TMC’s Makayla Donovan On Love, Legacy And The The New Era Of Attainable Luxury

For jeweller Makayla Donovan, creating a bespoke engagement ring doesn’t start with the ring, it starts with the story. It’s a philosophy shaped by her own first design, created in tribute to her great-grandmother. Long before TMC Fine Jewellers existed, the process began the same way it does for her clients today: somewhere deeply personal.

Now, having guided hundreds of couples through the bespoke process, Donovan says the custom path is rarely about excess, and almost always about sentiment. “When you strip it back, most people want something that reflects their story.”

For decades, engagement rings followed a familiar script. Solitaire diamond, metal band. A quiet adherence to the way things had always been done, a physical expression of tradition as much as commitment. But increasingly, that script is being rewritten.

Vintage settings are resurfacing. Heirloom stones are being reset. As ideas around love and marriage shift, so too do the rings that represent them. Designs are becoming less about convention, more about character.

Image credit: TMC Fine Jewellers | Supplied

Because jewellery, after all, can tell you a lot about a person. The pieces someone reaches for daily. The metals they favour. Whether they lean towards something restrained, or something with presence. Taste, revealed through a hundred small, cumulative choices, becomes an expression of identity. Which is where bespoke jewellery becomes interesting.

One of the biggest misconceptions with custom jewellery is that you need to arrive with clarity already formed.

“It’s almost always somewhere in between,” Donovan says. “Most people arrive with a feeling rather than a blueprint.”

That feeling might be a handful of saved images. A sense of proportion. A leaning towards something delicate, or something bold. And even then, it’s rarely fixed.

Image credit: TMC Fine Jewellers | Supplied

“To most clients’ surprise, sometimes they have a clear vision and when they get the opportunity to try pieces on in real life, they have a change of heart and choose something unexpected that they love.”

“We don’t just dive into ring talk,” Donovan explains. “We want to build an authentic and genuine partnership with clients by getting to know them—their story, how they met, the milestones they’ve achieved together.”

For Donovan, custom doesn’t have to mean unattainable. It also doesn’t have to mean fully constructed from the ground up. Adjusting metal type and gemstone choice, or adding sentimental details like engraving or hidden birthstones, can shift a piece entirely, layering meaning without overcomplicating the design. At TMC, the process itself doesn’t incur an additional cost.

You don’t need to arrive with perfect instincts. You don’t need to know the terminology, or the rules, or even what you’re looking for. You just need a starting point.