The Ring Saga

[CSpan]

Sounds dramatic no? I feel like I have been on a Viking Saga, all the ups and downs and near misses. Although without the sea dragons and people getting decapitated and freezing, but I digress.

Ok I need your eagle eyes and unvarnished advice. I have been on the hunt for a wedding band for years and finally saw one I adored, right here on PS. After a disastrous first choice I sucked it up and went custom. And what a rollercoaster. The first photo is the insp ring. The Cads and Wax are posted somewhere else but the ultimate result is photo #2. Didn't quite nail it. I wore it around trying to adjust and well just couldn't get over the boxes versus more octagon-shape. This is round 3 I think. We didn't do a CAD just the wax. What needs to change? I think the sides are shorter than the inspo piece but maybe that would look ok with my ER (reference below). Your thoughts?

Argh I can't seem to figure out video and now pics won't work. Lemme try this again

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[CSpan]

Inspo


Round 1 Custom

 

[GliderPoss]

TBH *to me* the different is absolutely minuscule between inspiration and final result. Looks beautiful to me Only thing I don't actually like so much, is the little gaps between each block....

 

[foxinsox]

Honestly I think it’s beautiful as it is but I can see the difference between the inspiration and the current. Can they reshape the bezels to be octagonal? Not all the inspiration bezels are clearly octagonal so I can see why they might have missed it. Do you like the bridges between each station? That’s another difference between the inspiration and actual.

 

[distracts]

hmm, yes, the corners on yours are definitely more rounded. That looks potentially like something that happened during finishing rather than something inherent to the CAD and wax - I seem to recall the corners on the wax being more angled? Just the way it looks, with the sides being kind of sloppy, it looks like, well, a sloppy polishing job. Not sure if they're just sloppy or if they were trying to make it look exactly like the inspiration ring, like it's already been worn quite a bit? I would clarify with them.

I actually think it looks great with your engagement ring just as it is.

IF I was going to change it, I'd make the whole thing smaller. I think the inspo is smaller. As long as it is the size it is, I don't know if there's any way to get around it seeming boxy. I'd try to make it around the same height off your finger as the sides of your engagement ring shank, so the look is more cohesive. Yours has connection strut type things between the boxes rather than the boxes being butted right up against each other, which I didn't notice at all in the wax. It also actually looks like the inspo ring has double prongs on each corner where you have single prongs - that makes sense with a more octagonal shape, to define it a little.

Ultimately... I hate to say it... but you may not be able to GET better with this jeweler. The things you want are mostly fine finishing details, which most jewelers don't excel at to the level PSers prefer. It's why most of us choose to ship our things all over the country rather than try out jewelers near us, because we've all had incidences of "nearly, but not quite" with local jewelers and just weren't willing to risk it anymore. I understand you already have money in this, but if round 3 doesn't work out, you should either keep it, or sell it online and get a piece made by DK or CVB, both of who have done these before.

I don't understand what you mean, you think the sides are shorter than the inspo piece?

 

[CSpan]

Thank you all.

@distracts The finished band, last photos, was round 2 (and 2.5). First, I noticed the boxes had no angle but the CAD did. When I took it back they were only able to angle some of them which was quite honestly worse. And I hated the spaces in between. I think there was confusion about spaces where the notches were versus just space.

The new wax is only in the video and clearly that did not load, ugh. Sorry to ask you all to comment on something that isn't there! I'll try and take screenshots, I had a terrible time even trying to view it and clearly the IG upload did not take. Lemme try again.

 

[CSpan]

This is round 3, sorry for the confusion.

I am probably being insane because they are now touching, no spaces, and have the angles BUT do they look rather stopsignish? I wanted something that mirrored the shape of my ER channels which in mind (a dusty confusing place) is asscher shaped. I tried to avoid saying octagon because a true octagon is 8 equal sides, which really does look like a stop sign.

@foxinsox good eye on the imperfections of the original. I don't think they were intentionally mimicking that with the first band, but seeing as it was an art deco piece and probably done by hand there was variation for sure. My first version was consistent, but consistently cushion shaped.

@distracts You are probably right about finishing, but I take some responsibility. I said I wanted more delicate bezels than the wax and that was what I got. So delicate that they couldn't angle them all. I'm going for thicker than Round 2 but is this too thick? I do have someone who I am sure can do an exact replica, he does insurance work for antique and vintage pieces off photos and fixed my ER. There is just so much sunk cost I have to let them try. I am trying to be reasonable, I don't want a replica just something that mirrors the shape of my ER and isn't too modern looking.

I had a video but don't think it worked. This is where we are now. Sorry they are so large.

 

[distracts]

Ohhh you saying you want it to be the shape of the top of your engagement ring makes this whole thing “click” for me. Have you told your jeweler that? That might help him get the shape right if you’re not satisfied with it on this wax. Personally I think the angle looks good (not stopsignish to me at all) and it doesn’t look too thick. I definitely like that they don’t have that connecting strut in between the boxes now. I might see if he can do a CAD with two prongs rather than one so you can see if that helps the corners look a little more octagonal - although since your engagement ring has single prongs, maybe you want to leave it as single prongs so it matches?

Will they hand milgrain it or no? I wonder if milgrain makes the edges/corners look sharper and thus would make the shape stand out more. I think earlier you decided on no milgrain but idk I’m reconsidering that. Not sure though, just idle musings.

