What’s involved in redesigning jewelry?
Let’s start with the meeting.
The purpose of this meeting is to do an initial analysis of the piece(s) of jewelry and to get to know the customer, your style and desire for redesign. We don’t expect you to be prepared with ideas. We want to see your jewelry, hear your story, hear the story of your jewelry, and start to get a feel for your style so we can interpret it for ideas. Using our loupe and various instruments, we try and determine whether it is genuine, but not necessarily it’s value. We bounce ideas for redesign with the you to start the idea process flowing. Often the jewelry is left with us during this initial meeting to proceed with the next steps. We may measure you, your finger, your neck. We may give you some samples to look at so you can understand our vision. We prefer not to give an estimate of cost at this time because so much research and resourcing is needed to determine a price, not to mention we usually haven’t settled on a design.
Then we’ll start our research.
After our initial meeting, it is time to verify its authenticity and possible value. Each piece of jewelry is different, so this step can be unique to the piece. We may take it to experts, a lab, a certification company, a setter, a polisher, a diamantaire, or gem specialist for verification. Measurements are taken. Weights are recorded. Photographs are done. A project sheet is created.
Now the fun begins! We get to start designing.
Now we are acquainted with you, with your jewelry, with its history, its value, both sentimental and market value. Let’s see how we can bring it new life. Your style, your precious jewels become our design. We sketch. We Pinterest. We collaborate. We often meet again. We share and get feedback. More sketches might need to be created. More sharing. More feedback, etc. until we arrive on your design. We discuss ballpark costs to make sure we are on track with each other.
Once we settle on a design, it’s time to figure out what resources we need to bring your jewel(s) a new life.
Reaching out to the experts, depending on the jewelry, we start to determine what we need and who we need to remake your jewelry. This can involve a technical drawing, which includes measurements of stones, of metal, of shanks, of settings. Each piece is unique, so we can’t reuse what has been utilized before for someone else. This is when the melt value of your metal is often determined. We take care of every detail. We resource the materials needed for the project, diamonds, gemstones, chains, findings, whatever is needed for the project. If it sounds like a lot of steps and a lot of running around, that’s because it is! It must be perfect or there could be a gap in the proposal or worse yet, a gap in the setting!
How about a proposal?
Now it’s time to give you a price for the research and design we have been doing for your perfect piece of custom redesigned jewelry. This proposal includes a rough sketch or a technical sketch, depending on the design, the specifications of the project and a timeframe for completion. We ask you to review it and agree to it before proceeding.
Almost every design requires a Computer Aided Design (CAD).
This is used to make sure each piece is perfect, perfectly set and measured for your jewels. Our team reviews the CAD before proceeding with production. Sometimes issues come up at this stage and must be addressed before production. Another consultation or phone call might be required.
Now it’s time to produce your redesign!
Every piece of jewelry we create is unique. Every piece is custom designed even if it’s a classic. For example, one of our most popular projects is adding a halo of diamonds around someone’s existing diamond or gemstone pendant or earrings. Believe it or not, each of these go through the same process, including a CAD, because each stone has a different measurement and a different stone quality, which must be carefully matched. It’s often hard for our customers to understand why adding a halo to their diamond pendant is so costly. Each of these is unique in its own special way. We don’t just order a setting for it.
Delivery is the very best part.
Now your style and our design become reality and become yours! The unveiling of your new piece of jewelry is always a happy moment. Sometimes we ship directly to you or deliver in person. Each of our custom designs is delivered with beautiful 21C Designs packaging.
We can’t leave out the sharing, which is the newest part of the process today.
Not only do we love your new piece of custom design jewelry, but we love to show it off through social media, on Instagram, and on our 21c-designs.com/gallery page. It helps other customers visualize what can be done with their precious jewels. Take a look at the gallery today for inspiration.
Many of our customers ask us if in person meetings are necessary. The answer is no, but it can be helpful. We often travel to our clients to meet with them, meeting with them in the comfort and privacy of their homes or at one of our road shows or home shows.
