Some people get engaged and married within a year of meeting each other. Some people date for a couple years, then get married. And then there are those couples that date FOREVER before they get engaged. This piece is for a couple that fits in that last category.

This piece is special to me because it is for some close friends from college. I knew that when the time came, the guy would come to me to make the ring so I had to figure out a way to find out her preferences without being suspicious. Luckily, she knew he wasn’t going to propose until much later because they wanted to get through school and settled in jobs before they got married. A couple of years ago (yes, this ring has been in the works for years) I simply took her to a jewelry store, got her finger sized, had her try on a couple of rings to figure out what size center stone she would want, and had her take a look around to get an idea of her style. It was very nice being able to come right out and ask the questions of the person who the ring would be for without having to beat around the bush at all.

I went home after the trip to the jewelry store and designed a ring for her right away. That way I knew I had the ring size correct and I wouldn’t forget any other details.

She wanted a 1/2-3/4ct center stone, a little wider band, not too many extra diamonds that would make it too busy, and she wanted the ring to be different but simple.

I decided that she needed a cushion cut center stone because they are not very common but they sparkle like crazy. I set the center stone sideways, with double prongs, to make it a little bit more different and I used just 2 stones on either side that I gypsy set so it had a little extra sparkle but was very simple. I also made sure the center stone was set pretty low to the ring so it wouldn’t easily get caught on anything. Here are the renders of the original design.

Several months ago, the guy finally came to me and said he was hoping to propose on a cruise they had planned in September and could I make a ring for him. It was so nice that I already had the design done. I opened the file, showed it to him, and we started looking for center stones.

He wanted a really nice stone so it took awhile to find one that had the right specifications, in the right size, for the right price. The one we settled on was VS1 clarity, D color, and 0.78ct. It is a truly spectacular stone.

We decided to make the ring in platinum. It turn out soooooo pretty. This ring really makes we want to re-do my own engagement ring!! I can’t wait to hear about the proposal and future wedding plans!

I love all of my clients, but this couple was especially amazing. The bride to be contacted me first to start talking about designs. I ended up meeting with both her and her boy a couple of times since they also live in Omaha and they were so sweet!

She put together a collage of rings ideas she had found that she liked and we went from there. She knew she wanted an opal for her center stone and was willing to take the risk of having a soft center stone. She also liked the idea of sapphire but didn’t HAVE to have one. I took her ideas and put together several designs for them to look at.

After a lot of consideration, they both decided that the 4th design was “their ring.” Then the question was diamonds or sapphires for the side stones and what size center stone. I brought in opals in 5mm and 6mm along with diamonds and sapphires that could go on the sides and let them decide when they could actually see the color combinations in person. He didn’t want her to know exactly what she was going to get before the ring was actually finished so it was his choice, but it was pretty obvious when she saw the stones, which combination she preferred.

The final piece is done in platinum with a 5mm genuine opal in the center with pear shaped diamonds on the sides. The opal I found (and they chose) has amazing color play. Here are the stones and the casting before the piece was finished.

The piece came out amazing! I can’t wait to hopefully work with this couple again!

My last post was about what to take into consideration when choosing a gemstone, but how do you pick what metal you want?

The metals I work with are Platinum, Palladium, Gold in 10K, 14K, 18K, White gold in 10K, 14K, 18K and Sterling Silver. There are obviously more metals out there like titanium, steel, and tungsten but these metals are very difficult to work with and I don’t currently have a way to cast them.

When choosing metal, I always start with the color you want. If you want a yellow metal, your choice is gold. The only other decision to make is what karat of gold you want. The plus to 10K is that it is the least expensive since it has the lowest actual gold content. The downside is that you don’t know what alloys are being used to dilute it so if you have very sensitive skin you could have a reaction (not likely but possible) and also the alloys tend to dilute the color so the metal might not be as yellow as higher karats of gold. 10K gold will however be harder than any other karat. 14K is the most common karat you see in the US and has a higher content of actual gold which makes it slightly softer than 10K and also maybe more yellow depending on the mix. 14K is a great middle of the road option for gold and it’s easy to find! 18K is the most expensive option when looking at gold because it has the highest gold content over 10K and 14K. It is the softest (though you probably would notice much difference unless you are a jeweler) and will most likely have the deepest yellow color. I would recommend using the highest karat that your budget allows when using gold. The higher karats are going to hold their value better and also be easier for a jeweler to work with. If you go to another country, you can get other karats of gold like 12K or 22K. Those would follow the same trends with softness and color as the ones that are common in the US.

If you want a white metal, the decision gets more complicated. White gold is the obvious choice and the same rules apply for white gold as do for yellow gold. The most important thing to understand about white gold is that GOLD is never white. It is the alloys mixed with the gold that make it whiter. Almost all white gold in the US is plated with rhodium which is a platinum family metal that makes the piece look absolutely white. This plating wears off over time and whatever gold is underneath will show through. Re-plating is easy though if you have the time to go to the jeweler every 6-12 months. The options for white gold start, like yellow gold, with 10K. 10K white gold is the least expensive gold option and will be the hardest and also the whitest because it has a lower gold content and a higher content of white metal alloys (white gold also has more chances for allergic reactions because the white alloys are metals more people are sensitive to such as nickel). 14K will be a little softer than 10K, a little more expensive and a little more yellow. 18K will be even softer, even more $ and even more yellow. Some people really like the slight yellow of white gold and choose not to have it plated. This is an awesome option, you just have to know what you are starting with as far as the color of your piece.

