Vanessa Nicole: Custom Engagement Rings

Vanessa Nicole (BFA 2005) has started a unique engagement ring business.

As an artist, I asked myself, ​“How do I create something that matters?” The engagement ring industry is primarily a commercial enterprise. While understandable, the emphasis on profit is lacking the connection to what an engagement ring truly symbolizes. VNJ is the ONLY jeweler that creates a custom ring along with a DVD documenting the entire creation process. 

Each client is asked on film, ​“What do you love about [Laura]?” ​“What do you look forward to in your marriage to [Laura]?”, etc. This voiceover is edited onto footage of her engagement ring being created from scratch, exclusively for her. Every new bride calls us saying, ​“I’ve watched it dozens of times…he’s never said these things to me before!” 

This all started because people didn’t believe I was actually the one making each ring – it’s very rare to find a female diamond setter, so I simply set up a camera while working behind the microscope and uploaded it to YouTube. Hundreds of thousands of views later, my business has found its niche.