goldsmithing

Pearl Ring With Thin 1mm Band

By Leave a Comment

Recently I custom made this pearl ring with a thin 1mm band.

This thin ring is the very definition of dainty and minimalist.

Looking to create a ring with a thin band? Contact us to learn more.

1mm Band, Too Thin?

1x1 ring in both width and thickness — **1mm all the way around the ring**.

This ring was made with a 1X1 millimeter design.

That means that it is both 1mm wide and 1mm thick.

While it is possible to craft such a delicate ring, it can come with it’s drawbacks.

If you are a person that is extra hard on their rings, then a 1mm option would probably not be the best decision.

1mm is also not recommended for rings with larger stones, or in engagement rings.

2mm pearl on thin gold band. — **A 2mm pearl fixed in the center of the ring with 6 prongs.**

In this particular instance, the 1mm band works quite well.

The center pearl size is only around 2mm in size, so there is virtually no weight to it. The thin band has no trouble supporting the stone.

The 1mm ring is also thin enough that it does a great job conveying that extra delicate look.

Thin Rings With Recycled Gold

At Modern Goldsmith, we source our raw materials from a distributor that has been certified by SCS Global Services.

This means you can have full confidence that the jewelry we make is sourced from 100% recycled metals.

There has already been enough gold, platinum, and palladium mined in our history to allow plenty of excess through recycled alloys.

There’s no reason for us to continue many of the mining practices that not only damage the earth, but also hurt the laborer in the process.

To learn more about our custom process, feel free to visit our customization page.

Mountain Inspired Wedding Rings

By Leave a Comment

As a custom jewelry designer, I often get the opportunity to create extra meaningful rings.

This project took ‘meaningful’ to the next level by incorporating locations that are incredibly sentimental to the couple.

This extra special location is the mountain ridge-line which overlooks the town in which they live, and the butte down below—the location of their first kiss!

Mountain Inspiration

**Pioneer Peak in Alaska with the butte in front.**

Not only do the rings serve as a reminder of some special moments in their lives, they also serve another purpose.

These rings also signify the love they have for mountain climbing, hiking, and enjoying nature.

Want to work with us on a custom mountain ring (or something else?) Please fill out our customization form!

CAD Renderings

Custom Mountain Ring CAD Rendering — **CAD renderings detail how a ring will look.**

Whenever we design custom rings, we always start in CAD in order to get a feel of how the ring will look like before it is cast in metal.

This allows the client the opportunity to see what the ring will look like and request any changes they might want to see.

Yellow Gold CAD rendering — **CAD renderings can also show different color metals.**

Once the ring design is looking just perfect, the client approves the design and the model is grown in wax and cast in metal.

Ring Casting Before Enamel

After the ring is cast and polished up, it is ready for the finishing touches.

In this case, we will be adding some color to the mountain and butte cutouts to give it some contrast. We will also be adding a finish to remove some of the shininess of the rings.

You can really start to see the ring taking shape!

White Enamel And Brush Finish

mountain inspired ring with white enamel — **Enamel is used to fill in the mountain cutouts.**

The completed ring features a white enamel inlay which really let’s the mountain lines “pop” visually.

A brush finish, also known as a matte finish, was added to the ring to remove the high polish shine of the yellow gold.

Mountain Rings—Individually Tailored To Each Person

individually tailored custom rings — **Matching rings for the happy couple.**

The great thing about custom jewelry design is the same pattern can be duplicated, but in different sizes!

For example, one of these rings needed to be a much larger size than the other, yet the design remains the same.

The mountain design was also replicated in different millimeter dimensions. The wider ring is 7mm wide and the thinner ring in 5mm.

Thus you can see that each custom ring will be individually tailored to fit the person wearing it!

Custom Tulip Engagement Ring Setting

By Leave a Comment

comparing a tulip in bloom to a tulip ring setting — **Inspired by natures beauty.**

Recently I had the opportunity to make a custom tulip engagement ring setting with a Montana sapphire.

The reason for the term “tulip” ring setting has to do with the way the prongs are shaped and designed.

6 Prong Tulip Head

**The raw platinum casting of a tulip ring setting.**

Tulip ring settings can be made a number of different ways. This particular ring was designed with rounded tops and six prongs.

Some tulip ring settings are made with 4 points of contact (basically similar to a 4-prong ring setting) and other tulip designs are not rounded at the top, rather come up to form a “claw” or point.

tulip ring setting with platinum — **Beautiful Montana sapphire secured by a tulip head setting.**

Tulip engagement ring settings can be custom made to fit many different stone types and sizes.

We accept custom orders! If you wish to explore working together, please fill out our customization form.

4 Prong vs 6 Prong Tulip Setting

4 prong vs 6 prong tulip ring setting — **Which option is best?**

In our experience crafting custom tulip engagement rings, we have found that a 4 prong tulip is good for emerald, cushion, and princess cut stones.

computer rendering of a ring — **CAD rendering of a 4 prong tulip style ring setting**.

When designing jewelry, we keep the end in mind. One aspect that we focus a lot on is symmetry. A princess cut or emerald cut will have 4 corners or points, thus a 4 prong tulip head will compliment it nicely.

raw platinum casting with montana sapphire

When it comes to round or oval stones, both 4 and 6 prong tulip heads can work, although 6 prong is generally considered the safer option.

Choosing A Stone For A Tulip Ring Setting

There are many great options for stones. With this particular custom ring project, our client supplied their own sapphire sourced from Montana.

We are able to use our clients stones to craft beautiful engagement rings. Read more about using your own stone for a jewelry project.