Platinum is the other obvious choice for white metal. Platinum is the most expensive metal that I work with but it is a great one. Platinum is an absolutely white metal so it never has to be plated. It is much harder than gold yet it isn’t brittle so setting stones in it isn’t a problem. The downside to platinum, is that as it wears, the surface gets dented and starts to take on a matte finish. Gold scratches which is a little different and it stays shiny longer. With any metal, you can always have a jeweler polish it back to its original shine. The other major comparison with gold is that platinum is much denser and therefore heavier. If you want a big chunky ring, platinum might end up being too heavy for comfort so keep in mind how much metal you are working with for both price and weight.

Palladium is a great choice for white metal, in some cases. Palladium is the least expensive of all of the metals I have discussed so far (silver is the only one cheaper). It is great for large pieces or for smaller pieces just to keep the price lower. Palladium is also a platinum family metal which means it is absolutely white and never has to be plated. Palladium is also very hard like platinum but it is more brittle. I like to use palladium for bands (especially for men) because then there are no stones to set but with large pieces, the price stays reasonable. I have used palladium for some ladies rings with stones but never for anything very elaborate and I would never gypsy set a stone in palladium and even try to avoid lots of prongs setting like pave (click here for setting type explanations).

The least expensive choice for white metal is silver. I love silver, but it definitely has its limits. Silver is even softer than gold so it scratches and dents very easily. Also, if you have stones set in silver, it is easier to knock them loose. Silver is a white metal so it doesn’t have to be plated, but it does tarnish over time. Silver is great for staying on a budget but if you can afford it, I will always recommend upgrading.

Metals these days are insanely expensive so budget will no doubt play a large part in your choice but I hope this helps with any other questions!

I recently ran an add on OffbeatBride.com and have, as a result, been getting a lot of really fun, different, unconventional, and beautiful design requests. This next piece is one of my favorites that I have ever done.

When I got the request for this piece I was amazed because the customer knew just what she wanted and just how to describe it. All I had to do was make it a reality.

She wanted a ring that looked like a braid with one of the strands covered in diamonds. I was surprisingly difficult to get the computer to make a braid considering that I’ve been braiding my own hair since I could reach the back of my head. Eventually I got it. I sent my client a couple of versions with varying widths, tightness, and curvy-ness.

She loved the tighter, curvier piece but wanted it a little thinner which I was happy to do. She decided to use Platinum for the metal and real diamonds for the stones.

The casting was a little rough with all the prongs…

but the finished piece turned out beautifully!

And she even asked me to engrave a super cute message inside the shank.

I have been married for 2 1/2 years now and my in-laws are the best ever!  I have never had any problems with getting along with my mother-in-law and my father-in-law is the sweetest, biggest hearted person ever.  So naturally when my father-in-law told us (my husband, my brother-in-law, and me) that he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with we were all thrilled for him!  Even better, he wanted me to design the rings for their engagement and wedding!

His future wife started by telling him that she didn’t want him to spend a lot of money and being with him was treat enough for her so whatever ring he got her was fine since she didn’t wear many rings anyways and she didn’t really care.  It didn’t take very long to figure out that it wasn’t that she didn’t care, it was that she didn’t know anything about jewelry and no one had ever taken the time to sit with her and find out what she actually prefers out of all the options available.  She had been in jewelry store before but was always so overwhelmed by the sparkle that she felt blinded and didn’t look any further.

I decided it was time to educate both her and my father-in-law a little about jewelry so they could see that what you see in every mall jewelry store isn’t all of what is available.  So I took them to one of those dreaded stores where they have everything and if you don’t know what you want you are in trouble.  The difference was that I was there to lead them through it and take notes as we went.

I took her directly to the solitaire case so she could see the different diamond cuts as well as different sizes.  She didn’t like a lot of sparkle and seemed to be attracted to rectangles so we looked at Emerald Cut stones for her.  I had her put a 1/2 carat, then a 3/4 carat, and finally a 1.0 carat emerald cut solitaire on her hand.  We then found out that she didn’t want anything smaller than a 1.0 carat stone!  So much for not caring!  I also showed her ascher (or asscher) cut stones as well since they are a step cut but with a few more facets than an emerald.  She didn’t like the aschers because they were square and she really wanted a rectangular stone.

Now that we had a stone shape and size, we could talk about her mounting.  She thought she didn’t want any side stones because, again, she didn’t like the sparkle of the brilliant cut stones and for the most part, that is what was in any 3 stone rings we saw–so we looked at solitaire mountings.  She looked at thin bands and wide bands and decided that she preferred a wider band on her solitaire because her hands are a little larger.

Now that we had done some research and found out what she liked, I could start designing!  She also knew she wanted a wave design in the side of her engagement ring because it is the tatoo that my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband all have and is kind of their family logo.  Because she wanted the design on the side, I knew I the band had to be thick enough to accommodate the design without being so thick that it would make the ring too heavy to wear.  After a few minor changes this is the design we settled on!

We also had to find a diamond for her to fit her design.  One of my vendors happened to have a 1.0 carat emerald cut stone and he sent it to me for her to look at.  The corners of the stone were cut a little heavier than most emerald cut diamonds which might be considered a flaw, but it brought the faceting into the center of the stone more and gave it a little added shine!  It was perfect.  A truly unique, special stone for a special lady.

I added a 2mm plain band that fit right next to the engagement ring for her wedding band, and voila!

I had both rings cast in platinum for her because she has a nickel allergy and should therefore not wear white gold and because she is sensitive already, I wasn’t positive she wouldn’t also have a reaction to palladium.

The rings turned out fantastic!  I hope she loves the finished product as much as she loves my father-in-law!