Why a signature designer, instead of Tiffany
Tiffany makes good jewellery. So what are you actually paying for — and what changes when you work with a designer-led house instead?
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Essays on engagement rings, design, and the craft.
What you’re actually paying for in a €5,000 engagement ring
A transparent, line-by-line breakdown of where the money in a fine engagement ring actually goes — and why honest pricing is rare in this industry.
Read essay →Designed in Tallinn, finished in Valenza: how an engagement ring actually gets made in Europe
The supply chain story behind a Rauno Oidram ring — from brief to sketch to casting to the final polish in a Valenza goldsmith's workshop.
Read essay →Natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds: what I recommend, and why
A question of values, not chemistry. The honest designer's answer to the question every buyer at this level is asking.
Read essay →How to choose a stone shape that flatters the hand it will live on
The honest designer's guide to diamond shapes — what each says, how each ages, and the shapes I choose not to make.
Read essay →The fear no one talks about: am I being overpaid for this stone?
The honest guide to diamond grading, pricing games, and how to know — with certainty — that you are not being misled.
Read essay →Why I stopped doing thin shanks
The case against the 1.4mm band — and why a ring built to last 50 years needs to be built like it.
Read essay →On the difference between custom, signature, and bespoke
Three words that mean very different things — and why Rauno Oidram does only two of them.
Read essay →Insuring, shipping, and protecting an engagement ring you bought online
Everything you need to know about getting the ring to you safely, and protecting it once it arrives.
Read essay →A guide to commissioning bespoke: what to expect, what it costs, how long it takes
The complete guide to commissioning a bespoke engagement ring — from first enquiry to delivery, at every stage.
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