Working on custom ring design...

[nemrac917]

I'm working on figuring out what I want in my custom ring design. My thoughts have been all over the place, but I feel like I'm finally narrowing it down on the overall idea.

Browsing through some pictures here, I found a few that had little, hidden surprises or embellishments on them, and I LOVE that idea. Something secret that just you (and partner, and designer) know about.

What types of little secret embellishments have ya'll seen before? Be it a surprise stone in the inside of the band, a little adornment on the outside of the palm side of the ring? Anything else?

This is an example of one I found on the forum, posted by @mrs-b :

 

[Autumn in New England]

I love the idea of having "hidden" melee birthstones for you and your partner. Perhaps one on each side of the gallery or in burnished settings on the interior of the band.

 

[nemrac917]

I'm leaning towards the birthstones on the inside of the band, along with initials and wedding date engraved.

I've waited nearly 19 years for this ring... I want to be perfect!

 

[Autumn in New England]

I'm leaning towards the birthstones on the inside of the band, along with initials and wedding date engraved.

I've waited nearly 19 years for this ring... I want to be perfect!

I actually think it's great that your thoughts were initially "all over the place." That means you've considered many options and will end up with something truly special. Planning is part of the fun, so take your time!!

 

[icy_jade]

Be it a surprise stone in the inside of the band

Usually things inside the band where it is truly not easily visible. Engraved messages, signatures, handwriting (e.g. note from husband to wife and engraved in the same handwriting), and birthstones. Enjoy the process!

 

[Inked]

I have saved this for over 15 years, i love this sapphire in the basket. I think because it's actually a triangle so it just blends in and has no prongs. Not completely hidden but not something you'll see when you glance at it

 

[nemrac917]

I have saved this for over 15 years, i love this sapphire in the basket. I think because it's actually a triangle so it just blends in and has no prongs. Not completely hidden but not something you'll see when you glance at it

I love how sneaky that is!

 

[Rfisher]

I have saved this for over 15 years, i love this sapphire in the basket. I think because it's actually a triangle so it just blends in and has no prongs. Not completely hidden but not something you'll see when you glance at it

I don’t see it. Do you happen to know of any other photos/different angle that the sapphire is more noticeable?

 

[Inked]

I don’t see it. Do you happen to know of any other photos/different angle that the sapphire is more noticeable?

NO! I wish!! This was just a pic Leon Mege had on his site again, it's probably 15 years ago I saved it! I outlined it so you can see it (I remember the description of it said it was a sapphire)




He also had posted this one, but i dont like that the gem wasnt cut to the shape of the kite shaped space. Just personal preference, of course! i liked the one that was cut exactly to the space, but you see this way more clearly! LOL

 

[evergreen]

I have a tiny bee at the 4 o'clock position on my ring. I didn't want it right at 6 o'clock because of wear, although considering how often i gently rub the bee with my thumb, basically checking that it's still there, perhaps it's getting just as much wear!

 

[momofive]

I am in the process of looking to upgrade my ring and have decided to put the small diamond chips I have from my mother's ring inside the band. Just for sentimental reasons.

 

[nemrac917]

Initially I thought I wanted a bezel setting for security, but my heart kept bringing me back to a classic tiffany-style. However, I've always been a fan of a smooth bypass style for its smooth lines and elegance. I couldn't find one that just sang to me, though, so I was planning on going the route of the tiffany-style.

Then I found it.

Smooth lines, 'different' without being crazy, and I love the symbolism of the two loops interconnected to each other.

Other than maybe engraving and melee birthstones on the inside of the ring, what other small customizations can you think of? I'm terrible at coming up with ideas myself, so I like to see other's and use them to figure out what I like/want.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[momofive]

I love that one.

 

[sledge]

Somewhat similar to my wife’s ring. I recall looking at that setting but it didn’t quite check all the boxes on her wish list. Lovey design though. I love the simplicity.

One thing to consider is what you plan to do for a wedding band. You are probably looking at something custom unless there is a matching band by the designer.

 

[nemrac917]

One thing to consider is what you plan to do for a wedding band. You are probably looking at something custom unless there is a matching band by the designer.

Gorgeous ring! Definitely similar in nature.

I'm having this one custom made, so adding a band won't be too much of an issue for me. Thank you for looking out for a fellow PSer, though!

 

[sledge]

Who are you using for the custom? I used David Klass in Los Angeles for my wife’s.

