A story of love and our Venus ring...

Tam with her Venus ring

Tam is smiling…  She is standing beside the Victoria Falls in Zambia, Africa and wearing a very special ring. Her partner Tim chose this beautiful spot to drop down on one knee and ask the all important question. In his hand he held a ring, a Sheila Fleet Venus ring, made of platinum and set with a stunning 1.24 carat diamond.

This ring is a token of Tim’s love for Tam and of their future unity. It was designed, handset and polished over 7,000 miles away in our Orkney Workshop…

Tam’s Venus Ring

Close-ups of Tam's Venus Ring

Tam’s ring is made in platinum, one of the purest and hardest metals available, heavier than gold or silver and good for anyone with sensitive skin as its purity means it’s hypo-allergic. Tam’s diamond has a high grade of Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat, known as the 4Cs. Find out more in our Guide to Diamonds and Guide to Metals.

Making the Venus Ring

The ring and the diamond of the Venus Ring Setting the Venus Ring

Setting the Venus ring requires great skill and experience. If anything goes wrong there’s not a spare, specially chosen diamond so precision and knowledge are key. So the task fell to our leading stone-setter, Leonard, who has been setting precious stones for two decades. Fortunately, Leonard thrives on the thrill and pressure of working with large diamonds. Indeed, Tam’s diamond is the largest Leonard has set to date...

Setting the Venus ring Polishing the ring

Good luck Tim and Tam!

We’re honoured Tim chose us to make Tam’s ring. Tim knows Orkney well and as a keen diver has explored the islands both above and below. In fact, Tim and Tam are at home on the water as they both work at sea. Tim told us it was love at first sight when Tam walked on board to start her new job as crew…

Proposing near water was a natural choice. The spot where Tim and Tam are standing is only accessible when the water flow in the fall is low and is called Livingstone Island after the Scottish missionary and explorer, Dr David Livingstone. He named Victoria Falls after the ruling monarch at the time, Queen Victoria, its African name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning The Smoke That Thunders. It’s also fitting that Tam was born in Zambia and climbed up here as a little girl. Tim said the ring complemented the location beautifully as it sparkled in the sunshine.

Tam and Tim

Both Tim and Tam have Scottish family and Tim is keen to show Tam Orkney.  We’re delighted they are planning to visit us later this year to have their fingers measured for their wedding bands. We hear Tam is absolutely blown away with her Venus ring and can’t stop looking at it. Above all we are so touched it is Tim’s wish to have a little piece of Orkney that will travel the world with them – how lovely!

We wish Tim and Tam all the very best for their future together, thank you for sharing your story with us.

If you’d like a handset diamond ring for your engagement or a matching engagement and wedding ring set, do get in touch.