Yssie's reset thread!

[yssie]

Some of you know the story and the reasons for my recent decision to reset. I must say I'm getting really excited!!


DH and I had a long discussion a few days ago, and compressed his thoughts and pictures from three years ago into
-Five-stone
-Graduated stones
-Trellis design - swoopy and curvy
-White metal
-Handmade


Since then I've been drawing (albeit badly, my artistic skill leaves much to the imagination ), bugging DH for his opinion, calling vendors, bugging DH for his opinion again... and DH has mostly been sitting beside me yelling at baseball on TV, occasionally leaning over my shoulder to point at various bits and pieces and tell me why they should be like this instead. It's really cute - bizarre, but so sweet!

I sent this off a couple of days ago. DH assured me that he thinks it's pretty, and very much in the spirit of what he had in mind. And added that it looks like a turnip. Oh well. The two long prongs coming up to the middle of the centre are on the outside - like the splits in the inspiration solitaire. The eight will be evenly spaced around the centre - that's one of the few things I'm sure I want right now!





The five-stone trellis with graduated stones bit is final. The metal will be white gold, unplated, just like my current ring, I adore the colour I really want to try the eight-prong centre (the number of prongs just keeps going up...) and I'll have the last pair of stones held in three prongs. The graduation of the stones is sorta predetermined, my current three are 8.9mm and 4.9mm, and I'm thinking 3.5mm for the last pair, like this set I put together for one of Dreamer's reset threads last year (is that stealing? I hope you don't mind Dreamer!!)






My inspiration pieces - FireStar's wife's WF custom 7stone, I adore the proportions ttp://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/custom-7-stone-whiteflash-motherhood-ring-t164798.html



and this CAD I found in CS a long time ago, I wish I could find the thread! If anyone knows where I got it please do let me know!




And here's my current ring - I want to keep all of the swoopiness and just add two stones! The eight prong becomes the difficult part - how to make sure all eight are integrated all over the head? What I don't want is basically a four-prong centre, wherein the four prongs are split-prongs..






The handmade bit, or even handmade-ish - now that's turning out to be something of a problem.

1. Victor Canera. Will work with the metal, but noted that the trellis design didn't lend itself to hand-forging: all those swoops and curves and prongs weaving in and out - exactly what I love about it - are precisely the things that are apparently very difficult and time consuming to make, measure, solder in exactly the right places. He expressed interest in the design, but observed that he could create 2.5 other rings in the time it would take to make this one, and, well, the quote was priced accordingly! Which is quite a bit out of budget, unfortunately. On the plus side he's super responsive and seems like a really great guy to work with, given the right project! He's definitely on my shortlist.

2. Steven Kirsch. Doesn't work with gold at all, only plat. I don't love the very delicate look that's his forte in any case, but.. it was worth inquiring.

3. Mark Morell. Another very friendly, personable artisan who clearly does amazing work. But... he doesn't work with the nickel alloys for mountings - apparently he did once, and decided never to again. They are apparently too hard to bend by hand (hand tools?), and he described having to hammer the prongs onto the diamond, and I was cringing into my office chair He did say he's "with me in the spirit" of loving the unplated colour, though, so there's that I suppose...



So.. that's my list! Unless Haven's jeweller does out-of-state work I guess Thing is, the things Victor's and Mark hesitated over and warned me about, any jeweller will face them. Which means I'll have the same issues with any jeweller who's planning on doing the job properly. This seems to be one of those designs that is just indisputably suited to CAD/CAM.

Which has its perks - like being able to see the final design before manufacture! I should get WF's quote tomorrow, assuming it's not off the wall I think I've got my vendor



It's going to be really interesting, watching that pic turn into an actual ring. Last time - actually every other time - I've had a very specific image in mind, this time I really don't - I really can't visualize exactly how everything will work together. I'll definitely be posting CADs and requesting opinions when they come in!

 

[MissGotRocks]

I've been waiting very patiently. . . did not say a word but you didn't disappoint - you get right to the job and I love that!!

Your drawing is very nice; much better than most of us could have done. The extra swoopy piece that forms the fourth prong and prong for another side diamond is not fully integrated into the ring? In other words, not part of the trellis setting but just an additional add on?

