Exclusive: The Repair Shop's Richard Talman on pressures of creating Will Kirk's 'classic' wedding ring

With not one but two jewellery companies under his belt and numerous appearances on The Repair Shop, it's no wonder that Richard Talman was the first port of call for Will Kirk when he wanted to design his wedding rings.

Three months before Will married his wife Polly on 5 August 2021, he visited Richard's workshop to discuss custom-made rings for himself and doctor Polly. While this can be a fast turnaround for a bespoke ring service, Richard – who also worked with Jay Blades on his wife's engagement ring – told HELLO! that Will had a "very clear vision" about what he wanted which made the process very easy.

"Some customers, they're not sure what they want, it can be a very, very long process," explained RTFJ founder Richard, before adding that Will and Jay did not fall into this category. "There was no sort of any back and forth. They're very easy people to work with. They trusted me," he said during a discussion about his new jewellery brand, Emilice.

Will asked Richard to create a "classic" wedding ring to match Polly's diamond engagement ring. "They went for more classic. And their engagement ring was also very classic, they had classic yellow gold with a diamond. They very much went down the classic route," he said.

Although the Master Goldsmith said he was "really, really honoured" that Will gave him such a crucial role in the wedding, he added it came with a bit of added pressure since he was a friend and colleague.

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"When people walk into a shop, they see an item of jewellery they like and they buy it, there's no element of trust. Whereas when someone comes to me they're relying on me to get it right. With the likes of Will and Jay, they could have gone anywhere, any jeweller would have loved their business, but they chose me and I was honoured by that," said the jewellery expert.

"It's always more pressure. This is the funny thing - all of my friends have bought their engagement rings from me. I've even had a very, very good friend of mine who is a lady, her husband came to me for it. And it was always a lot of pressure to know that, 'Well, hold on, what if they don't like it are they going to be honest with me because we're friends?' It actually sort of ups the pressure, I'm thinking, 'Am I going to portray their vision correctly?'"

Judging by the rare photos Will has shared from his wedding day, the rings were very well-received. The couple exchanged vows at Kings Head Hotel in Cirencester before posing for photos at popular Cotswolds tourist attraction, Arlington Row in Bibury. The TV star donned a blue suit while his bride looked equally as striking in a beautiful white gown with sheer lace sleeves and a V-neckline.

Richard was also responsible for helping fellow The Repair Shop star Jay with his engagement and wedding rings – which were both very different.

The furniture restorer and television presenter announced the "very happy" news that he had got engaged to Lisa Zbozen by sharing a snap of his then-fiancée modelling her new sparkly rock on her left and writing: "Ring designed by me & made by @rtfj."

A round-cut diamond was flanked by marquise diamond clusters on a band of platinum or white gold. Richard addressed the special milestone by posting the same photo and stating: "It was a real honour to make this engagement ring for another one of my #repairshop family!"

Before Jay and Lisa exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony in Barbados in 2022, the fitness trainer had been sharing regular updates on Richard's progress with their unique gold wedding rings. "I really don't want a perfect wedding ring because I think nothing is perfect," Lisa said of the rings, which contain the couple’s birthstones hidden on the inside. "It's also more individual and has got a lot more care and love thought into it."

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