Custom Jewelry Design

Narrow down your design ideas to as few as possible. Too many design options will only confuse your selection, so keep it simple - too much design can actually detract from the piece. Use magazines, the Internet, jewelry stores and other resources as inspiration before designing your piece.

  1. There are three parts that go into a great custom piece: the center gemstone, the mount for the stone and the accent gemstones or finishes.
  2. Choose the gemstone at the center of the piece and build the design around it. This will be the focal point of the piece and the design should serve to accentuate your gemstone selection.

Note: Avoid using two or more center stones. Using multiple center points can cause a piece to become too busy. Selecting a single stone will bring out its brilliance far better.

  1. The mounting should take the shape of the center stone and reflect your creativity. Remember, it does not have to sit right in the center of a mounting to work — off-center balancing is done regularly with excellent results.
  2. Accent stones shouldn't overpower the center stone.

Hint: A formula to follow is 50% center stone, 30% mounting and 20% accent stones — these percentages are estimates, so be creative.

  1. Color is also very important in designing your piece. Different color gemstones work better with different precious metals, so look at magazines or talk with your jeweler to figure out what would work best for you.
  2. After you have a sketch of your design, you can move onto the second step, which is to design a wax prototype. This will provide a better visual aid to help you see if the design works for you. The wax allows you to alter the piece easily before it's created.

Things to remember -

  1. Design a piece that fits with your personality and tastes. Never try and force something to work just because you like one particular design — a design can be crafted many different ways.
  2. Make sure you find a jeweler that can communicate with you on the design aspects of your piece. Some designers like to design pieces to there own tastes, not yours.

Note: If you are in the early stages of designing, give me a call or e-mail and I will answer any questions you may have.

  1. Always think of the "wear-ability" factor when selecting a design. Designs should include thicker and slightly heavier mountings, hinges or links. All these areas should be substantial and settings should be heavier or made of platinum or white gold — both are heavier than yellow gold.