Interesting that some of the other vendors weren't as keen on making this a reality but you have to appreciate their honesty. Will be very interested to see what WF says. Since they made the first rendition I'm sure they won't find it as challenging. I assume you'll ask that the swoops and prongs be made as thin and fluid as possible.

Will be interested to hear of the total width of the ring including stones and metal; of course the angle that they bend around will come into play too. It won't be a straight line of metal and stones.

I think you're off to a great start! You've done your drawing and spoken with several vendors. Wish they could ship the wax model to you for final fitting! Wouldn't that be cool?

I hope this ring turns out to meet both of your expectations and them some - on with the show!!

 

[slg47]

actually I think they can ship the wax...isn't that what Gypsy had done with her Aurora band?

the design looks lovely yssie...can't wait to see it

 

[Haven]

Oooh, I was so excited to see this thread.
The final ring is going to be amazing, Yssie.

I understand why a jeweler wouldn't want to do this by hand. I think my jeweler handmade my ring because he knew it was the only way to make it as delicate as I wanted it to be. I love the way it turned out, but wouldn't have been upset if he chose to cast it, instead.

I do think a handmade ring in this case might be a bit tough on a perfectionista like yourself, though. You really have no idea how it will turn out until it's finished, which is fine if you aren't super invested in a particular design. You, my dear, are quite the perfectionist, AND something tells me that it is really important that this ring meets both your expectations and your husband's. If you go with a cast ring you'll be able to be absolutely certain that your shared vision matches the designer's vision. With my upgrade I drew those pictures of what I wanted but I didn't care if the finished product varied from the image in my head, and that made it all an easy process, I think.

I absolutely cannot wait for more information on this ring!!!!

 

[Gypsy]

I didin't need it shipped slg. Brian's fanatically picky. I knew he'd get it exactly right after all the talking we did.

Hmm. Can I make an unusual suggestion of Greenlake? Or maybe Hunt's County? They both work with vintage styles. Both have CAD I believe and both can combine CAD and handmade, I believe. I'd give Greenlake a serious consideration.

I think for your current project we're going to have to step outside the 'common' PS vendors for custom work. Unless WF works out for you!

MWM would have been good cause what you need is a goldsmith. That's why IMO Steven isn't right. He's good with metal, but better with pave and also his delicate designs aren't to your taste so I think over all it's a bad fit.

 

[slg47]

oh ok I remember seeing pics of the wax...so I thought you had it shipped out. sorry!

yssie this ring is going to be gorgeous...I really can't wait

 

[yssie]

Thank you MGR! And you're very sweet about the drawing - talent like we've seen from others on here would be really useful here I'm on pins and needles waiting for that quote!

The fourth prong - I'm not sure. I left it off on the one side, thinking it might be more space-efficient to have that last stone actually held in grooves in the two prongs of the adjacent stone, but... it looks empty without something there, I think. But then again - I can't tell how this will translate IRL! Joe or Leon is going to opine on what should be done - I really don't want the stones digging into my fingers on the sides, so they'll have to be set pretty closely together - it might make one style necessary.

I will definitely be asking for swoops and prongs to be as fluid as possible. I'm realizing I don't require *thin* or delicate so much as I require precision - so long as everything is clearly demarcated and the lines are smooth, I don't care if it's thin or a bit stockier. If that makes sense? I definitely appreciate their forwardness, in Mark's case statement of unwillingness - the last thing I would have wanted is to get into a project with an uninterested vendor.

Once I learnt it would be CAD there was no question of whom I'd approach I'm glad to be working with a familiar vendor. They know what I like, they know what I expect, so there shouldn't be any surprises.


Haven - You're one of those people I envy right now - I'd love to be able to hand off drawings like yours

Victor's posted on here about the difficulties of handmaking some designs - I'm disappointed but ultimately unsurprised to find out that he wasn't in fact just posting to hear himself talk You're right though, I'm super picky about getting exactly what I want - even when I don't know exactly what I want! Being able to see the final design before fabrication is a definite plus of CAD.


slg - you know, I think they can! I'll have to ask.


