The gold bands couples exchange during their wedding vows are a symbol of everlasting love.

Usually the rings are bought "off the peg" after weeks of window shopping.

But silversmith Anton Pruden is offering couples the chance to design and make their own unique wedding bands.

Anton is one half of Ditchling jewellers Pruden & Smith, whose customers include Cherie Blair, the Archbishop of Canterbury and actress Julie Christie.

They have taught silversmithing and jewellery-making for 15 years and are now running wedding ring workshops for couples.

The idea came after Anton invited friends to make their own rings as a wedding present.

He said: "People imagine it's difficult to make a ring but you don't need any special skills or experience.

"It's great fun and absolutely anyone will end up with a perfect result.

"The great thing about working with precious metals is that, with a little bit of direction from me, they can quickly become a thing of beauty."

Clair Sheehan and Nick Beresford are one of the first couples to make rings under Anton's guidance.

They heard about the service through friends and knew immediately it was what they wanted to do.

Clair, 29, from Tilgate, Crawley, said: "This is so much more individual and personal than just buying them from a shop.

"We have made each other's rings so they have a lot more meaning and are unique."

Nick, 35, an IT manager for Legal & General, said: "At first we wondered if we would be able to do it, as neither of us has done anything like this before.

"We thought Anton would do most of the work and we would just be watching. But he more or less said, 'Here's the gold, here are the tools, off you go'."

The couple's first visit to the shop was to talk about the design of the rings and choose the precious metals.

Clair said: "Originally we wanted plain gold bands but when we talked through all the options with Anton, we decided to go for something a little bit different."

The matching rings they decided on are wide bands of nine-carat yellow gold with two thin strips of 18-carat white gold around the outside. Anton then measured their fingers and ordered the gold.

Two weeks later the couple returned for a full day to work on the rings.

They sat at Anton's jewellery bench, hammering the strips of gold into circles, working their rings on the "pin" - a small ledge - using pliers, a pendant motor, stretchers, polishers and the ultrasonic cleaning machine.

Clair, a kitchen designer, said: "I was surprised how tough gold is. We started off gently tapping it with our hammers and soon learnt you have to really whack it! If you do make a mistake, you can usually correct it or you can always start again."

The couple's rings were sent to Sheffield to be hallmarked before being returned for fine tuning and polishing.

The whole process has cost £250 per ring, less than many similar ones Clair and Nick checked out in Hatton Garden, London's jewellery district.

They will proudly wear their creations when they marry in Havana, Cuba, next week.

Clair said: "If we had bought our rings in a shop, we would never have known about all the work and the craftsmanship that goes into them.

"Ours are personal to us and have our own hard graft in them.

"The whole experience has been fun and we are thrilled to bits with the rings."

Anton said: "The rings are a bit like the marriage. You put a lot of work and effort into making your life together so it seems appropriate to do the same with your rings."

Anton and his business partner Rebecca Smith specialise in striking contemporary designs in silver and gold.

Following three generations of traditional arts and crafts in Ditchling, they set up workshops there in 1988 and in July 1999 opened a gallery in the village centre.

As well as sliver, gold and platinum jewellery, they make one-off collectable pieces, six ranges of silver tableware and a range of commemorative silver gifts and specialist trophies.

They also sell the work of six other contemporary jewellers.

Their own work is sold by Harrods and Mappin and Webb among others.

Wedding ring-making classes are held at Pruden & Smith on Ditchling crossroads on Mondays from 10am-5pm, with an hour's break for lunch at The Bull pub nearby.

The class costs £150 per person, plus the cost of materials (gold, silver or platinum), which will depend on carat, size and weight. Hallmarking is £20 per ring and takes a minimum of one week.

For more details, visit their web site www.silversmiths.

co.uk or call the shop on 01273 846338.