JEWELRY REDESIGN STORY #76: The Surprise Ring
THE REDESIGN CHALLENGE:
Erin had her father-in-law’s old cuff links but no use for them so she wanted to make a surprise ring as a gift for her mother-in-law. In addition to the cufflinks she also had some gold and three small diamonds that she also wanted us to use
THE REDESIGN CONCEPT:
Sketches
Erin knew her mother-in-law wanted the new ring to feature a wide band with organic textures and inlaid diamonds. Erin was a customer who knew exactly what she wanted to make which made our design consultation very straightforward.
The most challenging part of this redesign stemmed from the fact that Erin wanted this ring to be a complete secret from her mother-in-law so she would be completely surprised. This meant that we did not have the exact ring size information. This was further complicated by the fact that with a ring featuring a wider band, sizes need to be a quarter to half a size larger than one’s usual ring size. This was tricky, but with some sleuthing work and the help of Erin’s father-in-law, we came up with a size that we thought would work quite well or be easy to adjust after the ring was gifted.
THE REDESIGN PROCESS:
Rhino modeling
The use of Rhino CAD was essential to solving the other main challenge in this redesign: making sure that there was enough gold from the cufflinks to make the casting for the new, wide band ring. With the model and some back-and-forth work with our caster we were certain that we had enough gold to make the new casting.
Casting
THE REDESIGN REVEAL:
Redesign images
The ring fit Erin’s mother-in-law perfectly, which made everyone happy. Erin’s mother-in-law loved the ring and she loved how much of a surprise it was!
Material: Three round diamonds in a flush setting in 14k yellow gold
Manufacturing Level: Medium
Design Level: Medium
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