An Heirloom Connection: How Alana & JP honoured their mother’s with a custom ring design

At Moi Moi, we’re proud to be able to help you bring your dream custom ring to life, whether it’s a custom engagement ring, a gift for yourself, or a sentimental gift for someone else on a special occasion, like Mother’s Day. 

Commissioning a custom-designed ring using stones from an heirloom jewellery piece is a great way to create something truly personal. It allows you to honour the people in your life you hold most dear, while creating something you feel comfortable enough to wear every day.

Whether you’re wanting to breathe new life into inherited jewellery or design a custom ring that’s something entirely new, our dedicated team is here to help you make your custom ring design a reality.

Want to create a custom ring, but aren’t quite sure where to start? Be inspired by the true custom ring design stories of our co-founder, Alana, and our Melbourne store manager, JP. 

We thought we’d highlight these two stories ahead of Mother’s Day, as these pieces were specially created in honour of Alana and JP’s mothers.

Something old becomes new again: Alana’s custom ring personal story

“As a family-run jewellery store, custom-made jewellery and heirloom-quality craftsmanship are at the heart of what we do. One of the most meaningful pieces we’ve worked on recently was a very personal one.

A few years ago, Mary, my mum, offered me one of her favourite rings: a beautiful oval blue sapphire that my father, Stephen, had gifted her to celebrate her very first business venture. I’d always admired it, not just because it was stunning but because of the story it carried.

That ring represented my mum’s strength, her creativity, and the boldness it took to start something from the ground up. It marked a moment in her life where she backed herself, and my dad celebrated that by giving her something meaningful to show his support.

As much as I cherished this ring, the style wasn’t quite me. It felt too traditional for my everyday wear, and I found myself leaving it in a drawer. It was my mum who suggested, “Why don’t you use the sapphire and create something new?”

At first, I was hesitant — I didn’t want to change something so sentimental, or offend her, nor risk losing the original story attached to it. But with her encouragement and her excitement about the idea, I decided to go for it.

We actually used the ring as a real-life example for our team’s custom design training sessions. This made the process even more special, knowing that my team members all had a hand in designing this piece for me. I wanted a statement ring, something that didn’t look like an engagement ring, but that was quite simple and modern.

Together, we reimagined it into a modern Toi et Moi design, pairing the original oval sapphire with a 1.80ct pear-shaped lab grown diamond on a wide, solid band. We made sure it would sit high enough to pair perfectly with my wedding ring, keeping both beauty and practicality in mind. This wasn’t just about creating a ring — it was about honouring my mum’s journey, my dad’s gesture, and bringing a much-loved piece into a new chapter of life. I love wearing it now, and my mum lights up every time she sees it on my hand.

 

Working in a family business has shown me just how deeply jewellery can carry meaning, not just through the gems and metal, but through the people, memories and stories behind them. 

That’s why remodelling old jewellery can be such a beautiful process. It’s not about erasing the past, but about making those pieces wearable, meaningful, and part of your present. There’s so much meaning wrapped up in this new design, and yet, I would never have experienced that daily joy if I’d left the ring sitting in a drawer, unworn for years.

That’s exactly what we help our customers do every day — whether it’s transforming inherited pieces into something new, or creating custom-made jewellery from scratch.

If you’ve got an old piece tucked away because it’s “not your style anymore,” I encourage you to reconsider. With thoughtful design, you can create something that reflects who you are now, while still carrying the legacy of where it has come from”.

How we transformed three earrings into one custom trilogy ring: JP’s story

As someone who was raised on the importance of family, working for Moi Moi, an Australian family-owned business, has been the highlight of my career. So when my mum approached me to make a custom ring, I jumped at the opportunity. 

My mum is a fashion designer who ran her own image consultancy business and got her degree in fashion, maintaining a high distinction average all while raising 5 kids. She instilled my love of fashion and jewellery from a young age and was an incredible source of inspiration for pursuing my own career in jewellery design. 

My mum inherited a gorgeous set of smoky topaz earrings from her own mother, who had been gifted them by my grandpa. Unfortunately, she had long ago lost one of the earrings, but had hung onto the remaining stud in hopes of one day finding a replacement or using it for something else. 

Some years later, when I was a teenager early in my jewellery career, I gifted her a pair of amethyst stud earrings for Christmas, as purple was her favourite colour. Despite my best intentions, unsurprisingly, a teenage boy could not afford very big stud earrings, and while my mum loved the thought, they were very much not her style. So, into the jewellery drawing they went — until I started working at Moi Moi. 

When my mum saw the custom designs we were creating at Moi Moi, she was immediately drawn to the idea. Not only would she be able to use her own stones, all of personal significance, she could create a ring together with her son that did the original pieces justice, while still suiting her personal style. 

