We chat to Roz Prest of bespoke jeweller Rosalyn's Emporium

Please give us an overview of your business and what makes you different?
Rosalyn's Emporium is a bespoke jewellery business specialising in make-your-own wedding ring workshops. I also offer a full commission service where I make jewellery for clients and a service to recycle your own gold and gems into something new. These three key services can be combined in any way to achieve what you want. 

What's your background and why did you launch your business?
In 2000, I graduated with a first class honors degree in metalwork and jewellery. Then followed a 16-year career in retail as a visual merchandiser, including 13 years at a high street jewellery and watch company. 

In 2016, I established my own business turning a 20-year hobby of making wedding rings with family and friends into sharing this unique experience with many other couples. My business truly has started from the love and support of the dearest people in my life and also from my own family home.

In November 2019 I moved to a new workshop space so I can continue to grow the business and share it with many more people. My business gives me flexibility to work at my own pace, focus on things that I love with amazing clients and work around my family - something that I will be forever grateful for during the recent changes to all of our lives. I can not imagine ever doing anything else.

What's your favourite type of wedding to work on?
Genuinely I love all the wedding ring workshops but the ones that stand out are when the couple express their own individuality by using texture, coloured stones or engraving to make their rings more personal to them. The aim is always to help couples create something completely unique. The more unusual the better - I've even used an artillery shell in wedding rings because the couple met in the army. It was a really interesting project to work on; I never stop learning. 

What's your top tip for couples planning a wedding?
Prioritise your budget as early as possible so you don't get carried away on all the small things. It all really does mount up. Think what would add the most value to you and your guests for the day as well as your life beyond the day itself. Wedding rings are a lifetime investment so consider that cost as a daily wear vs a disposable one day item that is just for the wedding. 

What's the most common question couples ask you?
"Will I mess it up?!" (in relation to making their own wedding rings!) The answer is "No, I won't let you". The workshop is a private session with one-to-one tutoring. We have a silver sample ring for you to practice on and keep at the end of the day. The workshop is aimed at complete beginners so you need no experience at all. Follow my instructions, let me help you and no one will believe you made your wedding rings yourself. 

How have you handed the coronavirus crisis as a business?
Reassurance mostly, but also flexibility on changing workshop dates, proactive communication with regards to their rings and if they are delayed at all, sensitivity to the situation. Each couple has had their own set of stresses and worries in relation to their wedding. Amongst other things, I have managed to complete an engagement ring for close friends even though all my suppliers closed overnight and getting things finished slowed down immediately. Hearing about their recent engagement has made my day. Bringing joy and hope at a time like this is one of the many things I love about my job. 

Roz Prest | Rosalyn's Emporium | www.rosalynsemporium.com | www.instagram.com/rosalynsemporium