FCD CAD assistance request

[chrono]

Niel and DigDeep,
I like your renders too. I hope the designer won't mind playing around with the design. I like certain elements from your edits but I don't know if pulling X from here and Y from there will work well together. You all have provided very helpful suggestions and things to mull over.

 

[minousbijoux]

its going to be lovely. I can tell because you have conviction and confidence when you speak about it now. As always, looking forward to the Grand Finale!

 

[chrono]

I don't want to start a poll thread for my question because all the pictures and background story are here. Which basket style do you think suits this design best?
A. Buttercup
B. Crown basket/prong.

 

[FrekeChild]

Crown.

 

[quaxie]

Awesome project!!! I like the crown, but will it sit too high?

 

[davi_el_mejor]

buttercups for the rounds and crown for the pear I know the pear is bezeled but uhhh I still vote crown for the pear

 

[RTFrog]

All crowns

 

[velouriaL]

This project is absolutely TDF. I'm so glad you're getting closer to what you want. I say crown, too.

 

[chel180]

I'm not sure if you've thought about it but your original inspiration ring was very tall and slim, it travelled along the length of the finger making it look very delicate and elegant. Your latest CAD is much squarer in terms of finger coverage making it look less delicate. With the addition of another leaf motif on the right hand side, you'll end up with a ring that is wider than it is long.
Just my first thoughts on seeing your pictures. Good luck with it

 

[Acinom]

Love your project Chrono! I would vote crown, but I would bezel the pear.

 

[pinkjewel]

Chrono, what color gold are you using for this piece? I may have missed it somewhere between the two threads. I am asking because of the light pink diamonds. I have a pair of light pink diamonds about the same size. If I place them on my hand-they all but disappear because they are the same color as my skin. Does the same thing happen to you? If you are using rose gold I might consider putting them in more of a buttercup setting so that they would not blend with your skin. If you are using a high carat yellow gold- do the light pinks look pink in it? I like the crown style- but I guess I'd be concerned that those little light pinks would not show up on your finger. Maybe your skin tone is a lot different than mine and it wouldn't happen. In that case I vote crown.

 

[Sunstorm]

I love crown baskets; the last two pieces my jeweler made for me have crown baskets and I loved it on the first piece so much that I specifically asked for it in the latest piece he made for me though his crowns look different than the ones you posted. I will post pix in the trade member thread about the necklace in the next few days and will include a sideview pic of the crown as well. I totally fell for them. I need to read up on your thread more and comment on the other points after that.

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Chrono,

May I ask why you decided against having this piece entirely handmade with techniques used in the era as well? I really think it is absolutely necessary in this case or otherwise the piece would lack the feel you are trying to achieve. I am not sure I like this CAD design but we do not use them as we make everything entirely by hand.

 

[Sunstorm]

Chrono, I have been thinking about your design thread, definitely thought provoking and motivating. I definitely think the second CAD is far better than the first. I would still love to see the leaves entirely hand forged but I have a feeling you will have a lovely ring at the end no matter what. I am not so sure it will be Romanov or Art Noveau style but perhaps you could do that with your demantoid or your tsavorite. Perhaps FCDs are not the best option for making a Romanov style ring but demantoid and white diamonds (emeralds/tsavorite for the green) would be a great option. I have seen some gorgeous Art Noveau rings in the latest auction catalogues and one especially comes to my mind when I think of your original idea but that ring too used emerald and diamonds; perhaps you could make something like that with your tsavorite and diamonds, I think it would be a great option. Anyhow, I am sure this ring will be really gorgeous at the end, this has been a very hard and lenghty process for you; sometimes when I struggle so much with a design I go back to the very beginning and rethink everything and perhaps come up with something entirely different. Such an idea would be making an Art Noveau piece with your demantoid or tsavorite and sticking to this design with your FCDs, I cannot wait to see the final piece!

 

[chrono]

Awesome project!!! I like the crown, but will it sit too high?

It looks high from that angle in the picture but the stone is actually set extremely low in the crown setting. I love low set jewellery pieces and find them more wearable (less prone to being banged around, less spinning, and more comfortable).

 

[chrono]

I'm not sure if you've thought about it but your original inspiration ring was very tall and slim, it travelled along the length of the finger making it look very delicate and elegant. Your latest CAD is much squarer in terms of finger coverage making it look less delicate. With the addition of another leaf motif on the right hand side, you'll end up with a ring that is wider than it is long. Just my first thoughts on seeing your pictures. Good luck with it

Chel,
I appreciate your input. Unfortunately, I do not have long fingers and if I follow the original design, the ring will extend past my knuckle. I have short stubby fingers. I do not mind some side (width) coverage or even complete side to side coverage. I actually have many different inspiration pictures to draw off but this is the main one.

