Custom Design Process
Custom Design Process
Drawing
Computer Aided Design
Wax
Metal
Finished Piece
"I've looked through several catalogs and nothing really jumped out at me."
"I have a vision for a ring in my mind, but I can’t seem to find what I really want anywhere."
"I wish I could have more choices for my next piece of jewelry."
These are common customer sentiments, and most customers today are tired of being confined to catalog jewelry pieces that inevitably reflect ideas other than their own. We often hear from customers who have creative, personalized ideas for jewelry but are frustrated because they can't find anything on the market that fits their image. At Opals International, one of the things we take the most pride in is our ability and willingness to make the customer's vision a reality. We work closely with individual customers to design a unique, one-of-a-kind piece that may be from scratch or a drastic re-styling of an existing piece of jewelry that you are tired of wearing.
With the growth and expansion of our internet business, the benefits of being able to custom-design a piece of jewelry through online communication have become obvious. While it may not be practical for you to physically come into our store to tell us your idea or view the piece in progress, we are still committed to designing your customized creation. We have developed a systematic line of communication so that, from the comfort of your own home, you can tell us what you’ve dreamed of wearing. You will approve an initial drawing, and then review wax models, metal prototypes, and then the final product. YOU work with us through the entire process until your piece is finished, the way YOU desire. Send us a preliminary email at: gems@customfinejewelry.com
Issues to be addressed include:
What type of jewelry (rings, earrings, pendants, etc.) are you looking for? This includes the metal or metals you desire, any textures, artwork, etc.
What gemstones do you want? What size of gemstone are you looking for? What specific color hue/intensity do you prefer? What shape do you want the gemstones to be? What quality do you want your gemstone? What is your maximum budget for the center gemstone? That helps us locate the BEST gemstones for your design and budget.
Questions to be answered in this stage include the following:
• How do you want the gemstone set in the piece? How high above the ring band do you want the gemstone to sit? (Prongs, Bezel or semi-bezel, etc.)
• What kind of setting do you want? (For example, do you want white gold, yellow gold, platinum or silver? 14k or 18k gold?) Do you want the metal textured in any way? Do you want mixtures, two-tone, 18k yellow with 14k white?
• Are you looking for a contemporary or traditional style? Can you draw us a simple sketch/rendition, or email us a picture from a catalog to show what designs you like (We won't copy someone else's work, but we may be able to create a style of our own that is similar)?
• Do you want additional gemstones on the side of your main gemstone(s)? What kind, color, and shape?
• What is your ring size? How thick and wide do you want the ring band? Do you want it to taper, have a comfort fit, or be skinny/wide?
• For necklaces, what type of chain do you have in mind? Do you want the bail (where the chain goes through) on top? Do you want it to be stiff, dangle, swivel, spin, reverse, etc.?
Equipped with this information, our jewelers will make a wax representation that the jewelers will use to create the final product. We will make a digital image in several angles of the wax mold and send you an image. The reason we do wax moldings is so that they can be changed without using costly metal, so be sure to tell us your suggestions for change.
In some cases, the piece will be fabricated by hand, versus a wax image. Usually, this is done on the final metal, and usually only after we have decided on the final design concept. The image you receive will be a hard wax, hand model that is carved exactly to specifications. This will ultimately will be a completed product after you make any changes you desire.
After hearing how you would like the design changed or altered, we will design another wax image, or just modify this one to accommodate your changes. We will then send updated digital images via email or, in some cases, send the wax to you for a closer inspection. This process will continue until the design meets your criteria. After you authorize the wax mold, our jewelers will create the final product. We will send more images BEFORE we set the gemstones in order to get your final approvals or changes. Then if everything looks ready, we will set the gemstones, polish and take final pictures of YOUR custom creation. We also prepare an insurance replacement appraisal at NO CHARGE and supply the information that you need to get the piece insured with our insurance company, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. We will then ship the piece to you. The following images are unfinished metals that were cast from the "blue wax model" above and then the final product as it is shipped to the client.
In our experience, custom designs of jewelry are one of the most fulfilling parts of our business, both from our perspective as well as the customer's. The process allows the customer to finally get exactly what he or she individually wants out of a piece of jewelry.
It allows us the creativity to help design new, innovative pieces, as well as the satisfaction of making our customers' jewelry dreams possible. We are interested in any and every idea you may have. Please feel free to contact us and begin a relationship with us as we help you design the "special" piece of jewelry you have always been looking for, but no one had the patience to do it in YOUR VISION!
We create fine jewelry made with you, for you and in your vision. On the right, there are photos of the final creations of a diamond and opal inlay men's wedding ring. It all started with a phone call, a wax model, a metal model, and then the finished piece. It is really that EASY.
This custom design process follows the same basic ideas for each creation. It is possible that it can progress at many different speeds and levels of difficulty, which, of course, will vary from one individual to another. That is the beauty of creating something special with you!
