Jewelry Redesign Story #24: Out With the Gold and in With the New

THE REDESIGN CHALLENGE:

Suzanne, a contemporary cellist,  was interested in creating a large custom statement ring as a redesign of her engagement ring. In order to boost the style of her large, princess-cut diamond from the engagement ring, Suzanne brought us lots of additional materials -- both to contribute stones to the new ring but also to help lower the cost of her final piece. 

In addition to the diamond and other jewelry that were Suzanne’s own, she also received a significant donation from her father. Her father has been collecting a variety of gemstones for years and his contribution of a large number of the stunning purple tanzanite stones affected how we thought out the concept for the ring redesign. 

In addition to these gems which we planned to use in the final design, Suzanne’s father also contributed something we hadn’t seen before: his dental crowns! Made from 14k-16k yellow gold, the crowns, when sold, helped Suzanne save a huge amount on the final cost of her new statement ring. Despite the intimidating size and cumbersome shapes of these crowns, they proved to have been worth saving!   

all the different materials that Suzanne brought

Suzanne wanted her new custom ring to make a big statement. She wanted the ring to be large in size, making use of the large variety of diamonds and gems that she had brought to us for the new piece. 

When redesigning a piece meant to be worn on an almost-daily basis, many customers want a contemporary update -- and Suzanne was no different! Suzanne was also interested in creating something with an art-deco style that she thought would go well with her day-to-day as well as special-occasion wear. 

THE REDESIGN PROCESS:

Ring sketch

In order to create something contemporary with art deco influences, per Suzanne’s requests, we created sketches with graphic lines and patterns. It was important for us to remember to keep the princess-cut diamond from the engagement ring as the focal point of the design. 

We also wanted to consider how best to use the additional gemstones that we had received from Suzanne and her father. We ended up with a larger top that featured pattern detail on the shank. The big top half kept in line with Suzanne’s requests for a large, statement look but the detailed lines at the base allowed the ring to remain elegant and delicate. 

3D CAD model

New ring casting

This difficult project was one for which the 3D model was especially important. With so many different diamonds and stones, not to mention stones of different sizes, being used, we wanted to make sure before beginning the modeling process that we were using the proper sized tanzanites and diamonds. We also wanted to visualize a way in which we could use as many of the stones that Suzanne provided as possible. 

We modeled the ring a few different times in the Rhino CAD 3D program before we were finally ready to begin the cast in platinum. After a long process this was very exciting!

The ring at the workshop ready for the stone setting

THE REDESIGN REVEAL:

 Final ring on the customer

After lots of weighing, sketching, modeling, and careful construction, we were finally glad to present Suzanne with this delicate yet statement ring. The ring’s large size truly stood out when Suzanne put the ring on her finger -- great for showing off during her cello performances. 

Suzanne loved the size and shape as well as the cool and clean color scheme that came from the diamonds and tanzanite framed by the platinum of the ring’s base. Best of all Suzanne loved how much she was able to save on her dream ring by contributing other stones and metals, whether or not they were used in the final piece. 

Final ring

Materials: Platinum with 1.5 ct princess-cut diamond in bezel setting with round diamonds and tanzanite with beads in a bright-cut setting

Manufacturing Level:  Difficult

Design Level: Difficult

Want to go out with the old (gold) and in with the new? Get started here.