Melbourne has one of the best concentrations of independent jewellers in Australia. Between the workshops tucked into Swanston Street’s heritage buildings, the bridal specialists of Collins Street and a new generation of online studios, couples can find almost any style, budget or ethic they’re after. Choosing where to start is the hard part.
To help, we’ve picked five Melbourne jewellers who make engagement rings, each with a different approach. For each one we cover their style, hero pieces, how the process works, and the press and recognition they’ve earned.
1. LILY DIA
Website: lilydiajewellery.com
LILY DIA is a boutique custom studio in Melbourne that focuses entirely on engagement rings. It’s run by partners Brie and Jared. Jared brings more than ten years of jewellery experience and travels each year to trade shows in Hong Kong, China and India to meet suppliers. Brie guides clients through the process and turns each step into a calm, clear plan. The studio is online-only, with no physical showroom, which helps keep prices down. It works with clients across Australia and New Zealand and ships worldwide.
Style: Personal and bespoke, with no mass production. Their values are transparency, no pressure, and pieces “the founders would give to someone they love”. The studio’s brand line is that “love is warmth made visible”.
Hero products: LILY DIA works only with lab-grown diamonds and moissanite, set in solid 18k gold or platinum, and uses recycled gold wherever possible. Its online ring builder covers the most popular silhouettes: solitaire, hidden halo, bezel, three stone, pavé, east-west, toi et moi and cathedral. Settings start from around $760, and lab-grown diamonds from $1,300. A 14k round solitaire with a lab-grown diamond is quoted at $2,700, and payment plans are available.
Process: It begins with a one-on-one consultation about the stone and the design. Next comes a 3D CAD render that you can revise as often as you need (“Change your mind as often as you need to”). The ring is then made to order and delivered insured and tracked. Most rings take 4 to 8 weeks. Every piece carries a lifetime manufacturing warranty for the original buyer.
Press: LILY DIA is a young studio, and its reputation so far rests on client reviews rather than media coverage. Customers describe the process as “seamless” and their rings as “stunning”.
2. Corky Saint Clair
Website: corkysaintclair.com
Corky Saint Clair has been making jewellery in Melbourne since 2003. It works from Room 602 of the Century Building at 125 Swanston Street, one of the city’s best-known jewellery hubs.
Style: Moody, organic and deliberately imperfect. The studio is known for Australian sapphires, many sourced directly from Australian miners and cutters, with colours that shift between deep blue, teal and green. Time Out Melbourne describes its work as “delicate and rough-edged” and highlights its use of salt and pepper diamonds.
Hero products: The Australian sapphire rings are the signature, and each design is a numbered edition such as Cassius, Koolhaas, Talon and Halcyon. The Halcyon IV, for example, sets a 0.63ct “true blue” scissor-cut sapphire from Central Queensland flush in an 18k yellow gold band, for $3,900. City of Melbourne’s What’s On also singles out the art deco-inspired Orion ring.
Process: A custom commission starts with a conversation of about 40 minutes. Mood boards and design options follow, and the ring is then handmade in the Melbourne studio.
Press: The studio has been featured by Time Out Melbourne and named among the city’s best engagement ring jewellers by What’s On Melbourne.
3. Larsen Jewellery
Website: larsenjewellery.com.au
Larsen was founded by Lars and Susie Larsen, who left executive finance roles at international banks to start the business. It now has studios in several Australian cities, including Melbourne.
Style: Classic and refined, with a broad range: solitaires, side stones, halos, three-stone rings, engraved bands and vintage designs. Rings are made in platinum or 18ct white, yellow or rose gold, with natural or lab-grown diamonds, coloured diamonds, or gemstones such as sapphire, emerald and tourmaline.
Hero products: Named designs include Aurelia, Ballerina, Aveline and Trieste. Larsen is also a licensed producer of Fairtrade gold jewellery.
Process: Clients can choose a gallery design and customise it, or work one-on-one with Larsen’s jewellers and diamond specialists on a fully bespoke ring. Every ring comes with a lifetime guarantee. Couples who want to be hands-on can make their own wedding rings at a private workshop.
Press: Larsen is best known as the official ring partner of The Bachelor Australia over several seasons. Its Aurelia design was the 2017 Bachelor ring, and it handmade Matt Agnew’s grey spinel ring in Fairtrade rose gold for Series 7. Jewellery World has also reported on its status as the first Australian jewellery brand to be 100% carbon neutral.
4. Temelli Jewellery
Website: temelli.com.au
Temelli’s story began in Istanbul in 1957, when George Temelli and his brothers founded the business. The family brought it to Melbourne in 1999. Today its flagship is in the Centreway Arcade at 259 Collins Street, and it has further boutiques across the city.
Style: Timeless and romantic, with a strong bridal focus. The house is known for diamond-set bands and heart-shaped diamonds, and it also works with Australian South Sea pearls, Argyle pink diamonds and coloured gemstones.
Hero products: Collections include the opulent Isa Dora Collection of gemstone pieces, the Eternity Collection and Dainty Diamonds, alongside bespoke engagement and wedding rings.
Process: Couples book a personal consultation and can either commission a one-off piece or adapt an existing Temelli design. Pieces are made in Temelli’s own workshop in the CBD.
Press: Temelli has won the Australian Bridal Industry Academy award for Best Jeweller in Victoria six years in a row and has been inducted into the Designer of Dreams Hall of Fame.
5. Jasmine Fraser Fine Handcrafted Jewellery
Website: jasminefraser.com.au
Jasmine Fraser comes from a jewellery family; her great-grandparents owned a jewellery store. She trained through an apprenticeship and opened her own business in 2006. Her light-filled studio is in the Century Building on Swanston Street, where couples can see the workshop their ring is made in.
Style: Handcrafted and personal, ranging from simple solitaires to sapphire designs and art deco looks.
Hero products: Custom engagement and wedding rings. An art deco engagement ring in white and yellow gold with yellow and white diamonds was featured by Jeweller magazine.
Process: The process is one-on-one and bespoke, and the relationship continues after the proposal. Clients get free six-monthly jewellery cleaning and often come back for anniversaries and other milestones.
Press: Fraser’s studio was profiled by Polka Dot Wedding. She has been a guest on The Feel Good Wedding Podcast to share her engagement ring guide, and Jeweller magazine has featured her work.
How to choose
Start with the stone. If you want a lab-grown diamond or moissanite at a sharp price with full design control from home, LILY DIA is built for exactly that. For Australian sapphires and an organic, one-of-a-kind look, try Corky Saint Clair. Larsen suits couples who want ethical credentials at scale, Temelli suits those who want old-world bridal glamour, and Jasmine Fraser suits anyone who wants a long relationship with an independent maker. Whichever you choose, book a consultation early, since custom rings usually take four to eight weeks.