3-stone ring design - CAD review

[Avondale]

I've been working waiting on this project for this 3-stone:



I decided to do it with the same jeweller who performed the skillful restoration of my blue flower ring. They gave me a good quote and (initially) had a solid timeline. As it turns out, I have 0 luck with blue sapphire rings, as every single one I buy or have made comes with a whole constellation of problems and issues.

In this particular case, the problem is I placed the order on 4th April and it has now been nearly 4 months. My project wasn't even started for three whole months - given I had provided everything, stones, design inspiration, design notes, even the milgrain wheels they don't have. I have decided to become really pushy lately and insist that my ring is prioritised, which is how I eventually got the CAD. This is important because I have really lost my patience at this point and am very averse towards anything that could make the process even more lengthy. So I could use a reality check in order to not make bad compromises for the sake of quick completion.

My initial inspiration for the design was this ring that GildedLane sold a while back:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

I loved it the moment I saw it. The only thing I wasn't too sure about was the baskets. Ideally I want something more open for the sapphire, and I suggested that the baskets could be designed into something more flowy - kinda like trelis, tulip, that sort of thing.

The problem is, that was 4 months ago. They only had the CAD finished this week aaaand it's more or less a carbon copy of the inspiration ring. Nothing has been altered, no new design elements have been introduced. They probably forgot most of it. Although, to be fair, not all - the band is supposed to be yellow gold, and the baskets - white gold, which is just so in the 3D render.

This is it:







I also have access to the full 3 model where I can rotate it 360 degrees and look at it from all sides.

One thing I will certainly ask to address is these gaps here:




But aside from that I am hesitant to ask for further changes. To start, I did like the original design quite a bit. Plus it allows for plenty of room for milgrain details and engraving. Also, as mentioned above, I have very little patience for this left. I can't imagine requesting changes and then having to wait god knows how long for the next revision.

I did send them this inspiration pic for the baskets in particular, although this ring is a solitaire:



I am not quite sure how to translate that into a 3-stone design, though. Most three stone designs I see have 6 prongs on the centre stone whereas I would prefer its basket be as open as possible. This sapphire just benefits from having lots of light.

I have the weekend to mull this over. I guess if I'm asking them to close the gaps, I might as well ask for a redesign of the baskets. It's not like I'm going to move with the CAD as it is... I just really really really want to get this done already. It's been too long.

 

[Rfisher]

They gave me a good quote and (initially) had a solid timeline.

I have decided to become really pushy lately and insist that my ring is prioritised, which is how I eventually got the CAD. This is important because I have really lost my patience at this point and am very averse towards anything that could make the process even more lengthy

Have you asked /have they told you any reasons for the delay?
Has anything major changed with their design/bench crew?

 

[Avondale]

Have you asked /have they told you any reasons for the delay?
Has anything major changed with their design/bench crew?

Oh yeah, I know why it happened this way - I'm pretty tight with the front office by now, we're on first name basis, they tell me everything. The bench is the same, I'm working with the same jeweller who's done everything for me so far - in all honesty, he's the reason I accepted their offer, because I trust his work. The problem is the bad management and extremely poor prioritisation of orders. Management pushes their stuff to get done first, overwhelming the bench. The people doing the actual work can't refuse direct orders from their bosses, and there's not enough time to fit in everything and ensure all deadlines are kept. Queue the delays.

For what it's worth, I haven't had that issue before mostly because I haven't done a piece from scratch with them before. With minor stuff they're lightning fast and get things done in a matter of hours.

 

[Rfisher]

I have the weekend to mull this over.

Haste makes waste.
Take all the time you need to feel good about it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

A minimal change would be to ask them to widen the base of the center basket to remove the gaps and thin the prongs to make it more open..

 

[Autumn in New England]

So I'm really patient when it comes to this process... I almost never check in and just tend to wait it out. But nearly 4 months for a CAD? I don't blame you a bit for starting to lose it. That being said, I wouldn't compromise in the slightest. Like, not in the slightest. You make whatever changes your little heart desires and continue to stay on them. As in, I would check in weekly... maybe twice (Mondays and Fridays) until you feel everything is progressing at the appropriate clip. I love your inspiration, proposed changes, and of course the stones. She's going to be a revelation! Hang in there!!

