Kristen Iburg Meyer often works with yellow gold in her custom engagement ring designs. This radiant cut diamont solitaire ring and wedding band with round bezel-set diamonds highlights the distinctive material. Photos: Chris Emeott
A Hudson jeweler shares her expertise in designing custom engagement rings.
Before the bustle of wedding planning begins, there’s another big decision facing many couples: choosing an engagement ring. In the St. Croix Valley, jeweler Kristen Iburg Meyer has been helping couples design and select those heirloom pieces for more than a decade.
“Prior to opening up my brick-and-mortar shop, I was more of a private jeweler, creating work for different galleries, doing custom work and doing different shows,” says Iburg Meyer, who lives in Lakeland. While her two sons were young, she waited for the right moment to put down roots in a studio of her own. When a longtime Hudson, Wisconsin, jeweler retired, the timing—and the location—fell perfectly into place. The Jeweler’s Bench officially opened on Locust Street in downtown Hudson in March 2024.
Iburg Meyer’s background in fine arts is the foundation of her craft. She graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in design, with a focus on metals and jewelry design. After college, she worked for a family-owned jewelry store in Iowa before moving to Minnesota in 1997.
Custom engagement rings are one of her specialties, and Iburg Meyer tailors the process to each couple. “We talk about the design, the stone shape that they’re drawn to, and build around that,” she says. After a consultation, she creates a wax model or computer-aided design rendering of the initial ring design to show the couple.
What’s trending for rings? Iburg Meyer says the current “trend” is couples prioritizing their own preferences rather than following the crowd. Rose, white and yellow gold are all popular for bands. For stones, “The round, brilliant cut diamond will always be a classic,” she says. “But I’m seeing more elongated stones—radiant cuts, ovals and pear cuts. Solitaires are very popular.” She’s also seeing an interest in ring stacks, designs with narrow bands that can be added for each occasion: engagement ring, wedding band, first anniversary and so on.
Ethical stone sourcing is important at The Jeweler’s Bench, and this engagement ring, featuring a teal blue Montana sapphire with two round, brilliant-cut diamonds, is no exception.
Ethical stone sourcing is increasingly important in the industry. More clients are choosing lab-grown diamonds or lab-grown moissanite, a gemstone similar in appearance and durability to diamonds. “I’ve also been having a lot of individuals coming in with family diamonds that have been passed down to them,” Iburg Meyer says. She sources popular Montana sapphires from United States-based cutters who uphold ethical mining standards.
Her advice for soon-to-be-engaged couples? Look at some photos to get an idea of what you’d like for your ring—and don’t forget the practicalities of caring for everyday jewelry. “If you’re going to do rock climbing or weightlifting, put on a different silicone band to prolong the life of your ring,” Iburg Meyer says. “I also steer people away from softer stones that won’t hold up to scratches.”
While she loves traditional diamond rings, it’s the distinctive projects that stay with her, like a recent ring she designed in white gold with a rustic gray diamond. “It had some really pretty rose-cut faceting, and it stood out,” Iburg Meyer says.