If you don’t have your own stone to bring to the table, a goldsmith can help. We specialize in creating sustainable custom jewelry using lab grown diamonds, moissanite, and more. Contact us to learn more.

Floral Inspired

In conclusion, if you are looking for the perfect ring setting that gives off a floral vibe, a tulip ring setting is a stunning option.

Because of the openness of the head design, a lot of the stone is visible when looking through the ring.

Now that is an added bonus!

Custom Ring Guards and Wraps

By Leave a Comment

Ring guard with and without and engagement ring — **Custom made ring guard to fit an engagement ring**.

Ring guards and wraps are an excellent way to add a beautiful accent to an engagement ring. They can also serve the purpose of the wedding band.

A ring guard is rightly named as such—it “guards” the engagement ring from one or both sides.

Ring guards are also referred to as “ring wraps” due to the way they enclose and wrap around an engagement ring.

In addition to ring guard and ring wrap, these rings are also called ring “jackets” or “enhancers.” To make things easy, we will mostly refer to them as ring guards in this post.

How To Choose The Right Ring Guard For Your Engagement Ring

Different ring guard styles — **Ring guards vary greatly in shape and style**.

I cannot stress the importance of this aspect enough. Most box-store jewelry retailers will carry a varied selection of ring guards and wraps, but finding the right fit for your ring can be a challenge.

It is very difficult to find a guard that works well for your engagement ring if the guard was not made specifically for your engagement ring.

Here is a list of common problems that arise:

Large gaps between the guard and the engagement ring
Engagement Ring is too large (or too small!) for the ring guard
Ring shoulders don’t line up properly
The “bars” at the bottom of the ring guard get in the way
The style of the ring guard simply does not match well

What’s The Solution?

There are really only two options: Try to find something pre-made out of the jewelry display case, or have a ring guard custom made.

Let’s start with the worst of the two options. While most “out of the box” ring guards are not good matches for existing engagement rings, there generally are ways to make them work.

I would know, I’ve done it countless times.

I’ve had contracts with big-box jewelry companies where they expected me to make these imperfect ring guards work (for the sake of the sale), and I got pretty good at it. Their customers were generally pleased with the result…that is unless I had to turn down the job completely.

Why did I have to turn down certain jobs? This generally occurred when inexperienced jewelry salespeople would sell a ring guard that simply would not work with the engagement ring.

Ring wrap bars which hold the jewelry together — ***The bars at the bottom of the ring guard join the two sides together.***

Here are some of the ways I would alter ring guards to work with engagement rings:

Remove the bars at the bottom of the ring guard
Solder the guard to the engagement ring (if customer wanted)
Squeeze the guard together at the top to minimize gaps
Size the engagement ring larger than the guard so that the shoulders line up better
Ensure the engagement ring and guard were properly centered.

These techniques are passable, but there is a solution that is much better. That would be custom!

Custom Made Ring Guards and Wraps

Custom rose gold ring wrap or jacket — **Custom 14KT rose gold ring guard with lab-grown accent diamonds.**

That’s right. Custom, custom custom!

Having a ring guard made specifically for your engagement ring will always yield a better result.

Not only will the ring guard match up a lot better with the engagement ring, but it can also be designed to compliment it.

In addition, in some cases buying a pre-made ring wrap is downright impossible if your engagement ring has unique curves and lines. Nothing you find in the jewelry display case will work. Custom is the only answer.

To inquire about getting a custom ring guard made, please fill out our customization form!

How Custom Ring Guards and Wraps are Made

Contoured ring guard — ***Having a contoured ring guard is essential to a proper fit.***

In order to achieve the best results for a custom ring guard or wrap, it is important for the goldsmith to have the engagement ring in hand to use as a starting point.

It might be difficult for some people to part with their engagement rings (understandably so), however making the sacrifice to live without it for a few weeks will end with beautiful results!

The new ring guard will be custom made to fit the engagement ring, and after the guard is cast in metal it can be adjusted and centered appropriately.

Did you know all of our jewelry shipments are fully insured? Enjoy peace of mind knowing your jewelry is protected and in good hands. Contact us here for more information.

Utilizing CAD To Design The Ring Guard

Cad rendering of a custom ring guard — **CAD renderings show how the custom ring guard will fit with the engagement ring.**

In order to get the best match for your engagement ring, computer aided design (CAD) is used to create the ring guard model.

Using a 3D scanner, the original engagement ring is scanned in to the software. After that, the new ring guard is modeled to wrap around the engagement ring!

How Much Do Custom Ring Guards and Wraps Cost?

lab grown diamond ring guard — ***Custom is always superior, but how much will it cost?***

The final cost of a custom ring guard or wrap is entirely determined by the materials that are used.

For example, ring guards can be made in platinum, 18kt, 14kt, or 10kt gold, as well as silver. Each metal type has different prices associated with it.

Lastly, some ring wraps will have accent stones in them while others will be plain. The accent stones can be lab-grown diamonds, moissanite, or another stone entirely.

On average, a person can spend between $1,200-$2,800 on a custom ring guard.

Get a FREE QUOTE. Work one on one with a goldsmith to create a beautiful ring guard or wrap.

Engagement ring with ring enhancer — **The engagement ring and ring guard should compliment each other.**

It should be understood that custom ring guards will generally be a bit more expensive than a generic ring guard bought out of the case.

Generic ring guards are generally massed produced and imported, which equates to a lower cost than something that is custom made.

The trade off is that you risk the quality and fit of your wedding set. Custom ring guards and wraps offer a greater value in quality and cohesion. It’s well worth the investment!