Jewelry Redesign Story #44: A Family’s Story Continues in a Ring
THE REDESIGN CHALLENGE:
Sarah is a returning customer of ours after we redesigned her stone for what she calls her “Vacation Stone Ring”. We were so happy to have her back, this time creating something for her sister, a gift that would use jewelry from her mother’s collection that included the stones she was most interested in displaying: a synthetic ruby from Sarah’s maternal great-grandmother (whoa!) and the diamond from Sarah’s maternal grandmother’s engagement ring from the 1930s.
Both stones come with fascinating stories. The synthetic ruby was from the 20s and was a gift from Sarah’s great-grandmother from her great-grandfather, a Congressman at the time in Mississippi where a synthetic ruby was a traditional gift for all women to be given at the dinner on the last night of a hunting expedition.
We knew we were being entrusted with a lot of family history -- not to mention American history -- for one piece of jewelry, but we knew that we were up to the task and were so thrilled that Sarah trusted us with such an important part of her family’s story, both past and future.
Sarah was certain that she could give great guidance on a ring for their sister because, aside from sharing their rich family history, they also share a similar taste in fashion and accessories. Much like the “vacation ring” we made for Sarah, she was interested in creating another piece that featured geometric shapes and simple lines that would be both daring and modern without being aggressively brash or bold in its statement or weight.
THE REDESIGN PROCESS:
initial sketches
Sarah is a customer who knows what she wants. It’s great to work with a customer who has so much input in the design and has so many ideas of their own to bring to the table. Luckily for us, we were also already familiar with Sarah’s specific aesthetics and taste after the redesign we had done for her vacation stone.
By the time we met for our design consultation, Sarah already knew what she envisioned the right to be. She was interested in an open ring with the ruby and another stone (likely the big round diamond from her grandmother) or using some elongated custom-cut rectangular-shaped colored stones that would sit across the minimal and modern ring.
sketches with different setting options
Sarah ended up choosing the design with the synthetic ruby and the round diamond. However, we wanted to offer her one more decision, choosing if she wanted both stones in a bezel setting or prong setting.
After important consideration, Sarah decided it was most to her taste to feature the bezel setting for both stones and featuring two stones from her family’s collection, the synthetic ruby and the diamond, rather than bringing in new stone.
Rhino modeling
We imported the final sketch directly into the Rhino Model and model as close to the sketch as we can. This means that the final sketch is potentially one of the most important parts of our design process as it will become the essence of the actual ring that will be made when it is cast in direct proportion to the work we have done on our Rhino model.
Casting
We were thrilled to see that the casting we made was both strong and minimal. Despite the differing natures of the design’s physical need for strength and the design’s stylistic need for simplicity and minimalism, we were so thrilled to see that all of the necessary elements for a successful redesign to Sarah’s specifications was possible.
THE REDESIGN REVEAL:
The finished jewelry
We were so glad to see that the ring, much like Sarah’s family story, is pure and strong. Much like their family, who has maintained such a wealth of stories through their jewels and stones, the ring allows Sarah and her sister to continue speaking to the world through their jewelry, seeming to say “This is me, this is my family”.
Materials: 14k yellow gold ring with round diamond and a synthetic ruby in a bezel setting
Manufacturing Level: Medium
Design Level: Medium
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