With this in mind, and of course a son’s love for his mother, I very carefully walked her through the process of creating a custom design and what we would be able to achieve. 

 

We started exploring other Moi Moi Trilogy Rings. My mum spotted our gorgeous Tara Round Trilogy Ring and absolutely loved its crossover gallery. 

However, much like her son (I have my own fully custom engagement rings), she wanted something one of a kind with extra details to really wow people, but in a subtle manner. Enter: the Miranda ring. With its incredibly unique gallery, the Miranda is a Moi Moi original, with nothing else out there quite like it. 

We combined elements of the Tara ring with its crossover gallery and decided to add the Miranda basket to the centre stone, using pink diamond accents instead of white diamond accents. 

With the concept now complete, we moved on to the computer-aided design (CAD) process. Receiving the CAD was so exciting as it came back exactly as we envisioned, and my mum was thrilled! 

We then considered if the ring should be in yellow gold to enrich the colour of the stones, or in rose gold to give them a softer tone and highlight the pink diamond accents. In the end, Mum settled on rose gold, as she didn’t have any rose gold rings. It’s also one of my favourite metals because of its gorgeous soft tones.

With that all decided, the CAD was sent to our workshop so our craftspeople could start crafting the ring setting, while the earrings went to our jeweller to have their stones unset.

Five weeks later, my mum’s ring was complete. I was proud to present the ring to my mum, and she was thrilled with the result.

After 40 years of marriage, she now has three different engagement rings: her original diamond ring, her 25th anniversary purple sapphire trilogy, and her 40th anniversary Moi Moi Heaven ring with a Yellow SUPERNOVA Moissanite, which she alternates depending on her outfit. 

She still wears her Moi Moi custom ring to this day and messages me occasionally to let me know how much she loves it, as well as her Heaven ring. It fills me with pride every time I see her wearing it, and I am forever grateful I got the opportunity to custom-design her a ring.

Moi Moi Mother’s Day gift guide

If you’ve come here with hopes of finding the perfect Mother’s Day present for your mum, wife, grandma, or mother figure, we have you covered.

Gifts for Her

Our expertly curated collection of gifts for her is your perfect one-stop shop for Mother’s Day gift ideas. Here you’ll find a selection of our favourite gifting pieces available at a range of price points to suit any budget.

From pendants that can be worn with Mum’s existing chains, to dazzling rings and elegant bracelets, there’s something for every mum.

These gifts are ideal for other occasions outside of Mother’s Day as well, such as anniversaries, birthdays and other milestones, as well as for simply surprising someone you love.

Shop Gifts for Her here.

Toi et Moi Collection

“Toi et Moi”, meaning “you and me” in French, is a term that has been used for centuries to describe jewellery featuring two distinct jewels, symbolising the connection between two people.

What could be a more perfect way to convey the bond between mother and child? Explore our collection of Toi et Moi rings, earrings and more.

Shop the Toi et Moi Collection here.

Mosaic Collection

Our Mosaic Collection is modern jewellery reimagined. Start with sleek 18K gold and lab grown diamond base pieces, such as hoops, studs or chains, then mix and match enhancers for endless style combinations.

We particularly love our Anna Studs combined with our Gia Round Enhancer.

Shop the Mosaic Collection here.

Moissanite Tennis Bracelets

Also known as a diamond line bracelet or an eternity bracelet, a tennis bracelet is a popular jewellery staple able to be worn every day alongside watches, as well as reserved for more formal occasions. 

Shop Moissanite Tennis Bracelets here.

Lab Grown Diamond Earrings

A classic pair of lab grown diamond stud earrings is a must-have for Mum’s jewellery collection. Timelessly elegant, lab grown diamond earrings will match any ensemble and instantly elevate every look.

Shop Lab Grown Diamond Earrings here.

Lab Grown Diamond Necklaces

Whether you’re pairing one of our lab grown diamond necklaces with a set of lab grown diamond earrings or purchasing a necklace on its own, our lab grown diamond necklaces are guaranteed to delight the one-of-a-kind mum or mother figure in your life.

Shop Lab Grown Diamond Necklaces here.

Explore custom rings for Mother’s Day and more.

We wish all of you all the best and a very happy Mother’s Day. Whether you’re honouring your own mum, celebrating with breakfast in bed or a romantic dinner without the kids, we hope you have a sparkling day. 

We also hope Alana and JP’s custom ring design stories helped inspire you in your custom ring design journey. Our team of experts has helped many customers bring their dream ring designs to life over the past 20 years, whether by modifying an existing piece or by creating something entirely new. 

If you can dream it, we can design it. Get in touch today.