 

[VividRed]

Just want to say that your sapphire has the perfect blue to me. I’ve been looking for one that looks like that and failed so far, may I ask where you got it from?

 

[Avondale]

Just want to say that your sapphire has the perfect blue to me. I’ve been looking for one that looks like that and failed so far, may I ask where you got it from?

It was a very lucky pre-loved purchase. Wish I could tell you where to find more. I myself have no idea. But you should know this stone is by no means perfect. I have a thread on it where I show every flaw - the colour zoning, the inclusions, the veil. I like these things, I find them fascinating, but I know most people don't.


Back to the subject at hand. I did quite a bit of mulling today. I also enlisted Dr_Diesel's help which proved to be invaluable. And to put the cherry on top, he gave me the idea for the last design change that sealed the deal, so to speak.

Just for the fun of it, I'll post the full progression.

As I mentioned above, the initial idea was to have a more modern, flowy basket for the stones. The first attempt utilised a tulip setting and very much didn't work so was quickly discarded, it's not even worth showing. The second attempt slapped together the head of a trelis ring with the band from the CAD. It's ugly and sloppy, but that's about as far as my skills can take me.




It's obviously bad. There's no flow, it looks like parts of two different rings soldered together. But now that I had something to trace over, I also had a foundation to work with.

This was the first thing I came up with:



It didn't garner much enthusiasm. Dr_Diesel straight up said it looked bad. So, on to the next one...



Now, this one I really liked. But I could not for the life of me figure out how you do something like this in two tone without making it look bad. It has to be one metal start to finish.

Then Dr_Diesel suggested a small change which made everything fall into place.

This is the final variation, pencil and coloured:





This sharpening in the curve of the band where it joins the head fits so much better with the shape of the engraving. It also allows for the ring to be made in yellow and white gold without it looking out of place.

I will sit with it for another day (besides, it's not like I can do anything on Sunday) to see how I feel about it and if I still like it. If I do, I'll send these sketches to the jeweller on Monday. Fingers crossed the CAD revision won't take another 4 months.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Very nice. My only suggestion is to have the transition from white to gold metal where I indicated with a red line. It will be an easy and less visible place to attaché the two pieces of the cast.

 

[Avondale]

Very nice. My only suggestion is to have the transition from white to gold metal where I indicated with a red line. It will be an easy and less visible place to attaché the two pieces of the cast.

Like this?



Tbh I'm not too sure about it. It's not a bad look, I just might prefer the other one better.

In any case, I'm thinking I might let the jeweller decide where to place solder for best durability and I'll leave my colouring as just a suggestion.

Also drew a side view today. Just in case they forgot I'm going for claw prongs.

 

[Dreamer_D]

It’s not really possible to link two colors of metal the way you initially drew it. The solder points are weak and to have it in the middle of a span of thin metal is a recipe for disaster. Best to let them make the choice.

 

[Avondale]

Best to let them make the choice.

Yep, yep! Best listen to the experts.

 

[Avondale]

I have the updated CAD.

I met with the jeweller on Tuesday to discuss the design. Sadly, we had to scrap the idea from my drawing. In his view the trellis setting I proposed would work just fine for the diamonds, but the sapphire is too big for the construction to be secure. He strongly recommended we go with 6 prongs for that stone, as I intend to wear this ring as a daily piece, not just for occasional wear, so sturdiness is a priority concern.

Interestingly enough, he wasn't worried about the solder points between the band and the head in my drawings, just the security of the centre stone.

So, we went with a modified version of the crown baskets of the diamonds in the original inspo ring, and applied it to all stones, so that everything can look uniform. They also look more modern, not so similar to actual crowns, which is in line with my original desires and ideas.



He also added milgrain.

I will sit with it for a day, but based on how I'm feeling right now, I'll probably approve the design in the morning and we'll move with the next steps.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I have the updated CAD.

I met with the jeweller on Tuesday to discuss the design. Sadly, we had to scrap the idea from my drawing. In his view the trellis setting I proposed would work just fine for the diamonds, but the sapphire is too big for the construction to be secure. He strongly recommended we go with 6 prongs for that stone, as I intend to wear this ring as a daily piece, not just for occasional wear, so sturdiness is a priority concern.

