Custom Ring Design, the Process

[Haven]

Frankie's awesome comparison thread in SMTB made me curious about the process everyone went through to have their custom ring/s made.

The custom design process is obviously going to vary greatly depending on the individual's preferences, but I think there is a lot to be gained by sharing our experiences. This seems to be especially true for those who are very particular about details. However, I think it could help a lot of people avoid some mistakes that others have already made. (I'm thinking of the info Frankie learned along the way, and how it would have helped her to know that right from the start.)

So, what was your process?

My Process:
Ring Details/Info
2.30 ct O/P SI1 antique cushion set in a hand forged 18K rose gold ring with two surprise single cuts and a fancy yellow melee RB set under the culet. Created by Burdeen's Jewelry in Illinois.

Main Goals/Desires/Concerns
I fell in love with this stone the moment I saw her, and my only goal was to put her in a setting that allowed her to shine. While I did have a desired design in mind and I drew a picture of it, I wasn't really very particular about the details. My jeweler knows me and my taste very well, and I told him that I defer to his expertise. He surprised me with the fancy yellow stone under the culet, for example, and I love it. In other words, I would not have been upset if the ring was different than the design I drew.

Time Line
2/18/11: I see the stone in person for the first time. It's love. We commit to trading in my original e-ring for the new stone *pending* certification, and I start daydreaming. My jeweler sends her in to GIA at this point.
3/3 to 3/11/11: Stone comes back from GIA with lower-than-expected specs. I post on PS to get feedback on the stone. I agonize over whether to go through with the trade. All the while I'm looking for design inspiration, have a thread going on PS for the setting, and come up with a design I want for the new stone. I decide to move forward on 3/11.
3/11/11: I give my jeweler the drawing I made of the design, I share it on PS. I get very, very excited.
3/12/11: I contact the jeweler with a question about where the rose gold ends and the platinum will begin. This is because Yssie brought up a great concern. I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise. It was a false alarm, but still worth checking into.
3/15/11: My jeweler emails me to double-check that I want my new ring to be the same size as my original ring. We hadn't discussed it, and he just wanted to double-check. (I have my rings sized extra large because I like 'em loose.)
4/1/11: I get the email that my ring is in! (I was so excited and nervous at the same time.) I rush home from work, grab DH, and we go in to pick up the ring. I'm so nervous on the way there because I realize I have no idea what this ring is going to look like. Needless to say, I see it and fall in love immediately. I have a moment of sadness as I hand over my original engagement ring, but it melts away pretty much the moment I put my upgrade ring on my finger. I promptly come home, take hundreds of pictures, and post them on PS.

Communication
- Three meetings with my jeweler: the first to see the stone (10 to 20 minutes, maybe), the second with DH to see the stone (30 minutes, DH has a lot of questions), and the third to discuss the setting (30 minutes?).
- Two emails: The first was that question about the metals, and the second was from him to me about my ring size.

If I had known then what I know now, I would have . . .
Saved myself all of that time agonizing over whether to go for this stone. It was obviously the right choice for me! Otherwise, I don't really have any regrets, but I think that's because I didn't go into it with particular expectations for the setting. I was most concerned about having a setting that showed off my stone, and left the details up to my amazing jeweler.
I don't regret being so hands off at all. I love the setting I ended up with, and I certainly don't know more about making beautiful settings than my jeweler, so I think I made the right decision, there.

My threads from this particular ring:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-would-you-set-an-antique-cushion.156766/
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/omb-feedback.157401/page-3
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...y-2-30-ct-omb-antique-cushion-upgrade.158760/

Thanks in advance for sharing! I hope we can help some future PSers on their custom design process by collecting all of our experiences in one place.

 

[natascha]

Haven- that's a great idea. Your story is a great example and your ring is absolutely stunning.

I don't feel at liberty to discuss my ring that thoroughly right now, but hopefully I can come back later. But I do want to make a couple of comments that I feel could be of use for someone considering this process.

As Haven showed above, handmade is beautiful ( with the right vendor). What made me originally choose to go with a CAD and CAST vendor is that my dream design was a compilation of different parts from several different rings and the only photo I had seen of the halo was with a much larger stone. So I wanted to see who these details would scale done and work together. With the handmade vendor I wanted to work with, I would not get any drawings etc so I choose to got the CAD route (I think that there are some handmade that do CAD and drawings though).

Now the important comment that I wanted to make. Every vendor will sometimes drop the ball and make a mistake. I don't think I have seen one single vendor that has done everything perfectly every time. So if you are unhappy with something, say so immediately.

In my case since I could not send the ring back because of logistics and I personally felt that I could not ask for a refund if I could not give them the opportunity to fix it. Since I had to leave feedback, I originally wrote a neutral one describing both the good and the bad. However before I sent it off I felt pretty bad. I just felt that I could not do that since I was not able to give them the opportunity to fix it so I took away the negative parts I wrote and did a positive review. The vendor had been absolutely lovely in all communications and had produced nice pieces both before and after my ring so I did not want to damage their reputation. Well now things have gotten to the point where I have contacted the vendor and we are both unhappy. Hopefully we will find a way to solve this.

So please, learn from my mistake and if there is something wrong say so as soon as possible. Going custom you can get the ring of your dreams but as always communication is key, both before and after.

 

[yennyfire]

What a great thread Haven! Honestly, at this moment, I don't have the time to dig back through all of the emails/phone calls that went back and forth between Ari and me. There were A LOT of them. I will say that communication and honesty are key. You have to be comfortable saying to the vendor "I don't care for this because...". If I hadn't been so comfortable with Ari, I don't think I would have ended up with a ring that is so perfect for me. I'll try to recreate the 5 month timeline later this week.