Your journey also seems similar in the fact you have an inspiration piece. One of the struggles that was hammered out during the CAD phase was all the various curves and thicknesses. Looking back, the initial CAD’s seemed very clunky in comparison to the final. Definitely ensure your designer is okay with receiving your feedback and redoing CAD’s as needed. I had multiple revisions. And if your designer isn’t local, as was my case, then using email, text and an array of markup tools both on the computer and pen & paper was a necessity. I really can’t stress the communication factor enough — both their ability to listen and your ability to articulate your vision.

Edited to add:
Another very useful thing that DK did for me was create a plastic and also wax type mold of the ring. It isn’t as refined as the metal piece but gives a 3D version of your design and can really help you pinpoint design areas you may have overlooked in the CAD’s.

I also assume your design will be similar in the fact it will be built around a specific stone size. This wasn’t a problem for me because I had already selected a BGD stone and knew those measurements. However, when/if we upgrade to a meaningful size increase the setting will have to be redone as everything is proportional to the diameter of the current stone. Something to consider if you think you may want to go larger later down the road.

Alas, part of the struggle with the wedding band was not only that it too had to be custom, which DK also did, but honestly the e-ring itself seemed balanced without a band. In the end the band itself was fairly simple but the decision process to find the right compliment to the e-ring was frustrating. At this point I had proposed and my wife now had an active voice with the band design. We tried multiple designs before finally getting to the finish line. Kudos to Amy @ DK for dealing with me and all the changes.

I am excited for you. This is a harder journey than picking a standard setting and proposing. However, “our” ring has a story and IMO the struggle was worth it the end result. So many folks here become part of that journey as well as they helped mentor and guide me along the way. Definitely don’t be afraid to share and ask for input as the community is great and will help you too.

Godspeed on your new journey!

 

[nemrac917]

I am using David for my ring, too, so thank you for the insight. I’ve had one custom ring before, but that was about 19.5 years ago, and didn’t use CAD, so this will be a new process for me.

 

[DiamondWhiteCat]

My engagement ring design is being worked on at the moment. The basket of the engagement ring is constructed from shapes that are meaningful to us. That's the hidden surprise. It's subtle, but it will be different.

It's really exciting making a custom ring, but also knowing you could do almost anything with it makes me a little nervous. Will I think of some killer idea later on I will I wish I had thought of earlier?

So I keep trawling the internet looking at surprise details. Most of the things I've seen have already been mentioned in the thread. Hidden birthstones in the basket or the band, hidden halos, colored hidden halos, engravings.

@mrs-b's stars seem quite unique being on the outside & underside.

@evergreen's bee on the band is a really nice touch, I keep wondering how big it is? It seems like it would be tiny, but still has so much detail in it. I imagine that would only really be practical in an index finger ring.

This was a classic, someone got the museum where they met their fiance put into the side of this ring! (assuming it is real)

 

[molecule]

For my remade engagement ring, we selected a ruby for a center stone as my husband had wanted to commemorate where we met (NY state gem - garnet) but with increased durability. We added a reminder of our honeymoon to the basket.



Other touches I've loved that others have added:

Flower/symbol that is meaningful

A reminder of your wedding ceremony?

Infinity basket

I could see adding a shade of blue that reminds you of your honeymoon or a special vacation (paraiba tourmaline), or something from your wedding bouquet.

 

[nemrac917]

Here's the final CAD for my ring. I am so excited!

https://imgur.com/t7XoEKY

 

[DiamondWhiteCat]

Here's the final CAD for my ring. I am so excited!

https://imgur.com/t7XoEKY

It's beautiful! It has lovely curves. The shape is visually very interesting without being overly fussy.

What was your inspiration for the design?

 

[Rfisher]

It looks lovely.

I do, however, have one suggestion. Has DKJ done this type of ring before, have you seen the finished item, if so?
And (more importantly) if they haven’t - are you willing to be a participant in a “let’s learn as we go” possible type scenario?

DKJ is wonderful in doing whatever they can, including revisions, to make sure you are happy. So no issues there. But if it could turn out to be a learning scenario, with both time and experimenting - I think it’s nice to know beforehand.

 

[sledge]

I don’t have time to mark up but I highly encourage you to place your inspiration piece next to the CAD and start looking at minor details.