 

[chrono]

Chrono, what color gold are you using for this piece? I may have missed it somewhere between the two threads. I am asking because of the light pink diamonds. I have a pair of light pink diamonds about the same size. If I place them on my hand-they all but disappear because they are the same color as my skin. Does the same thing happen to you? If you are using rose gold I might consider putting them in more of a buttercup setting so that they would not blend with your skin. If you are using a high carat yellow gold- do the light pinks look pink in it? I like the crown style- but I guess I'd be concerned that those little light pinks would not show up on your finger. Maybe your skin tone is a lot different than mine and it wouldn't happen. In that case I vote crown.

Pinkjewel,
This ring will be in 14K yellow gold. It was a very difficult decision from the onset. I wanted 18K YG but it isn't a good colour for the pink diamonds. A white metal will wash everything out. 18K rose gold is actually great with all the coloured diamonds but when I tried on the ring, it disappeared on my hand! Yes, Chrono has rose gold coloured skin. So I have no option other than 14K YG. The jeweller said he could do rose gold baskets for the pink diamonds but given that I have rose gold coloured skin, I'm not sure whether the light pinks would disappear on my hand when set in rose gold buttercups. This is a good question though which I'll bring up to the jeweller at our next conference call.

 

[chrono]

I love crown baskets; the last two pieces my jeweler made for me have crown baskets and I loved it on the first piece so much that I specifically asked for it in the latest piece he made for me though his crowns look different than the ones you posted. I will post pix in the trade member thread about the necklace in the next few days and will include a sideview pic of the crown as well. I totally fell for them. I need to read up on your thread more and comment on the other points after that.

Please let me know when they are uploaded. Thanks!

 

[chrono]

Hi Chrono,

May I ask why you decided against having this piece entirely handmade with techniques used in the era as well? I really think it is absolutely necessary in this case or otherwise the piece would lack the feel you are trying to achieve. I am not sure I like this CAD design but we do not use them as we make everything entirely by hand.

Because I cannot justify spending $5K on a pure metal setting that does not even have all that much metal in the first place. Secondly, the design isn't true to the period since I am using coloured diamonds. If I wanted to stay true to the Romanov period, I would only use old cut diamonds and demantoid. In order to get close to the same feel, I opted to have the piece hand sculptured and carved after cast. It took a long time to try to find a design that will use multiple small diamonds without going the halo route and because I love the ethereal feel of the Romanov designs, I thought is seemed like the best of both worlds. Call it my twist on the traditional.

 

[pinkjewel]

Hi Chrono,

May I ask why you decided against having this piece entirely handmade with techniques used in the era as well? I really think it is absolutely necessary in this case or otherwise the piece would lack the feel you are trying to achieve. I am not sure I like this CAD design but we do not use them as we make everything entirely by hand.

Because I cannot justify spending $5K on a pure metal setting that does not even have all that much metal in the first place. Secondly, the design isn't true to the period since I am using coloured diamonds. If I wanted to stay true to the Romanov period, I would only use old cut diamonds and demantoid. In order to get close to the same feel, I opted to have the piece hand sculptured and carved after cast. It took a long time to try to find a design that will use multiple small diamonds without going the halo route and because I love the ethereal feel of the Romanov designs, I thought is seemed like the best of both worlds. Call it my twist on the traditional.

Chrono- I can soooo relate to the cost factor for hand forged settings. Estimate just came in on the setting I wanted to do for my pink heart-$7000.00 to $10,000 (sigh) I just cannot justify such an expensive setting for a "light pink" diamond. So- guess I am back to the drawing board...

eta- and I have rose gold colored skin, too. I'll be interested in seeing what your jeweler thinks about setting the light pinks to get them to both show up pink and show up on your skin at the same time.

 

[Sunstorm]

Are you serious? I guess that is what I was thinking but in Hungary we do this at very small fraction of that but I was pretty sure that was the case and my jeweler restores antiquities from the Roman ages, crown jewels and makes their copies for the state, so he is really really good but watching him work, it seems so effortless, guess that is what talent and 45 years of experience does. Nice thing also is that here there is definitely a tradition but even here very very few can and do this type of handmade work.

Chrono I so agree with you, I too was commenting that for the Romanov/Faberge/Art Noveau style I would be using demantoid and diamonds or tsavorite and diamonds perhaps. I think your final piece is unique at its own. I hope you did not take my comment badly, I am just spoilt I guess with my jeweler.

 

[Sunstorm]

Pinkjewel, if I were you I would not compromise, I am sure that stellar prices are not quoted everywhere but this is your decision.

 

[chrono]

Are you serious? I guess that is what I was thinking but in Hungary we do this at very small fraction of that but I was pretty sure that was the case and my jeweler restores antiquities from the Roman ages, crown jewels and makes their copies for the state, so he is really really good but watching him work, it seems so effortless, guess that is what talent and 45 years of experience does. Nice thing also is that here there is definitely a tradition but even here very very few can and do this type of handmade work.

