The Custom Design Process
In-Store Consultation
We want your consultation to be relaxing, fun and inspiring. Our ultimate goal is to create a piece of jewelry that we can all be proud of, and have a fun time doing it! Our artists work directly with you; choosing your favorite looks, reviewing ideas, examining many samples, photos and sketching concepts for the design. We truly love designing and creating fine jewelry, and we promise to pay extra time and attention to ensure that everything is just right! Whether you know exactly what you want or have absolutely no clue…we pay careful attention to each client‘s taste and look at each project as a fun challenge to create a unique and beautiful work of art. If your piece will have a gemstone, we will often start the process by helping pick out the perfect one for you. We stock a large number of diamonds, and some gemstones. If the perfect stone is not on hand, we work with your budget to find the best stone to match your design and lifestyle. This service is absolutely free of charge and is of no obligation. During your in-store consultation you can expect:
A meeting with a jewelry artist…not a salesperson.
A fun and relaxed atmosphere conducive to creativity.
An opportunity to create a custom piece designed especially for you.
Design advice if needed.
Expertise from our designers, metalsmiths and diamond experts.
Education on diamonds, and various metals if requested.
Stone selection and advice to fit both your desires and budget.
An estimate of the completed project cost.
Design
After looking over examples of what you like from our web site, your own personal sketches, idea book or any other source of inspiration, we will sketch or create CAD concept renderings of one or more designs for your approval. We will not stop until you say, “That’s it!… That's exactly what I want!”
Sketch
Although we may already have a rough sketch of what you are looking for, a more polished and detailed production drawing is often required at this time. We will work with our artists to create a realistic diagram of what your finished product will look like. The design can always be modified if you don't see exactly what you want. At this point we can generally give an accurate estimate of cost, and with your approval and a deposit we will move forward.
CAD Rendering
The production process often begins with modeling your piece with our state of the art 3-D computer modeling software, and several photo-realistic renderings are created for you to view. Often we work with you to “tweak” the design to perfection at this point, again at no extra charge. Our CAD designers are all jewelry design artists, not just technicians, so artistry is never sacrificed for perfection and detail…you get both!
For pieces where CAD modeling is not the right approach, we may sketch, hand carve wax models or hand fabricate our designs.
Wax Carving
If the piece is to be cast, and most are, we first create a wax master model. We do this by using a combination of our CNC milling machines and hand carving to create the perfect blend of artistry and detailed perfection. Once completed, you can view your model to see if it is exactly what you're looking for. If not, we will make adjustments at no additional charge, and we are never offended if the wax does not turn out as you expected. We will work with you until we get it exactly right.
Casting
Once all waxes have been approved, the jewelry is now set for casting. We cast most pieces here in our in-house casting facility. For platinum castings, we have a well known company that only casts Platinum cast our models for us based on the higher temperatures needed to cast platinum. They then send us the raw casting back for us to clean up and finish.
Castings come out with a smooth but matte surface finish, and require significant hand work to bring out the perfect finish of platinum, gold or palladium. This is intricate work, and requires much skill and a fine eye for detail, as well as dedication to quality and craftsmanship. We tumble finish our castings to brighten even the hardest to reach areas before hand detailing every piece.
Hand Fabricating
Some of our designs are hand fabricated from sheet, bar stock and wire. This is truly the finest in old world, traditional jewelry making techniques and is the best production method for many designs. It is usually more expensive and time consuming than wax carving and casters but the quality shows! Some items have sections of hand fabricated filigree or other hand forged elements.
The Art of Filigree
The art of filigree consists of curling, twisting and bending fine threads of wire by hand. This may sound simple, but as the saying goes, it takes an hour to learn and a lifetime to master. First wire is drawn out, often to less than half of a millimeter in diameter, then either used round or flattened for strength.
The wire is then carefully formed to the preferred shape under a bench microscope. A whimsical eye, steady hand and consideration of the area being filled is required. The gauge(s) of wire being used is taken into careful consideration so that the desired effect is achieved. In most cases, we use a specially designed laser to weld the wire to the adjoining area of the piece. This particular method uses absolutely no solder. Additional shapes may be added at this point, like curvaceous wisps of diamond studded platinum or fancy color beads of gold. We use different karats and types of gold wire, sheets and tubing as well as platinum for the most delicate work.
All of our fine filigree work is handcrafted in our shop for individual custom orders, as well as for our unique stock pieces. Imaginative intuition is used to create the designs, and some pieces have diamonds or other gemstones in the smallest sizes carefully fitted into the area surrounding the wire work. The gems must be carefully placed to ensure balance, stability and above all… beauty. Of course, an artistic touch is needed to create a true masterpiece.
Stone Setting
During this stage of the process, stones are set into your design. We hand set our stones with quality care and old world craftsmanship, an art that takes many years to master. We never cast stones in place, an inferior technique used to mass produce much of the low quality jewelry made in the world today. Here diamonds and fine gemstones are meticulously laid out and fitted into the metal which is carefully moved by hand to secure the stones for a lifetime of wear.
Finish
Hand Engraving
Hand engraving is the next stage of many of our designs. Hand engraving is not something every gold and platinumsmith can do. It is the hallmark of a true artist, and is performed under a bench microscope with carefully prepared and sharpened gravers. No machine lays out the pattern, and only extreme focus and skill allows for the creation of beautiful engraved patterns.
Texturing, finishes and detailing
The final stage of the production process includes adding texture and detailing if requested. There are many types of surface finishes used on jewelry, ranging from a high polish to a coarse hammered background. We use bead blasting equipment, emery cloths, files, hammers and numerous specialty tools to apply a wide variety of finishes and surface treatments. Antiquing, or blackening of the background area, and enameling can be used to create specialized effects.
Before quality marking, we double and triple check all details of the design to ensure all instructions have been meticulously followed, the design is well executed and all craftsmanship is top notch.
