Padparadscha and Hand Engraved Accents = A Grand Custom Ring
June 27th, 2009 by James L. Sweaney, CGA, FGA. GG
Custom Diamond Ring with Padaparadscha
We recently completed this beautiful ring for a very elegant and sophisticated lady, let’s call her Liz. During our initial design consultation, it soon became apparent that we needed to do something extra special for Liz- well educated and artistic, her tastes were refined and she was looking for something exciting and new. She wanted us to reset her nice 1 1/2 ct diamond into a wide ring to accent her long fingers. She also wanted the ring to be wearable and comfortable. Our discussion led us to her preferences in colors- she wanted something warm and wonderful. Those of you who follow this blog know we are big fans of Padparadscha sapphires, so what better suggestion could we make than one of our very favorite stones!
The suggestion was the easy part! Now, where do we find a matching pair of natural padparadscha sapphires of the right size, clarity, and price? Fortunately, we have really good contacts in the gem trade and were able to locate this parcel of lovely stones from southern India (an unusual source for Pads). The really good news was that we were able to match up two stones to make a pair!
Parcel of natural color Padparadscha sapphires from India
Liz liked antique styles of jewelry, especially Victorian and Edwardian pieces, and she wanted open work and floral elements, so Jenny, our resident jewelry designer and CAD/CAM whiz created this great design with tulip flowers.
CAD rendering
Now we were ready to show the design and the stones- Liz was anxiously waiting for our call. Sometimes when you make custom jewelry, things just fall into place- I think the key is to truly love working with people. It’s especially fun when a client is enthusiastic and enjoying the moment. Liz loved the design and really liked the matching Padparadscha sapphires.
We cast the design in 14K white gold, then our jeweler Scott set the stones and polished the ring in preparation for the final touch- hand engraving! We wanted our engraver to accent and lighten the curves in the design with bright cuts and to set off the stone settings with milgraining, just to give the piece that flavor of la belle epoque.
Cast, Polished and Set, Ready for the Engraver!
Many jewelry pieces from the Victorian and Edwardian era are embellished with delicate hand engraving, so Jenny purposely created the design to be finished with hand engraving. Lots of today’s mass produced jewelry has “simulated” hand engraving, created by modern technology. We think this may be OK if you don’t want to pay for good hand engraving but want something of the look of hand engraving, but to our eye, the simulated engraving just isn’t as bright and attractive as the real thing. There is something charming about the slight irregularities of a hand cut bright surface- the magic of skilled hand craftsmanship cannot be reproduced by technology.
Making custom jewelry can be challenging but it’s very rewarding for us. Our approach is to tailor our work to the needs, desires and means of our clients. We have the skills to create works of the highest order and the flexibility to make the perfect gift that fits the pocketbook, so the really important thing is to listen carefully and make sure the design is just right for the client.
Tags: CAD/CAM, custom ring, Edwardian jewelry, hand engraving, la belle epoque, Padparadscha, Victorian Jewelry
