Jewelry Redesign Story #52: Mother’s Treasures Transform Into Three New Pieces
THE REDESIGN CHALLENGE:
We were thrilled to have Catharine, one of our long-time customers, back to Studio Remod to create some new pieces from sentimental jewelry pieces that used to belong to her mother.
This time around, Catharine brought us three pieces from her mother’s collection that were now in her possession, including a pair of 24 carat gold earrings whose gold she was especially interested in using to make her new jewelry. These were earrings of her mother’s that she was always especially fond of and she wanted her new jewelry to help her keep this part of her mother with her always.
Catharine also brought us a pair of her mother’s diamond earrings that featured two heart-shaped yellow diamonds that she wanted to have us make into a new ring for her.
Finally, Catharine brought us a diamond pendant with round diamonds which we were able to use to create a design for round diamond lobe-framing earrings.
With so many stones and metals to work with, we were excited to make not one, not two, but three different new pieces for Catharine. Because this is our third time working with Catharine, we know that she is fond of a modern style for her redesigned jewelry pieces. Having a long-standing relationship with a redesign customer means that we know more and more about what the customer is looking for and can make ever-more personalized designs to suit their specific needs.
Although we were not able to use all of the metals to create Catharine’s final designs, we were able to use the melted-down metals to subtract from the final cost of the finished pieces. However,we were still able to use the gold from the 24 carat earrings in each of Catharine’s three new finished pieces so that each of them would be made with a little piece of her mother.
THE REDESIGN PROCESS:
initial sketches
For the ring we created an open circle gold ring that included a bezel-setting for each of the heart-shaped yellow diamonds at the opening.
For the round diamonds, we created a contemporary earring design, using two diamonds for each of the individual earrings. These earrings are especially modern with a simple hanging design that goes around the bottom of the lobe, for a sleek look that still offers the diamonds a chance to shine while framing the ear.
Finally, we created a second pair of simple hanging earrings with a fairly similar structure to the round diamond earrings although with a bit more length and featuring pearls as the main design feature.
Each of the three redesigns included gold from Catharine’s mother’s 24 carat earrings.
Rhino modeling
Rhino modeling was essential for making sure that all of the settings snugly fit the stones for each individual piece. While modeling and setting are important in any jewelry design, we think it is especially important for redesigns using sentimental stones — we would never want our customers to ever worry about losing the stones of their loved ones from their new commissioned pieces!
Casting
Once our models were complete and approved, we were ready to cast all three of the new pieces of jewelry. The physical setting was especially important for the uniquely-shaped heart diamonds. The lobe-surrounding earrings were also important as we had to pay extra attention to the measurements so they would specifically fit Catharine’s earlobe and ear shape. For the casting of the pearl earrings we made sure that the gold would be very light and dangly to suit the design concept.
THE REDESIGN REVEAL:
The finished jewelry
Catharine loved how modern and sophisticated each of the three pieces of jewelry were. She also loved that she had three entire new pieces to wear that would all remind her not only of her mother as a person, but as an influence in the way she loves and wears her jewelry pieces.
Materials: 14k yellow gold. 1) Ring: Heart-shaped yellow diamonds in bezel setting, diamonds in bright-cut setting on the shank. 2) First pair of earrings: Round diamond with prong setting, ear hook. 3) Second pair of earrings: Round pearl with jump ring and ear post.
Manufacturing Level: Medium
Design Level: Medium
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