A Creative Bride-to-Be Designs the Engagement Ring of Her Dreams
Getting Involved in the Design Process
When James and Camille decided to get married, James knew that he wanted his fiancé who was a historian to be involved in the ring design process. He recognized Camille’s unique sense of style and didn’t want her wearing a ring that she didn’t absolutely love.
While researching designs and how to go about designing an engagement ring, Camille found my blog: The Sixteen Steps of Jewelry Design.
She really loved that I connected one of the crucial steps in jewelry design to one of my favorite quotes about horseback riding: “Throw your heart over the fence, and the rest will follow” (Norman Vincent Peale).
Camille, a creative bride to be, had spent many happy years riding and wanted to have me, a fellow horse lover, create her engagement ring. She was just about ready to “throw her heart over the fence” and confidently pursue an over-distance design experience.
What Were the Chances?
When Camille discovered that I was located in Santa Barbara, only 30 miles away from her location, she was so ecstatic!
When we first spoke on the phone, I could hear just how giddy she was to work on her engagement ring design in person.
Her joy was contagious, because I could feel myself getting more and more excited about the project, too!
It’s Gotta Have History!
Every step of the process was wonderful. Camille was super creative, detail oriented, and had strong, unique ideas. Old style filigree open work was goal number one in her ring.
She also had some family diamonds that she wanted to use in the ring – I loved learning about their history and the meaning that they held in her family. The design process really brought out some great, joyful conversations between us!
One of the goals we had was to honor a small diamond that would be the centerpiece of the ring. By making a halo of smaller diamonds, we were able to highlight the center diamond while still keeping an open feeling in the ring.
Refining the Design
When we got to the CAD phase, I had created a rounded feel for the center to mimic the round diamond shape. Camille wanted a more angular feel. We updated the CAD design, and got that illusive look Camille was feeling, but that is hard to verbalize. The ring was ready for casting!
I 3D printed the wax model, cast it, and moved on to setting and finishing.
I loved making this unusual ring!
A Happy Fiancé
When James came to pick up the finished engagement ring I was jumping up and down, excited to know how Camille would like it.
Happily, they sent me not only this wonderful picture that telegraphs love and a happy future, but Camille wrote me the nicest note:
Hi Calla,
I hope this email finds you well! I just wanted to say thank you so much for my beautiful ring! James just gave it to me, and I am dumbstruck. It is so much more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.
The really incredible thing is that the ring looks different in every light, and I find myself staring at it because there is so much detail and beauty from all angles. I am not quite used to wearing such a beautiful piece yet, but it certainly makes me feel special and I feel so lucky that James wanted to make sure I have a ring to wear that I love and that is special to both of us.
I cannot thank you enough for all you did to help us to create the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.
With Gratitude,
Camille
It’s experiences like this that remind me just how much I love my job!
Your grateful jeweler,
Calla
