Opinions on Wax Mold Please

[Dodoobro]

Hi everyone! I’ve picked a 2ct round diamond and currently in the process of ring design with my jeweler. Initially we agreed on making a CAD drawing first, but the jeweler skipped the step and sent me some pictures of the wax mold directly. I would love some opinions on this wax mold, and how I should communicate with the jeweler so the ring is closer to what I expect.

Here are some pictures of the design I want. The only modifications would be: 1) Prongs at EW orientation, 2) No knife edge, and 3) Petite rounded tab prongs.


Here are the pictures of the wax mold:




Overall, I think the wax mold is close to what I want, but the entire mold looks bulky and lacks some details that I’ve communicated to the jeweler before. For example, the 6 prongs aren’t as tapered towards the top, the prong shape doesn’t look like a rounded tab, the shank isn’t as tapered towards the centre, and the cathedral arms aren’t soldered to the EW prongs.

I wonder if it’s normal for wax mold to lack the presentation of details? Is the wax mold made to my finger size, so I can try it on with my stone on it?

Is this considered a high setting? My work does require gloves wearing, should I ask for the stone to be set lower for a practical reason?

Any opinion/advise is appreciated. Thank you very much!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Without a diamond in the wax, it is hard to tell about the prongs. They look to me like they could become petite tab prongs but I would definitely emphasize it to him again. The shank could be a bit more tapered where it meets the prongs. I think wax molds usually look bulkier than the finished product would look. However, I would bring up your points and ask for pictures of the wax mold again after your revisions are made.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Wax molds are always a little bulkier because you lose metal during the polishing process. Ask about what they do as polishing modifications after casting. They may do the hand finishing on the prongs and the like then, like polishing off the knife edge and tapering the prong after mounting the stone.

Make sure they state this about the prongs and not having knife edge specifically or they'll do a basic polish and you will have both those elements as they are cast in the finished ring.

 

[Scon_ce]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the ring in your inspiration picture has a very small or ornate "donut" where the 6 prongs join together at the shank?(not sure if I'm describing that correctly?).
And I don't see that in the wax mold.

 

[Scon_ce]

Is this considered a high setting? My work does require gloves wearing, should I ask for the stone to be set lower for a practical reason?

The inspiration looks a little bit elevated to me.
BUT, the wax mold overall looks more balanced and I think your jeweler did a nice job scaling the design and mold to your larger 2 ct center diamond!!
That said, maybe the "donut" in your Inspo could be widened and the cathedrals raised a bit to connect more smoothly to the EW prongs and that might make the ring more glove friendly.

 

[Dodoobro]

Thank you everyone for helping me understand the process of casting and polishing! I’ll go over the details with my jeweler again, so they can revise the wax mold or refine during polishing.

@Scon_ce Yes the inspiration design does have some ornate “donuts”, but I wanted to keep it simple and asked to remove them from the design!
And just to clarify, would you recommend raising the cathedrals further on the wax mold so it’s more gloves friendly? Comparing the wax mold to my inspiration pictures, I feel like the jeweler already raised the cathedrals a bit on the wax mold. My concern is the cathedrals don’t appear to be jointed with the EW prongs, and I worry that the final product will have a gap between the cathedral arm and the prong, which can easily catch on gloves/threads.

 

[Dodoobro]

What’s your opinion on the knife edge in my inspiration photos? Do you like the look or not? Here are some pictures of the actually inspiration ring on my finger.

I do like how knife edge adds some definition to the ring, but I was worried about compromised comfort, and that the edge will wear off unevenly. Perhaps a softened knife edge could be an option?



In comparison, this is how a non-knife-edge band looks on me! (Bottom one)

 

[Dodoobro]

Hi everyone, I come back with good updates! The jewler ended up making a CAD draw based on my feedback on the wax mold. And I think everything looks great, except they missed the petites rounded tab prongs, and made them claw shape instead. This would be an easy fix though.

I ended up asked them to add a soft knife edge near the stone, and transition to a half round shank as it goes between the fingers and around towards the palm. And I think this feature is reflected on the CAD draw.

