Our signature Cast in Wood collection uses techniques not seen since Ancient Rome, where the craft was perfected with techniques that pre-date modern tools, 3D printing, and mass production by thousands of years.
We developed a way to recreate the lost Roman tradition by casting raw eco-recycled 18k gold in hand-carved oak wood molds. It allows the molten gold to flow into the carved wood and form naturally to the individual shape of the wood grain.
This method means that no two rings can, or ever will, be the same. No Cast in Wood ring can be mass produced. Each piece we make is completely unique and imperfectly beautiful.
Perfectly shaped stones, round, square, and emerald cut didn’t feel right cast in wood or set in rings, necklaces, and earrings, in our other collections. Finding gemstones that matched our individual jewelry meant cutting our own. This allowed us to source the stones ourselves with sapphires directly from the state of Montana Our stones are the highest level of ethical gemstone possible, as they are found right here in the US, and hand-cut by our own team.
We also developed our own process of cutting these stones too. Removing as little material as possible in the faceting and polishing process, so that what remains is a beautifully cut sapphire in the natural shape of the rough stone, as it was when it came out of the ground or the river bed.
Understanding the beauty and demand for diamonds, we turned to antique old mine cut diamonds that matched our ethics and aesthetic. Mined and cut by eye in candlelight over 200 years ago, all of our diamonds are considered recycled.
Unparalleled in their beauty, they were cut by hand and eye under candlelight. Each diamond is imperfect and as a test to the time, they are shaped to the original rough diamond rather than creating a perfect round cut, just like our sapphires.
David Watkins is an England-born jewelry designer and founder of Rigby Leigh. Before turning to fine jewelry, he worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker, drawn to craftsmanship and the beauty of natural materials.
Inspired by Ancient Roman techniques and the English landscape, his work allows the materials themselves to guide each final piece. Rather than pursuing standardization, David embraces the traditions of earlier craftsmen, creating jewelry shaped by the materials available and the organic forms.
David also hand-crafts each ring box for his Cast in Wood collection, being made from the actual individual casting molds he uses to make the piece.
Rigby Leigh's working studio in Chatham is all hand built by him, specifically for the flow of his work and to highlight the range of his pieces.
