Some projects take a long time for a reason. This project was almost a year in the making, but the client and I both grew in the process. I evolved my technical skills, and she evolved on a healing journey that made this ring extra special.
A New Narrative
This client came to me with a request to reuse the diamond from her old wedding ring. Although the marriage didn’t work out, she still carried many fond memories. Plus, so much good had come from the relationship, most importantly, her wonderful son. She wanted to create a piece that honored that part of her life without making the diamond the central focus.
A Story In Stones
Part of the challenge of this piece was incorporating a large diamond into a ring without it drawing too much attention. Her son’s birthday is in October, so we decided to go with a large opal birthstone and include a series of complementary stones that would draw out the blue and pink colors of the opal.
We spent a lot of time sourcing and sifting through various blue stones, but when we found the natural, unheated watery blue Montana Sapphire, we knew it was a winner. The final stone in the ensemble was a natural fancy taupe diamond. I had a selection of variations to choose from, and we opted for one with a slight pinkish tone that was the perfect size for this ring.
Design and CAD
Initially, I made two potential sketches for the ring, one with bezel settings and one with prongs. In the end, we opted for a combination of both. Because opals are relatively soft and breakable, I prefer to set them in bezels for extra protection. Plus, the thick, waxy bezel had the added benefit of making the opal visually equal to the diamond. The other three stones in the ring are faceted cuts, so elegant prong settings were perfect for them.
The next challenge: fitting all four non-standard stones onto a size 7 ring! For that, I turned to CAD. I built a model with settings for the exact dimensions of each stone, making sure they fit snugly on the smooth, rippling band. With highly detailed projects like this, the right technology can make all the difference.
Prototype and Casting
After the CAD model was approved, I had a prototype of the piece cast in silver. This extra step is useful to see how the final product will look on the finger and make absolutely sure that all the stones will fit and look the way we envisioned. Only when we were certain that everything was right did we get the piece cast in 18K yellow gold.
Finally, I carefully set each of the stones, hand-polished, and finished the piece. What a beauty!
A New Ending
When the ring was finally completed and the client came to pick it up, we reflected on the journey of creating this piece. We each made discoveries throughout the process, and we love where all the learning has led us.
