Computer Aided Design (CAD Design) Utilizes State of the art CAD Technology to help you design your custom piece.
First we take an idea you have for a ring, necklace, bracelet, etc. and come up with a design that meets your specifications.
Then we take your design, and craft your piece from scratch using gold, silver, yellow gold, or platinum once you’ve settled on your design.
Sara sent me pictures of her “dream ring”. She loved the details and “soft look” of the halo around the center diamond. After exchanging some ideas we decided to form this ring the way it will be easily fitted with a wedding band while keeping all the details such as filigree, carving, and beading. When I finished the design and showed it to Sara in four projections she was very excited that her dream is coming true and asked me to make this ring in platinum.
I sent this 3D file to a computer controlled printer and a wax model was made there pixel by pixel exactly the way I designed it, very precise and clean.
Now we could cast it just like any “lost wax” method of goldsmithing and use the “old world” jewelry techniques such as filing, carving, setting diamonds, beading and polishing. The ring was ready and Sara absolutely loved it!
The ring for Regina was a real challenge. The center diamond she chose was over 3 carats, and she wanted four more large diamonds gradually set on the sides. Her finger size was quite small though. I worked with CAD moving the diamonds up and down and around the sides of the larger center diamond to find the best architecture and proportions for the ring until I was able to see balance and harmony in the design. Finally I was pleased with the look but there wasn’t enough space to set the four side stones in individual prongs around the center diamond.
I came up with a creative idea of a channel and common prongs combination so the ring wouldn’t have separate parts, like a band and baskets design but made as a miniature sculpture. The ring was cast in platinum and this structure promised to add more strength and support to the ring. Using a high luster finish of channels surfaces should also give additional light and brilliance to the diamonds.
The final result exceeded even my expectations, and Regina is very happy with her ring.
Luke and Lynn are more my friends than my customers. They were very happy with the engagement ring I designed for them, and Luke came back to have me design a unique necklace for Lynn using “champagne” diamonds from the tennis bracelet she had, but he wanted to use some colored gems to give the necklace contrast. I suggested purple as a bit of contrast without being too gaudy, and gave him a tour through my amethyst collection. Using the lavender luminescence to accentuate the demure pink hues of the champagne diamonds, he loved the contrast and the unique shape of the stones together.
I started with making a few sketches of a necklace in different styles to find what Luke and Lynn liked more and in which direction we should go for the design.
Lynn liked the “Starburst” design idea with the stones independently held in place for a greater design than having one central shaped design with all the colors competing with one another. Working on the design based on the length of the chain and number of stones I wanted to create some variety that would give a quiet but profound shine that would be more of a harmony accessory to an outfit, rather than a melody and centerpiece. This would help bring emphasis on the intricate design upon closer inspection. After a couple of weeks I showed her the 3D design of the project, which she liked, leaving me to put a few finishing touches on it. I added more pastel colored stones like spinel and experimented with different sizes for better contrast and balance.
The finished necklace is brilliant and breathtaking!
Susan had always had her heart set on a particular antique Art Deco ring from the 1930’s that had a large degree of details like filigree, bead set, milgrains, and carving but the original ring was too expensive. Working with the original ring’s design and using CAD technology to duplicate the intricate design, I was able to cast a reproduction of the original that fit her budget. The difficult part of the process was making sure the 3D CAD project had every minute detail of the original ring. Once I was satisfied that an indistinguishable replica could be cast, I began starting the process to create 3D of the ring.
The 3D representation of this ring could not resemble the prototype completely because the the finishing process that would require hands on touches to look exactly as the prototype. By using the CAD technology we were, however, able to duplicate the highest level of precision in reproduction of the shape and proportional details. The wax will duplicate the form so when the cast was set, I would be able to set the diamonds and engrave the surface as jewelers did during those times.
Susan loves that she was able to get a reproduction of a ring she cherished for most of her life within her budget!
