The Bulletin

Lessard Coutu Bulletin

Insights, guides, and stories from the atelier. Written by Nick Coutu.

The hands of Marianne Lessard, goldsmith and co-founder of Lessard Coutu Jewellery

How Far We’ve Come in 30+ Years of Engagement Ring Making

After more than 30 years of making engagement rings, the biggest lesson may be that technical possibility is not the same thing as purposeful design.

A couple seated together between vineyard rows at sunset

What Makes an Engagement Ring Romantic?

Romance asks more of a ring than beauty. Nick Coutu on the attention, private details and shared history that give an engagement ring meaning.

A couple walking towards a château beside a vintage convertible

The Next Frontier of Engagement Rings Is Experience

As diamonds become more accessible, the experience of creating an engagement ring can be more personal, participatory and deeply custom.

What If We Asked More of the Engagement Ring?

An engagement ring is entrusted with representing a human connection. An engagement ring has the potential to become one of the objects through which a relationship remembers itself.

Rock Bottom — Part 1: The Fall

Laboratory-grown diamond prices have fallen sharply. That fall says little about their beauty or durability. I am more interested in what couples can do with that freedom.

Rock Bottom — Part 2: The Interests Behind the Debate

When a technology changes a market, it is worth asking who benefits from the familiar way of doing things. The debate about laboratory-grown diamonds concerns price, rarity and the barriers around luxury.

Rock Bottom — Part 3: Wealth and Worth

The part of the laboratory-grown diamond debate that interests me most concerns status. And the difference between wealth and worth.

Rock Bottom — Part 4: What This Means for Engagement Rings

A more accessible diamond can create room for a more personal engagement ring. Room for design, craftsmanship and the experience of making something together.

Ultra-Wide Engagement Rings: Presence, Proportion and Practicality

A substantial band changes the balance of an engagement ring. Its strength still depends on the whole design.

Repurpose Jewellery: Transforming Cherished Heirlooms

An inherited stone or an unworn piece can become jewellery you want to wear, while keeping a connection to the person who gave it to you.

Lessard Coutu: A Family Jewellery Atelier in Niagara

Founded by Marianne Lessard and Maurice Coutu in 1990, our St. Catharines atelier brings conversation, design and jewellery making together.

Selling Gold to Lessard Coutu

We buy gold, silver and platinum jewellery, coins and scrap. Here is what to consider before selling an unworn piece.

Engagement Ring Buying Guide

A few practical decisions help us design an engagement ring your partner will enjoy wearing.

What Is a Romantic Engagement Ring?

An engagement ring can stay with a family for generations. Its meaning begins with the people who choose it. A romantic ring gives that meaning a place in the design.

Working with a Jewellery Atelier Online

Custom jewellery can begin with a conversation, even when you are not in the same room as your jeweller. Shared references and digital design previews help us work through the details together.

Inside the Custom Jewellery Atelier at Lessard Coutu

A custom piece develops through conversation, sketching and careful decisions about its design, stones and metal.

Choosing a Jewellery Gift with Personal Meaning

A personal gift starts with something you have noticed about the person receiving it: a memory, a preference or a detail that belongs to the two of you.