When doing my wife’s design, she had curves and movement that was somewhat similar. It took multiple revisions to mimic that curve and spreading of thin to thick before we got there. And many times changing one element caused another to change as well.

A quick glance and while the overall concept is there I think the original may “flow” a little different. This is not inherently good or bad but a difference you need to be cognizant about so you can determine if you want to keep or change.

 

[Rfisher]

Also—
Falling in love with minute details from a rendering (not a picture of an actual ring) and wanting to replicate them, can be misleading once you have your own version in your hand.

Edited to add-
Regarding tweaks:
Your new CAD is a nice ‘inspired by’ there may be reasons the vendor has come up with what they already have: doesn’t want to exactly copy the inspiration, or realistically/technically can’t.

 

[sledge]

@Rfisher makes some valid points. Some of the bulkiness you see in the CAD's will disappear in the finishing stages. That was probably one of the things that amazed me most when doing my wife's ring. We did multiple CAD revisions, then a plastic mock-up which seemed rough. Did more tweaks and a wax mock-up which was really close. Still did a few more tweaks and then it went to production.

When I look back, the initial CAD's were so rough compared to the final ones. And I believe the finished product is more streamlined than the best CAD. However, some of the tweaks done to curvature, etc simply would not have been caught in finishing so it was necessary to focus on those sort of details.

As far as being a replica, there is a whole group waiting with stones to toss about rather that's the right thing or not. I'm not sure what the bottom of the original ring looked like but I love the square. My own wedding band is square. Vast majority is round so that by itself may be a differentiating feature to avoid total duplication.

Also, I would guess your setting is based around the specific dimensions of the diamond you selected, much like my wife's. This is good and bad. It likely doesn't identically duplicate another's design; however, it also means you will likely need a new setting if you go larger.

Here are one of those details I was talking about that may or may not bother you. Notice the DK variant has an extra part of the ring that is visible, whereas the inspiration has this hidden.

 

[sledge]

There are other elements going on that lead to this. I’m just limited on time and resources to do a full mark up. I will try to circle back later this evening if that isn’t too late.

 

[Kim N]

This is a design where I think asking for a plastic model before casting would help a lot.

 

[sledge]

Just wanted to reach out to you @nemrac917 and let you know I didn’t forget about you. It’s been a real crap day for me. Wife has been sick and had a severe migraine the past week or so. It progressively got worse today. She’s been extremely sleepy and not very coherent. So we are now in the ER to try and determine what is going on.

I’m on my mobile but my fingers are too big to mark things up properly. I need my actual computer.

Anyhow not sure if she’s on right now but @rockysalamander helped me loads with my design and would have similar comments as myself. Maybe she or others can jump in until I’m able to do more.

 

[sledge]

This is a design where I think asking for a plastic model before casting would help a lot.

Agreed. Amy @ DK did a plastic and wax model both on my wife’s. I don’t think there is an upcharge but it makes a world of difference seeing it in 3D.

Alternatively 3D modeling is the future. Granted this is a precast toilet house but the modeling is excellent and what I think would be cool if they could share something similar for ring designs. And honestly I’m thinking their program might build such a model but I’m betting it’s not easily shareable to those not running the software which is a shame.

146 SF-Tioga-STD 22 - 3D model by CXT PRECAST (@cxtprecast)

146 SF-Tioga-STD 22 - 3D model by CXT PRECAST (@cxtprecast)

sketchfab.com

 

[DiamondWhiteCat]

@sledge I hope they're able to find the cause of your wife's migraine worsening and that she starts to feel better soon. Migraines are awful, especially when there's no end in sight. That sounds like a really bad one, I really feel for you both.

In a very spot the difference kind of way, I can see some places where it differs. I don't know if this helps? I'm pretty new to this, so I expect you see more things than I do, but maybe it will save you some work.



The swooping sides come in closer and the points are longer and very slightly more slender on the original.

There's also a slight gap or indent between the stone and the metal on the original in the side view.

I think the loops are slightly thicker on the CAD, but I don't know if that's just because it's not the final polished product.

I could understand how that could look less finished, but actually kind of like the differences. I think it's more interesting being able to see the other band in the top down view and it feels like the stone might be more secure in the side view.

I guess it depends if the intention is a true copy, or some small changes are okay.

I'd be surprised if the next stage wasn't to make a model. I wonder if OP has okayed one being printed yet?

Looking forward to some updates