what it takes to create jewelry that's built to last…
What first drew you to jewelry design?
When I was six, I started making friendship bracelets and sold them at my school fair for charity! This quickly transitioned into beaded and pearl jewelry which I made at first for friends and family, then started selling at craft fairs. However, my school was quite academic, so I was encouraged to go down a more academic route.
While studying History of Art at the University of Birmingham, UK, I came across the School of Jewelry in Birmingham and discovered that I could actually get a degree in jewelry – the rest, as they say, is history! I moved to London the day I finished my Jewelry Design for Industry degree and have spent the past 15 years working as a designer, product developer and diamond buyer across many Mayfair brands, designing both collections and bespoke pieces of jewelry.
Can you walk us through what a typical design looks like, from the first sketch to the finished piece?
There is so much more behind the process than a lot of people think. For a collection, we typically begin with a brief so that we can fully establish what we want to achieve from the launch. From this, we develop a creative concept and narrow the design direction. 2D designs are created through hand sketching and digital sketching, and when we are happy with these, we move into detailed and technical 2D digital designs. We then brief our CAD designers and work closely with them to ensure the CAD models are an exact copy of the 2D version. After this is approved, the CADs are 3D printed and the jewelry is cast via the lost wax method. The precious metal and diamonds are then carefully mounted together in our workshop to produce the final piece.
Where do you find inspiration?
Coming from a History of Art background, symbology is something I am passionate about and like to weave into my designs. I find it’s a great way of combining a personal or sentimental touch without overwhelming the entire piece.
I love photography and have over 100,000 photos on my phone. You will often find me snapping away at a reflection in a window, a shadow across the pavement or a door handle! I also have the travel bug, so I enjoy capturing these moments abroad where the light seems more mystical. Venice is my favorite city for inspiration, where the water, sky, architecture and art all seem to complement each other in a different way each time I visit.
Sophie’s travel shots
Is there a particular era, style, or design movement you keep coming back to?
I wouldn’t say there is anything in particular I always go back to for inspiration, as I like to keep concepts and designs fresh and innovative. Even though jewelry doesn’t have trends like fashion does, due to the cost of the materials, there are still trends that come about every few years. For example, I take inspiration from family heirlooms and vintage pieces to give them a modern edge. I lean into this trend as it is more timeless.
For my own jewelry, I feel the style is always evolving. When I first started designing, I really enjoyed wearing delicate, intricate designs that were set with as many diamonds and gemstones as possible! I now enjoy wearing more sentimental pieces that are still beautiful designs, but more pared-back and transitional across seasons and with the clothing I wear.
What's the most challenging piece you've designed, and what made it hard?
Sometimes the most classic or seemingly ‘simple’ pieces are the most challenging. I designed an engagement ring for the first company I worked for, which soon became a bestseller because I had considered the piece's comfort and wearability alongside its aesthetic.
On the other hand, I designed a suite of jewelry which featured custom-cut diamonds and sapphires to fit perfectly into the metal and next to each other. In both cases, lots of technical designs need to be created alongside the CAD designer, with 3D printed resins being used for product development. It takes time to perfect, but it makes the outcome even more rewarding, especially when you see the piece on a customer.
How involved are customers in the design process and what's that collaboration like?
It really varies from customer to customer; some come with a rough idea of what they would like but allow the experts to guide them and suggest something perfect, while others come with Pinterest boards and have a very strong idea of what they are after.
In both instances, it is best when the customer and the brand collaborate through diamond selection, comparing jewelry details and viewing designs, as it results in a more personal piece – the beauty of bespoke!
Is there a piece you've designed that you're especially proud of? What's the story behind it?
As a collection, the Era collection is something I am particularly proud of. It’s the first collection I have designed at Austen & Blake, which spans bridal and jewelry categories. We are working hard to ensure that all designs have an aesthetic language that becomes recognizable as we take the brand into its new ‘era’!
What's a common misconception people have about custom or made-to-order jewelry?
I would say the main misconceptions are that it is expensive and pieces take a long time to make. However, at Austen & Blake, we pride ourselves on being not only competitive in our pricing, but also offering a service that fills the customer with confidence, inspiration and options.
Our diamond and gemstone buyers have access to thousands of stones internationally, meaning no stone request is too big or small, always at the best price. In terms of timeline, after a design is approved, the piece will be made within 5 weeks. This is an exceptional lead time for a custom piece that is being made for the customer’s exact requirements, and sourcing the stone internationally, as well as being created in our workshop to a superior standard.
If you could design one piece with no budget or material constraints, what would it be?
This would not be an everyday piece, but I would love to design a tiara that can be converted into a collar necklace or take the center detail out to create a cocktail ring! This is something that was popular in the Edwardian era, when materials and technology were not as developed as they are now, so I would combine some custom-cut diamonds and anodised titanium to give the piece a contemporary aesthetic.
Sophie in Ratnapura (aka The City of Gems) visiting a sapphire mine
What's one piece of advice you'd give someone designing their own engagement ring?
I would always suggest they consider how suitable the ring is to be worn. Even if trends come and go, you will not want to wear the ring if it is uncomfortable, catches or swings around your finger.
I would always suggest going for as low a set center stone as possible, as this reduces the risk of the stone getting caught or knocked (which could damage the ring or even make the diamond fall out). A lower set diamond also decreases the chance of the ring swinging around on your finger and helps keep the center stone centralized on the finger.
The final comment on the suitability of wear is also how delicate the ring is and the profile of the band. I would suggest something with a slight curve to the inside and outside profile (a feature that the Era rings have) to make the ring as comfortable on the finger with a minimum width of 1.8mm. Any narrower than this and the band is likely to bite into your finger and not keep its shape very well over a lifetime of wear.
Discover the Era jewelry collection