Something new from inventor pleases brides

Jun 29 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal

A MASTER jeweller is ringing the changes for brides-to-be after inventing a tool that means they can keep their engagement rings on their fingers while their wedding bands are being prepared.

Quality Jewellery Solutions, of Houghton le Spring, near Sunderland, developed the Precision Fit System so engagement rings do not need to be sent away for moulding to ensure the wedding ring fits perfectly beside it.

Master jeweller Graham Burnett said: “In the past it was tricky to fit a wedding band to an engagement ring and achieve a snug fit without taking the engagement ring away for comparison.

“We found that most women didn’t want to be without their engagement ring for up to three months, which is what it can take to make a fitted wedding ring.”

The new piece of kit can take a full profile of the engagement ring in about five minutes without the jewellery having to be sent away.

Mr Burnett, who has been a jeweller for 24 years and set up Quality Jewellery Solutions last year with friend and business partner Ian Ward, said: “It has flat sections all the way up.

“We put a piece of paper on the platform, trace the outline on the paper and then we scan it into the computer on the 3D CAD. We do a ring that hugs the outline.

“We are also able to give the trade an exact price of how much the ring is going to cost. We are cutting out the uncertainty.”

The idea came from a system Mr Burnett was already using himself but which was not sufficiently streamlined to send out to other jewellery shops.

It took a month to make the necessary tweaks to the sizing stick, which is now being used by about 30 independent jewellers in the UK.

The business, which employs three full-time and one part-time worker, received a marketing grant from Sunderland City Council to tell the jewellery trade about the invention.

Coun Bryan Charlton, prosperous city portfolio holder at Sunderland City Council, said: “Ian and Graham used their expertise in the jewellery market to develop a unique solution to a long-running problem.

“We were delighted to offer them business support to enable them to launch their new product.

“They are doing extremely well and we are certain the business will continue to grow and develop as more retailers realise the benefits of their product.”