FCD CAD assistance request

[Starzin]

None of these passed muster. Actually, none of the inspiration original Belle Epoch and Romanov rings passed either; she said they are guaranteed to break shortly after wear because they were created as art pieces for display, not to be worn. As such, we will make minor changes to the original design and go from there.

I was just about to start playing "mix and match" when I saw this. Sorry real life has got in the way this week. I find it difficult to believe that rings for a whole 50-year period were not meant to be worn. Though perhaps they didn't use their hands in the same way we now do.

I also find it hard to believe that the ring needs BOTH the lyre and the leaves for structural stability. If you look at her version front on, why can't the leaves replace the lyre? In her version I'm seeing that the leaves are decoration... Think about it, I see plenty of openwork leaf/flower rings -not high end custom made admittedly - but they hold up just fine. In fact I knew someone who wears three of them everyday. I'll be back.

 

[Starzin]

In fact the system just hiccupped while I was posting and threw me back to the first page. Her comment makes no sense in light of the fact that the previous cad designer was prepared to put this forth-

 

[Starzin]

Okaaaay... here's round 1. There's another idea coming.

 

[Starzin]

I'm running out of time to do something else so have to leave this, but I wondered... are we quite done with this simple tiara? Take the diamonds out of the band and engrave leaves on that upsweep?

 

[Starzin]

Like this? Pretend the opal is the yellow pear and put the 3 x pinks and 1 x white on top.

 

[chrono]

I did ask the same question and was told (with an apology on behalf of the first designer for not being upfront about structural concerns) that the first CAD would not be covered under any warranty because it WOULD break.

As I worked with the original design, I noticed how each element itself IS a support structure. As I tried to cut as paste, I realized that the vines are supported by the main base with the pear. The rounds MUST be supported by the shank, which is why it is NOT possible to have them up high by the oval. The only way to have them near the oval, is to compensate by making the entire ring short and squat so that the rounds are touching the shank.

 

[chrono]

C3 is very cluttered and she said it will look bulky IRL, when not even taking structural stability into account.
I don't think I can do a straight tiara due to the stone sizes and proportion in relation to one another.
Thirdly, due to the multiple CAD revisions, I have run overbudget, with the ring now costing 2X the original price.

 

[chrono]

Like this? Pretend the opal is the yellow pear and put the 3 x pinks and 1 x white on top.

This one looks VERY strong and still pretty. I wish I could do another revision but I think they are ready to kick me out the door if I ask for one. Do you know the size of the stones? I am guessing they are pretty small if the ring can fit the large side leaves and other embellishments.

 

[Starzin]

I did ask the same question and was told (with an apology on behalf of the first designer for not being upfront about structural concerns) that the first CAD would not be covered under any warranty because it WOULD break.
What a shame we didn't know that way back when

As I worked with the original design, I noticed how each element itself IS a support structure. As I tried to cut as paste, I realized that the vines are supported by the main base with the pear. The rounds MUST be supported by the shank, which is why it is NOT possible to have them up high by the oval. The only way to have them near the oval, is to compensate by making the entire ring short and squat so that the rounds are touching the shank.
That information would have helped us too. However I keep wondering why she is reluctant to use the leaves as support rather than the separate winding element (lyre as I'm calling it) or am I definitely missing something here?

Thirdly, due to the multiple CAD revisions, I have run overbudget, with the ring now costing 2X the original price.
Oh Chrono... I'm soooo sorry. This has been such a painful process for you and it shouldn't have been.

This one looks VERY strong and still pretty. I wish I could do another revision but I think they are ready to kick me out the door if I ask for one. Do you know the size of the stones? I am guessing they are pretty small if the ring can fit the large side leaves and other embellishments.
It's from Tadema Gallery. As you look at the pictures, hovering over the thumbnail far left will actually bring up a much larger version. Some of them are quite bright and clear - don't know why the one I used was/is so dark.
Gold Opal Diamond
H: 1.6 cm (0.63 in)
Ring Size: |UK:M½| |US:6.5| |EU:53.1| |Asia:13|
Pear shaped diamond 0.15 cts approx

This does look strong, cast and I think your stones might work with it as far as sizing goes.

 

[Starzin]

For posterity...

 

[chrono]

Starzin,
In a way, I am glad I have this new designer now because she is forthcoming about everything, the whys and why-nots. With this new information and realization, I feel bad to have wasted so much time and effort the past few months of everyone (the first designer, PSers and myself). Having the leaves as support would be overly bulky, the same as the handshot of the new design you posted (it looks bulky to me). It looks very pretty as a standalone in a picture but it's clunky in the handshot.

 

[Starzin]

That's true and I'm pleased for your sake that someone is now being straight with you about it - better late than never I guess but as you say, if we had known more about the "rules" we could have adjusted our expectations.

Do NOT feel bad about the involvement of anyone here, we would have bailed long ago if not interested

If you look at that shot on the website, I think the bulkiness comes more from the band/shank and if that was slimmed and tapered the way you wanted it would take out a LOT of the perceived bulkiness. Also quite a bit of gold would come out to fit the other four FCDs. Essentially you would be left with the pretty leaves and a couple of curls.

But above all, if you are not completely satisfied, please do NOT proceed just because you've spent so much time and money getting this far.