Gypsy - Green Lake is actually on my call list for tomorrow! I'm very comfortable with WF if more handmade-y options don't work out, because I've worked with them so many times now so the expectations are clear from the get-go. They don't exactly have the 'artists eyes' that we were looking for when we originally decided on handmade, but I think enough nitpicking and CAD renditions will compensate

I agree re. Steven - he does beautiful work, and I've admired every single piece by him I've seen, but it's a different aesthetic to what I'm looking for for this one.

Any other vendor recs? I haven't heard of Hunt's County, I'll look them up now.

Edit - oh, their work looks lovely! Make that two on tomorrow's call list... and they're close enough I could drive down once or twice, big plus!

 

[MissStepcut]

I know it's been said before but... I just don't see how all those stones are going to fit, unless you lift the center stone up A LOT, use very small 4th & 5th stones, or end up going out over your neighboring fingers?

 

[Haven]

Yssie--If you still require some drawings once you get your CADs back I'd love to do some for you. I had so much fun making all those drawings way back when. It would be a welcome distraction from all the work I should be doing! I have a lot of office hours tomorrow, too . . .

For me, I found that drawing rings is as relaxing as reading the Sunday paper. And reading my Sunday paper is the best part of my week!

 

[yssie]

I contacted Green Lake and Hunt Country today - thanks for the recommendation Gypsy! They were both very responsive... I confess to leaning more toward given vendors if the initial conversation goes well, which will make this a difficult choice! The WF quote was just about as expected, need to discuss with DH...


Haven - thank you, that's awfully generous! I might just take you up on it - especially if we go the hand-made route you are very talented. Hunt Country only does handmade, Green Lake does both, I hope I hear back tomorrow!

MissStepCut - it's something we'll have to work around. I'm confident it's possible though - if I shove my ring all the way to one side there's actually quite a bit of space left.

 

[danzur]

OMG....you're doing this again??? LOL...

Your 3 stone was the inspiration for what I did for our anniversary...

Don't make me upgrade to a 5 stone!

Just kidding...she loves the 3 stone (I think )...can't wait to see how this turns out!

 

[yssie]

OMG....you're doing this again??? LOL...

Your 3 stone was the inspiration for what I did for our anniversary...

Don't make me upgrade to a 5 stone!

Just kidding...she loves the 3 stone (I think )...can't wait to see how this turns out!

LOL! I'm glad she loves her threestone - but then, how could she not? It's gorgeous!! Definitely deserves its own thread

Yeah - DH and I are doing this together. This is the last time though! (famous last words, right?)

 

[natsplat]

That second CAD was the main inspiration for my engagement ring



I agree that the finger coverage balance will be the tough one to wrangle out, but I have no doubt at all you'll find a way through it. Looking forward to following your project's progress...!

 

[danzur]

OMG....you're doing this again??? LOL...

Your 3 stone was the inspiration for what I did for our anniversary...

Don't make me upgrade to a 5 stone!

Just kidding...she loves the 3 stone (I think )...can't wait to see how this turns out!

LOL! I'm glad she loves her threestone - but then, how could she not? It's gorgeous!! Definitely deserves its own thread

Yeah - DH and I are doing this together. This is the last time though! (famous last words, right?)

No way this is the last time. I've only been around here for about 9 months and I think your're on your 3rd or 4th reset ...

Our ring does deserve it's own thread. As soon as I get some good pictures and some time it will happen. Both of those items seem to be elusive...

 

[LGK]

Okay... Greenlake is a vendor I live near. I've done a couple of projects with them.

They don't listen well. I've had them screw up both with lack of communication. Specifically asked for details that were reiterated several times were simply ignored.

I'd say for you Yssie- don't go with them. I adore their engraving. Adore it. But I'd go with WF or someone else you're familiar with for a swoopy design lke this.

 

[Gypsy]

I contacted Green Lake and Hunt Country today - thanks for the recommendation Gypsy! They were both very responsive... I confess to leaning more toward given vendors if the initial conversation goes well, which will make this a difficult choice! The WF quote was just about as expected, need to discuss with DH...