I would love your opinion and input on this CAD draw. Will the setting be strong and safe enough for my 2.05ct stone? Is there any other improvement that could be done? Thank you very much!!

 

[oldminer]

The model that a CAD program is able to create can be extremely detailed. CAD is great adding exacting details, ornamentation and shaping. A model should turn out highly like what you want in your finished ring. The wax you have been shown looks quite less detailed that the ring you took inspiration from. Maybe that simplification was along the lines of your desires, or maybe the CAD person just didn't spend the time, or maybe lacks the expertise, to make it perfectly. A CAD design should be virtually the exact item you want to have in precious metal.

Paying a firm to "custom make" a CAD wax when actual metal rings are widely available commercially can add a lot of needless expense and additional time to the buying the perfect ring. Looking at the thousands of already produced, standard mountings, gives you 100% assurance of knowing what you ought to get once the diamond is set. Solitaires are so prevalent and available, the benefit of making a somewhat plain ring to order is good for the retailer's bottom line, but not so much for your personal bank account.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I second David. It may be too late now, but ordering a mounting from Stuller, for example, would be cheaper and they likely have something you want. And you know it will be well made. What is your jeweler charging for this setting?

I would consider this to be a relatively high stance setting. What is the height measurement from inside edge of the band to the table of the diamond?

 

[Dodoobro]

@oldminer @Dreamer_D Thank you so much for sharing your concerns! I agree that the jeweler is lacking the amount of details I wanted. If I could choose again, I would’ve definitely gone with a premade mounting that I like.

Unfortunately, I’m already very invested into this process (money wise and effort wise) and too late to quit. The jeweler is charging me ~CAD$1200 for this setting in platinum, which I think is pretty fair given it’s “custom made”.

I received a new CAD draw, and the height measurement is 7.5mm from the inner edge of the band to the table of the diamond. Ideally I do prefer a lower setting to wear under gloves. What would be a realistic height if I want to maintain the side profile of the ring as much as possible? (I don’t like squat looking from the side).

 

[Dreamer_D]

I'm not sure you can get much lower without changing the basket design.

 

[Dreamer_D]

FYI I just measured my own ring height, which is almost ct, and it is nearly 8mm. So 7.5 isn't too bad. I don't find my ring too high but then I don't wear gloves.

 

[Dodoobro]

FYI I just measured my own ring height, which is almost ct, and it is nearly 8mm. So 7.5 isn't too bad. I don't find my ring too high but then I don't wear gloves.

Thanks for putting it into perspective! Would you mind sharing a picture of your ring from the side view?

 

[Dreamer_D]

The center stone is 8mm diameter, 1.89ct. Setting height is around 7.5 to 8mm.

 

[Dodoobro]

The center stone is 8mm diameter, 1.89ct. Setting height is around 7.5 to 8mm.

I love it, such a classy vintage look! And 7.5-8mm doesn’t look too high at all. I think I’ll go with 7.5mm for mine too. Thank you!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

You must have a very small finger size, right? It creates the impression that the ring stance is higher than it actually is in the drawing. My ring size is quite large so proportionately it might look lower on my finger if you KWIM. But the height is what it is! I put my ring on the tip of my pinky and it still looked ok for height

 

[Dodoobro]

You must have a very small finger size, right? It creates the impression that the ring stance is higher than it actually is in the drawing. My ring size is quite large so proportionately it might look lower on my finger if you KWIM. But the height is what it is! I put my ring on the tip of my pinky and it still looked ok for height

Actually you are so right! It now makes sense why the crown of my ring on CAD looks gigantic, because I’m a size 3 lol.

 

[Dreamer_D]

lol! So me putting my ring on the tip of my pinky was about right! I think it will be fine. Can’t wait to see it done.

 

[Dodoobro]

lol! So me putting my ring on the tip of my pinky was about right! I think it will be fine. Can’t wait to see it done.

I don’t get to see the final product until he proposes. Fingers crossed that everything goes well, and he will bring the ring to an appraiser to make sure the diamond is set well. Much much appreciation for everyone on PS who has helped me from picking a diamond to designing the ring. Can’t wait to come back with updates when the ring is in my possession