Please take your time to think about what you want to do next. It's too important, not to mention expensive (!) to settle for less than something that makes your heart sing whenever you look down at your hand, instead of thinking "It's pretty but it's not quite what I wanted"

 

[chrono]

Even if some gold comes out to make the other 4 FCDs fit, there needs to be gold added to support those 4 FCDs too, which in the end, might still be a bulky ring... Yes, I had a good think about what I wanted, not wanting to regret or rush due to time and money constraints. Once the next proofs are ready, if all looks acceptable, she will go ahead with the wax for me to review and "wear". She said it isn't an issue to remake if I am not happy with the wax, so there is a bit of a safety net there.

 

[Starzin]

Good... I'm glad you took time to think about whether you really wanted to go ahead with it and not doing so because you feel guilty.

So you've given her the go-ahead on her design with no changes?

 

[chrono]

Very minor changes in the grand scheme of things:
1. Less airspace between the leaves and vines. In reality, this translates to a 1 mm difference.
2. Thinner vines
3. More drastic taper of the leaves in the shank, to make the ring look thinner or less bulky.

 

[Starzin]

Okay then, so it's still basically the same. It's still this figure eight shank basically though-

 

[Starzin]

While it may not be what you originally had in mind, all that matters is that you love it and you've put so much thought and effort in to this ring that I truly hope you do

 

[chrono]

Okay then, so it's still basically the same. It's still this figure eight shank basically though-

I did not like that one at all. I went for this one below with the requested changes. I resized it to my actual finger size and liked it best as it doesn't look as cluttered.

 

[Starzin]

Oh well at least you've done the trial run! I was really talking about the looped figure-8 shank, I don't remember you saying much about that and it seemed such a departure from the original brief.

 

[chrono]

The one posted above does not have the twisted shank. The "8" shank was my pitiful attempt to make the shank more delicate but as you can see, the end result was not appealing.

 

[chrono]

This is IT. Even though this is IT, all Yay and Nay comments are still welcome.

 

[chrono]

Last 2 CADs. I know it looks thick but the shank is actually only 2.2 mm in width at the lowest end!

 

[Starzin]

Yaaay! The tiniest tweakings have worked somehow. It now does look much more of a "whole" if you can understand what I mean. The shank is soooo much better and the ring will look quite different when it's 3D.

It's a very pretty ring and even though it isn't the "Russian" you envisaged originally, I think it has elements of the very first ring you posted and the little sweetie that you missed on ebay (for the demantoid).

Wax here we come! How long till you have that in your hot little hand? What golds have you decided on now?

I think the only thing that worries me is something that just went through my head... it's so low compared to your other honkers!

It's all up to the engraver now and I can't WAIT!!!!!

 

[pinkjewel]

I love it, Chrono!!! Different than your first thoughts for the ring, but it's creative and special. Can't wait for the next stage!! I know you must be ready to have this ring finished and on your finger! Sorry to hear that it almost doubled in price

 

[misskittycat]

I really love the symmetry of the design now. I know it's probably more Belle Époque than Romanov Russian, but it's going to be gorgeous.

 

[chrono]

Starzin,
It goes to show that despite all our thinking and tinkering, it turned out almost completely different, successful. It is also surprising how such miniscule tweaks can change the overall look and feel of a design too. I am happy that the focus is on both the stones AND the design this time too. This is such a departure from my usual rings but in a good way. Once I confirm my middle finger ring size this afternoon, she will start on the wax and hopefully will arrive early next week. I'm going with 18k rose gold, even though it is flesh toned because it goes incredibly well with all the FCDs. Lowness isn't an issue. I think this one looks SO low because it is SO small compared to all my other honkers. I love extremely low set rings because they rarely twist and feel comfortable to wear.

 

[chrono]

Pinkjewel,
Another positive vote helps me feel as though I have made the right choice. I don't think I will be going bespoke again anytime soon because it was so stressful and time consuming. Diamond accent and halo rings are so easy in comparison. Me too! I cannot wait to have it on my finger. I'm not sure about the actual price yet, actually... I think they do mean to honour the original price but were complaining about the cost on their end, and rightfully so with the time spent on the various revisions, although if they had been upfront about what is and isn't possible, we could have cut down the time in half. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[chrono]

Misskittycat,
Thank you for yet another vote of confidence. Yes, from Romanov Russian to Belle Époque to an inspired version.

 

[T L]

I love the dimensionality of it, the leaves aren't just flat, there's some small curvature there, and things like that make such a huge difference. Good luck with the piece. Are you sure though that you want the whole thing in rose gold though? Perhaps white gold with rose gold baskets for the pinks stones and a yellow gold basket for the pear????

 

[chrono]

TL,
I was also pleased to see little details such as the 3D curves of the leaves too so with the final engraving touches, I think it will blow me away. I'm so excited about this as I have not been for the past few months! The designer suggested an all white metal but I want to play up each diamond colour. 18K rose gold seems to be a good compromise because it is a gentle blush yellow; not harsh or coppery like 14K RG, yet not yellow like 14K YG either. It is good for both the yellow and pink diamonds. I asked about going with white, yellow and rose metals but she said it will be overly busy.