Very happy they worked out for you at least initially. I"m excited to hear how things progress. I've been more and more interested in Hunt's Country myself and confess that if I do reset the OEC they are going to be someone I query. I love the work I've seen of theirs and their prongs are yummy. Plus the work is imaginative and shows a thoughtful designer. So fingers crossed!

KELPIE's posted her work by them and I think she has some current work with them too. You might want to ask her what she thinks.

 

[Gypsy]

Okay... Greenlake is a vendor I live near. I've done a couple of projects with them.

They don't listen well. I've had them screw up both with lack of communication. Specifically asked for details that were reiterated several times were simply ignored.

I'd say for you Yssie- don't go with them. I adore their engraving. Adore it. But I'd go with WF or someone else you're familiar with for a swoopy design lke this.

Oooh... great feedback... okay that would be a deal killer for me. I'm so detail oriented that I would be really upset at that.

 

[Circe]

Yssie, I love your sketches! And I think the idea of graduating the prongs down as you graduate the stone sizes is inspired. While it sounds like you're comfortable with your choice of jeweler ... thought I'd toss in a rec for a place on my list to contact: http://www.jewelryexpert.com/catalog/cat-cust.htm. I've been admiring their work for ages, and they do look like their attention to detail is pretty committed ....

Okay... Greenlake is a vendor I live near. I've done a couple of projects with them.

They don't listen well. I've had them screw up both with lack of communication. Specifically asked for details that were reiterated several times were simply ignored.

I'd say for you Yssie- don't go with them. I adore their engraving. Adore it. But I'd go with WF or someone else you're familiar with for a swoopy design lke this.

Oooh... great feedback... okay that would be a deal killer for me. I'm so detail oriented that I would be really upset at that.

Huh. Yep, glad to know this - they were on my list of people to contact, too.

 

[yssie]

natsplat - oh, thank you for telling me! Your ring is *beautiful* - I hadn't seen it, I'll definitely have to go back through your posts! I hope you don't mind me using your inspiration pic


danzur - huh. It'll be my - wow. My fifth ring, all told. I really wasn't planning on this one though - though I can say that whatever the impetus, I'm excited about it Good luck with the photos!


LGK - Oh, wow. Thank you for posting... I would NOT be okay with that. Yeah. Um.


Gypsy - thank you again! I don't know if you've talked to them - I spoke to Claire, she seems very friendly and very interested in getting all the details of what I want, which is a good sign! They do have some lovely work on their website.

I'm actually glad you mention seeing their work - I know you are something of a prong fiend, so a good review means a great deal! I want perfect prongs. Like, perfectly precisely formed claws, perfectly symmetric all the way 'round the stone.

I actually just looked at Kelpie's pieces this afternoon - they're pretty! I'll definitely start ask her what she thinks...

I'm hoping to hear back tomorrow. I confess I'm kinda dreading the pricetag though - afterall they're a strictly handmade operation too, so the concerns Victor and Mark had apply here, too...


Circe - thank you! And thanks for the linky they have some really nice stuff, but the prongs just don't do it for me. I *need* droolific prongs. *NEED*.

 

[yssie]

OMG.

LOOK at these prongs, folks!! I am having naughty thoughts about these prongs.

 

[Gypsy]

That's hunts county isn't it? Yeah, they are prong tastic.

 

[yssie]

That's hunts county isn't it? Yeah, they are prong tastic.

Yes, it is - and yes, they sure seem to be

 

[danzur]

danzur - huh. It'll be my - wow. My fifth ring, all told. I really wasn't planning on this one though - though I can say that whatever the impetus, I'm excited about it Good luck with the photos!

Sorry...I was trying to be funny...should have inserted one of these I read all of your threads...they were very helpful for me in my quest. I appreciate the time you take to post.

You should be excited about it...it's gonna turn out great!

 

[yssie]

I wasn't taking offense it is what it is. And thank you, I think it will too

 

[LGK]

MMMMMmmmm. I like those Hunt's prongs! Absolutely lurvely.