Interestingly enough, he wasn't worried about the solder points between the band and the head in my drawings, just the security of the centre stone.

So, we went with a modified version of the crown baskets of the diamonds in the original inspo ring, and applied it to all stones, so that everything can look uniform. They also look more modern, not so similar to actual crowns, which is in line with my original desires and ideas.



He also added milgrain.

I will sit with it for a day, but based on how I'm feeling right now, I'll probably approve the design in the morning and we'll move with the next steps.

I like this even BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Very nice. Confirm the milgrain will be hand applied not cast (or make sure you are ok with cast if that’s how they will fabricate).

 

[Avondale]

Very nice. Confirm the milgrain will be hand applied not cast (or make sure you are ok with cast if that’s how they will fabricate).

I believe the milgrain was included in the CAD simply for demonstration purposes, so that I can see how it would look. This jeweller does it by hand (one of the few left that do, it’s kind of a lost art around here), and he’s had my milgrain wheels from the start. We discussed the milgrain on Tuesday.

I have approved the design and repeated some notes on the production (size, prongs, comfort fit, that sort of stuff) just in case. I included the hand applied milgrain as well. Doesn’t hurt to be a little fastidious with these things.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Oooh how long will production take Avondale? How exciting! Am on Ban Island forever and living vicariously through you!

 

[Avondale]

Oooh how long will production take Avondale? How exciting! Am on Ban Island forever and living vicariously through you!

Depending on whether the guy who does the casting is on vacation, it could either take two weeks or the rest of the month.

But then, the initial timeline back in April was a month so who knows. I'll just keep poking at regular intervals.

Am on Ban Island forever and living vicariously through you!

Yeah, you deserve to be on ban island, missy I'm glad I can return the favour - I was living vicariously through your pictures of Chansey while I was sick earlier this month.

 

[Avondale]

3d print is here.




The milgrain is teeeny weeny tiny so it’ll have to be cast. My wheels are too big a size. Oh well. Worse things happen.

The jeweller is also going on vacation soon and will be back start of September. By then the cast should be ready but he’ll finish it once he’s back at work.

 

[Matata]

3d print is here.

Lovely. Curious why the alignment of the prongs for the side stones is different than the center stone.

 

[Avondale]

Lovely. Curious why the alignment of the prongs for the side stones is different than the center stone.

Strong personal preference.

With 6 prongs on a round stone I dislike it when there are prongs sitting n/s. But with ovals I want them precisely like that for protection. This way when I inevitably bang the stone against something, I don’t have to stress about accidentally chipping it. The prongs protect it from almost all sides, save for some really quirky angles.

This sapphire I love from the bottom of my heart. It and velvet blue together form my holy grail, and I cannot feel fully satisfied with one if the other is not there. I would be devastated if anything were to happen to it. It’s why I didn’t argue with the jeweller even for a second when he advised to do six prongs for security.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Strong personal preference.

With 6 prongs on a round stone I dislike it when there are prongs sitting n/s. But with ovals I want them precisely like that for protection. This way when I inevitably bang the stone against something, I don’t have to stress about accidentally chipping it. The prongs protect it from almost all sides, save for some really quirky angles.

This sapphire I love from the bottom of my heart. It and velvet blue together form my holy grail, and I cannot feel fully satisfied with one if the other is not there. I would be devastated if anything were to happen to it. It’s why I didn’t argue with the jeweller even for a second when he advised to do six prongs for security.

I actually strongly prefer that detail, because the side stone prongs sit snuggly in the negative area of the center stone. Otherwise, the prongs would be sitting next to each other, and I think that would be awkward. It looks fantastic, my friend! Hopefully they prioritize the piece once back from vacation, so we can see this beauty on your finger!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Very nice. I like how the shank connects to the baskets.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

I actually strongly prefer that detail, because the side stone prongs sit snuggly in the negative area of the center stone. Otherwise, the prongs would be sitting next to each other, and I think that would be awkward. It looks fantastic, my friend! Hopefully they prioritize the piece once back from vacation, so we can see this beauty on your finger!!

I like this detail too. I recently had a 3 stone ring made with the center stone's prongs oriented differently than the side stones. I think it adds visual interest in a ring that isn't overly ornate. And of course, to protect your gorgeous blue sapphire! Luuurve it.