Jewelry Redesign Story #39: One Perfect Pearl

THE REDESIGN CHALLENGE:

Katherine was ready to redesign a Haitian pearl and diamond pendant — a gift from her mother-in-law. Katherine loved the sentiment of the piece and thought both the diamonds and the pearl were stunning although she wanted something that was more suited to her style.

A collection of Katherine's old jewelry

In order to create something modern and minimal that she could include in her day-to-day casual wear, Katherine decided to bring us both the pearl and diamond pendant as well as a collection of her old jewelry that she no longer wore. Because Katherine was able to give us so many older, yet still valuable pieces, we were able to sell her old jewelry to deduct from the cost of her final piece. 

THE REDESIGN PROCESS:

Set of initial sketches for Katherine’s redesign

Rhino modeling for Katherine’s selected design

We presented Katherine with a number of different design options for her pearl. The different designs played with the pave style, the diamonds, and the different bail sizes but Katherine ended up choosing the most simple and modern design. By adding diamonds on the bail the simple cap to the stunning single pearl became instantly more special without appearing overly loud or maximalist for everyday wear.

The casting

We had to make sure the casting was thick enough that we were able to successfully put the diamond pave on the cap — a process that can become very heavy and must be done properly to ensure a proper weight balance. 

We also had the added casting challenge of covering up the top of the pearl, whose cap had suffered some breakage when we removed its previous cap. Although we needed to cover up this small blemish, we also wanted to be certain not to obscure too much of the pearl, the centerpiece of the pendant, with the new cap. 

By carefully measuring and weighing the cap we were certain that we could manage the weight of the diamond pave, cover the breakage from the old cap, and still reveal the majority of the Haitian pearl. 

Diamond setting

When working with a diamond-heavy design such as this one, we work with our master jewelers in the diamond district to help us to most expertly set each stone into our new pieces.

THE REDESIGN REVEAL:   

The finished jewelry

Katherine was able to, once again, use her old jewelry to help keep the costs down on her final piece. By utilizing a pendant chain from her own collection, all we had to do was add the pendant and the new pearl necklace was ready to wear! 

Katherine is thrilled with the piece and while she’d like to wear it every day, her daughter has been borrowing it and seems to want to keep it for herself! A classic tale of jewelry between mother and daughter. 

The finished jewelry on customer

Katherine is thrilled with the piece and while she’d like to wear it every day, her daughter has been borrowing it and seems to want to keep it for herself! A classic tale of jewelry between mother and daughter. 

Materials: 18k white gold pearl cap with round diamonds in pave setting

Manufacturing Level: Difficult

Design Level: Medium

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