Creating your own engagement ring

We all like that special feeling, when we find the perfect pair of shoes, the perfect little black dress and better yet – is it the only one of its kind?  Yes, even better!  It’s human nature to have something that is completely and totally unique to you.   Enter, custom design or numbered collections for shoes, jewelry, art and other apparel.

Over the past months, many of you tuning in have learned some of the finer points of buying diamond jewelry, have come to understand the 4 C’s and have learned that one needs not to break the band to have an absolutely fabulous engagement ring or a piece of fine jewelry.

Well, I’m (we’re) at it again – we’re here to help you navigate the waters of custom designing your ring or other piece of fine jewelry (Necklace, pendant, earrings, etc.).   No matter what you choose to call it, creating your engagement ring, designing your engagement ring or making your engagement ring or substitute ring, for necklace, earring, pendants, etc.  The process can be a bit overwhelming and quite costly if you’re not careful.

As I’ve mentioned before we are essentially wholesale jewelry to the public.    We are not to fond of this phrase as it conjures up images that are not exactly positive or inviting.   Yet, as we are wholesale jewelers,  we do not have the wholesale jewelry feel nor do we have the wholesale jewelry  mentality or austere showroom.   Our boutique is semi-private (we prefer to work on appointments), we’ll offer you a soda, we’ll sit with you and discuss your options for an engagement ring, pendant or earrings and then you decide which way you’d like to proceed.   In short, its kind of like sitting with a friend;  quite a different approach to purchasing fine jewelry.

So, what  is involved when you’re designing your engagement ring or an independence ring or other piece of fine jewelry.   Well, there are 3 distinct phases for creating your piece of diamond jewelry; one, the design or sketching phase, two, the CAD drawing phase and adjustments and third and final phase, production.   Obviously, once these three phases are completed, your fabulous new ring is delivered.    So, let’s take a brief stroll through custom designing a piece of jewelry.

First,  the sketch – we’ll sit with you and hand sketch the details of the ring.  This usually involves photographs of rings you’ve seen in magazines, live samples or even your own hand drawings.   We’ll sit with you make recommendations based on our experience designing jewelry and then we’ll take all of our notes to our CAD department who will then take our drawing(s) and render it into a 3-D computerized version of your ring.

Example of CAD Ring

Second,  the CAD drawing  – this is a 3-D computerized version of your ring.  It is key to remember that CAD drawings will not take into account the details that may have been requested during the sketching phases.  Some of these details include miligrain, etchings and under-carriage design.  All of these items will be handled in the production phase and unusually close to completion of  your piece of jewelry.

Third, the production – once you’ve given your blessing to produce from the CAD drawing, we will instruct our designer to start production of the ring.  Depending upon the complexity of the ring, this phase can take as little as a few days but could potentially take up to several weeks.   This phase is marked by patience – the old adage good things come to those who wait comes to mind.

Now that we’ve covered the essentials, let’s have a look at the cost of creating a ring from scratch.   Depending upon the designer or the firms practices – you may find that a sitting fee is required before a sketch of your ring is completed, followed by CAD drawing fees and then finally the production quote/cost.     Today, many firms have been able to eliminate some of these costs as the market has become so very competitive but, it is wise to ask about other fees associated.

As for us, we do not charge a sitting fee, nor a CAD fee to our clients as we’re essentially wholesale jewelery manufacturers.  We utilize our extensive network of artisans and manufacturers to ensure quality, creativity and timely delivery for all of our jewelry regardless if its a custom designed ring or a semi-custom job.  We take pride in all the jewelry that we produce for our clients because we understand that its not just a ring – its a symbol of love, fidelity and it has more sentimental value to you, no matter what the cost.

While this posting does not cover all of the intricacies with regard to custom design.  My hope is that it will help provide a basis and a better understanding of what is involved with regard to custom designing of jewelry.  Still have questions?  Please do not hesitate to contact us at 480.656.0652 or email us at sales@alexarosejewelry.com.  We look forward to working with you.

Your Bridal Jewelry……

You’ve been working for months on selecting the perfect venue, the flowers, the caterer, the music and yes even the perfect set of wedding bands and your wedding day is suddenly upon you.   Do you feel ready?  Or are you suddenly remembering some of those little things that had slipped your mind?  Well, you’ll be happy to know that if you’re like most of us; you’ll suddenly remember a flood of items right before the wedding!  Unfortunately, they usually pertain to either your jewelry or shoes or both.  

 Hopefully, what I am about to type here will be of assistance or at least make you feel better.   I was reading an article recently that described which items are most often purchased at the last minute – would you like to guess what topped the list?  It was (drum-roll, please) the little black clutch, followed by earrings and necklacesfor a special occasion.  I found this fascinating,  as most of us, plan our outfits to the office, the gym and even weekend wandering down to the T, including the jewelryso, why do we so often forget it for special occasions?  Well, we all know the answer, it’s so very simple; we’re consumed with all of the other details that our thought process becomes this will get done during this outing or that outing but somehow it always manages to get pushed to the 11th hour.  At least, it does for me?  I can not tell you how many times, I have rushed out to find the perfect little bag or the perfect earrings or pendant. 

While, I have not been married, I have several friends who have been brides and each one of them shared with me that they felt their jewelryfor their ceremony was rushed and more of an impulse buy rather than something thought out and even tried ahead of time.    After speaking to my friends, I asked the question, what if you could have tried on your bridal jewelry ahead of the ceremony; would it have made a difference? 

A resounding, YES was my answer!  So, with the input of quite a few of my friends; we’ve added this service to assist our brides.  In short, this is how it works,  you come in to our boutique and look through the wide variety of styles we have available.  You select up to 7 different pieces, let us know the date of your next fitting, its location and we’ll meet you there so you can see which items will look best with your gown.  Once you’ve made your selection; we’ll make arrangements for payment or need to rethink your look, we can do that as well.  Best of all, you have flexibility in styling, selection and as we’re wholesale to the public, we can assure you’re getting the best possible price.  So, regardless of your desired look, we can help you ensure your perfect day has the perfect bridal jewelry as well. 

Check out some of the different options available.  If you don’t find what your searching for on our website, give us a call at 480.656.0652.  I’m certain we can help you create the perfect look for your wedding day.