 

[Rfisher]

Without seeing the wax next to the previous finished piece for an idea of what is lost’ from wax to cast to polishing,
I wonder if the sharpness ( too stopsignish) that you don’t like ( that I don’t mind) in the wax will be somewhat softer in the finished piece from it, ending up with the effect you want?

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I think the wax got The shape of the octagon boxes pretty close, but it is missing the small panels in between the boxes. Have them correct that omission and it will look right, a perfect match with the inspo

 

[CSpan]

Ohhh you saying you want it to be the shape of the top of your engagement ring makes this whole thing “click” for me. Have you told your jeweler that? That might help him get the shape right if you’re not satisfied with it on this wax. Personally I think the angle looks good (not stopsignish to me at all) and it doesn’t look too thick. I definitely like that they don’t have that connecting strut in between the boxes now. I might see if he can do a CAD with two prongs rather than one so you can see if that helps the corners look a little more octagonal - although since your engagement ring has single prongs, maybe you want to leave it as single prongs so it matches?

Will they hand milgrain it or no? I wonder if milgrain makes the edges/corners look sharper and thus would make the shape stand out more. I think earlier you decided on no milgrain but idk I’m reconsidering that. Not sure though, just idle musings.

Oh yeah, I keep telling him. The entire reason I liked the antique band was that it echoed my ER, but I feel like I am not communicating anything well at all. At one point I took my ER off and traced the shape. Perhaps the wax bezels look shorter because they are smaller and you can't get the notches visibly angled without sacrificing some length.

I decided against miligrain because it isn't noticeable on my ER from any distance. And as you pointed out, not everyone can do really delicate perfect milgrain. If I decied to add it I have someone else I would go to, he redid the milgrain on my ER channel so I know he at least has the correct tool.

I think the wax got The shape of the octagon boxes pretty close, but it is missing the small panels in between the boxes. Have them correct that omission and it will look right, a perfect match with the inspo

Do you mean the sort of space between the boxes? Like here:


How would you describe that? I feel like I can't communicate clearly and I keep sending the same photos. I think this panel bit is partially how I ended up with those struts/spaces. it is clear to me the bezels touch, but how do I articulate that itsy bitsy panel? But I think you are right, that will solve the shape issue.

 

[foxinsox]

I don’t think you have teeny panels in the inspiration, you just have the bezels of each station/box touching or next to each other and not merged. So you’d probably want to ask for the bezels to be touching, looking distinct and not merging? I feel like that picture is pretty clear so maybe get the jeweller to describe how that looks to them and say “do that”?
The new wax looks pretty perfect actually - just clarify that between each bezel, there won’t be a gap.

 

[SouthernElle]

Do you for sure want the spacer panels? I actually don’t mind it without, but are you worried you’ll lose the octagonal shape if there aren’t spacers?

 

[CSpan]

I finally got my ER back from the emergency room, all better now, and went in to look at the wax. The bench jeweler came in and he thinks that the "space" I am seeing in the inspo ring is trick of engraving not actual space. He proposed to use a really thin tool make a "cut" or depression in the metal between the boxes which should create the distinction/shadow without the gaping space. Hopefully this works. I was totally out of ideas.

I took in photos and traced my ER so we were all on the same page. I still sort of think the boxes are a little too short but the diamonds we have are 2.5mm and this is what fits them. They did say that if we thin out the boxes they will have a longer shape, although I like the thickness (at least on the wax). I also think that if we went with double prongs that would force the shape to be more rectangular but I have brought it up twice and I get the impression that they either aren't confident in the ability to make them that small or just prefer not to. As @distracts pointed out, my ER is single prong so at least it is consistent.

I think I am driving them nuts as I pointed out that the wax was not identical on each box. There was one box that suffered from rounded corner syndrome, but they are aware and will go over them all after the casting to ensure they are uniform. Part of me wanted to insist on another wax but I am trying to trust.

I will have to add photos later, apparently they did not upload from my phone.

 

[Polabowla]

Can I just digress and say your engagement ring with the emeralds all around is stunning! Wow !

 

[CSpan]

Can I just digress and say your engagement ring with the emeralds all around is stunning! Wow !

Thank you! I'm trying to find her an appropriate friend. Uphill battle

I asked for a CAD with double prongs. It was driving me nuts. I couldn't even see them, so it shouldn't matter right?

Photos and of course the one of it on my hand didn't come through

 

[CSpan]

Cast is in. I realized that there should be a gap between the angles, just a tiny one but I'm not sure we can fit it without looking too weird since the angles meet at such a high point. But the key is I have the angles so there is that.

The "space" issue looks sorted. Little depression between bezels versus actual spacers.

 

[CSpan]

I'm working on a SMTB post, but I wanted to send a heartfelt thank you to all of you who helped so much as tried to describe the indescribable.

 

[junebug17]

Oh @CSpan I think it turned out beautifully! Are you pleased with it? I hope so, it looks fantastic to me.

 

[tyty333]

It's beautiful! They finally got all the angles right!!

 

[CSpan]

@junebug17 YES! They got the angles right as @tyty333 mentioned and I got over the fact that the original art deco ring wasn't perfect either.

In another life I might have gone with unplated gold but I look down and see little echoy shapes and it makes me very happy.

 

[motownmama]

Lovely!!!!!!!!

 

[Lovesparklesparle]

Turned out beautifully! I love the shape you’ve created. Happy ending