Chrono I so agree with you, I too was commenting that for the Romanov/Faberge/Art Noveau style I would be using demantoid and diamonds or tsavorite and diamonds perhaps. I think your final piece is unique at its own. I hope you did not take my comment badly, I am just spoilt I guess with my jeweler.

I really wish I can do an all-handforged setting but it really costs at least that much in the USA. Perhaps I can send my stones to your jeweller? No, not offended at all. I, too, would be spoiled if I had your jeweller to work on my pieces. When I wrote that I don't mind any comments, I meant it, so your perspective is appreciated in a positive light.

 

[chrono]

Chrono- I can soooo relate to the cost factor for hand forged settings. Estimate just came in on the setting I wanted to do for my pink heart-$7000.00 to $10,000 (sigh) I just cannot justify such an expensive setting for a "light pink" diamond. So- guess I am back to the drawing board...

eta- and I have rose gold colored skin, too. I'll be interested in seeing what your jeweler thinks about setting the light pinks to get them to both show up pink and show up on your skin at the same time.

Was your quote for a handforged setting? Is it just diamond accents or using slightly bluish green grossular garnet melees?

 

[pinkjewel]

Chrono- I can soooo relate to the cost factor for hand forged settings. Estimate just came in on the setting I wanted to do for my pink heart-$7000.00 to $10,000 (sigh) I just cannot justify such an expensive setting for a "light pink" diamond. So- guess I am back to the drawing board...

eta- and I have rose gold colored skin, too. I'll be interested in seeing what your jeweler thinks about setting the light pinks to get them to both show up pink and show up on your skin at the same time.

Was your quote for a handforged setting? Is it just diamond accents or using slightly bluish green grossular garnet melees?

hand forged with "other than diamond" melee- still working on best colored stone option here. but cost factor is not really affected too much with what we choose for the melee- it's really the work involved in the hand forged setting.

 

[pinkjewel]

Pinkjewel, if I were you I would not compromise, I am sure that stellar prices are not quoted everywhere but this is your decision.

I'm not quite sure what you are saying here. "stellar prices are not quoted everywhere"

 

[chrono]

hand forged with "other than diamond" melee- still working on best colored stone option here. but cost factor is not really affected too much with what we choose for the melee- it's really the work involved in the hand forged setting.

Yes, the cost is mostly labour but I was just wondering which route you were going (diamond or coloured stone melee). I'm trying to eke out hints of your latest pink diamond project.

 

[Sunstorm]

Sorry Pinkjewel, I meant to say that for the same quality workmanship you pay something like 1/8 of the price, just approximately but this does depend greatly on where you live and I am very lucky again that when I started studying gemology I met my jeweler by accident and we became friends. I am not a jeweler but I do work with stones, diamonds, mainly FCDs so I want to be careful when I say something because I do work with him on custom designs for people and I really do not want to say something against the rules here. Yes will post on the Trade thread with link but now I sadly have to attend to a family emergency first so that project has to wait a couple more days(. Ah and yes BTW I love watching pieces being made, I learn so much and it really helps to understand and put everything into perspective more; e.g., how a design I dream of for myself or someone else can come to life. Much much more to learn but I hope he lives forever.)

 

[pinkjewel]

hand forged with "other than diamond" melee- still working on best colored stone option here. but cost factor is not really affected too much with what we choose for the melee- it's really the work involved in the hand forged setting.

Yes, the cost is mostly labour but I was just wondering which route you were going (diamond or coloured stone melee). I'm trying to eke out hints of your latest pink diamond project.

OK-got it. I'm actually not being secretive, but no one that I've talked with has seen minty blue grossular garnet melee. I've seen something else that I may like as well if not even better- but it may prove to be even harder to find than mint garnet A light green grossular garnet melee is available, so that's always a fallback option. I'm just not sure how much I want to put into this project and may have to rethink the design totally. I have never gone the CAD route and not sure who I'd contact for my project if I wanted to try that. If I was setting diamond or even sapphire melee, there are several I can think of. But other colored stone melee setting I don't see as much and I would think it would take a "softer" hand. I don't want to thread jack so I'll be quiet now while I try to figure this out.

 

[pinkjewel]

Sorry Pinkjewel, I meant to say that for the same quality workmanship you pay something like 1/8 of the price, just approximately but this does depend greatly on where you live and I am very lucky again that when I started studying gemology I met my jeweler by accident and we became friends. I am not a jeweler but I do work with stones, diamonds, mainly FCDs so I want to be careful when I say something because I do work with him on custom designs for people and I really do not want to say something against the rules here. Yes will post on the Trade thread with link but now I sadly have to attend to a family emergency first so that project has to wait a couple more days(. Ah and yes BTW I love watching pieces being made, I learn so much and it really helps to understand and put everything into perspective more; e.g., how a design I dream of for myself or someone else can come to life. Much much more to learn but I hope he lives forever.)

ah- now I understand. You are very lucky to work with a jeweler like that! I hope your family emergency is not serious. I'll look forward to seeing your piece when you show it on the "trade" thread.