Now that I'm off work, this was the full GLJ story: they've been a love/hate relationship with me. I brought them that triple halo setting my OEC came with. Asked them to engrave it. They said, sure, come get it X date. I did. They said, "Why are you here?" when I showed up. Explained I'd come to pick it up. They said, oh, we will call you when it's ready, don't know why you showed up without that call. It will be ready in two weeks. Mind, this was an engraving-only job- the whole deal took over two months I believe. So I came by two weeks after. (I can't recall if I called first or not- I kind of think I did. Several not returned phone calls in the whole time line too.) They said, oh, we aren't done. (I live about 60 minutes lousy driving away.) I said, OK, I'll wait. Four hours later they finished, I spent the time wandering around the lovely Northgate area $500, c. 2007.

The next project, I asked them to set some Ashas into bezel studs for me, engrave the sides, and millgrain them as stated on the work order. A month later I showed up, they were indeed in bezels with millgrain but no engraving. They had put the posts at the very top edge of the bezels. They were absolutely unwearable- the posts in studs, in my mind, should be smack dab in the middle, yes? No.I can't say it had ever occurred to me I needed to specify where the posts were located so I could, you know, actually *wear* the earrings. $400, c.2008. That was the last project I did with them. My usual bench guy relocated the posts for me (for free) eventually- I would've gone with him in the first place if I had realized that GLJ wouldn't bother to engrave the earrings, like I'd asked.

Their melee is also not set very delicately IMO- lots of metal and space between stones going on. It drives me batty because I'd love to have their amazing engraving but they also are not so awesome with the listening and communication. And for being CAD/cast, they're very absolutely top of the price range for it.

Anyway, my griping aside- I think the five stone will be amazing! Too bad Victor cannot handmake that setting easily . Still, your most recent WF iteration of the three stone looks perfect to me- just lovely. (Frankly it's my favorite 3 stone on this whole site.) Hunt sounds like a great option- with absolutely lickable prong work!- or, of course, WF since you have a history of working with them already and they know how your 3 stone went together.

 

[yssie]

Huh.. thanks for sharing that here. It sounds like they just - missed stuff, and didn't listen. The worse bit is that they apparently weren't apologetic about it or willing to learn from it. I guess that's not a crime, but... having had the experience of a custom job wherein the vendor didn't listen to my requests and QA apparently took the month off - I have absolutely no desire for a repeat performance, thank-you-very-much. Definitely not with something this important. So - thank you, that's a really helpful review, and I've got lots to mull over.

WF and Hunt Country are at opposite ends of the spectrum - WF is strictly CAD, Hunt is strictly handmade. Depending on what sort of pricing they come up with... goodness, I don't know! I'm terrified of going handmade - like Haven observed earlier I'm a worrier and I don't like to cede control, and I know WF and I work well. OTOH DH wants to go handmade like we planned originally, and Hunt has some really pretty stuff and their prongs look TDF, so it seems I'm at least safe on that front either way!

And yeah - ITA on posts in the middle, I don't get that at all! What a pain. Pains.

 

[LGK]

Huh.. thanks for sharing that here. It sounds like they just - missed stuff, and didn't listen. The worse bit is that they're apparently not apologetic about it or willing to learn from it. I guess that's not a crime, but, well... having had the experience of a custom job gone wrong because the vendor didn't listen to my requirements and QA apparently took the month off - I have absolutely no desire for a repeat performance, thank-you-very-much. Definitely not with something this important. So - thank you, that's a really helpful review, and I've got lots to mull over.

WF and Hunt Country are at opposite ends of the spectrum - WF is strictly CAD, Hunt is strictly handmade. Depending on what sort of pricing they come up with... goodness, I don't know! I'm terrified of going handmade - like Haven observed earlier I'm a worrier and I don't like to cede control, and I know WF and I work well. OTOH DH wants to go handmade like we planned originally, and Hunt has some really pretty stuff and their prongs look TDF, so it seems I'm at least safe on that front either way!

And yeah - ITA on posts in the middle, I don't get that at all! What a pain. Pains.

Hmmmmm. I don't know. I'd be tempted to go with WF I think. The handmade thing- I've done it when I had a project that I didn't feel like steering every last detail- with Victor I kind of gave him the general idea and let him do his thing. I think it would be a lot harder when it was a new vendor you hadn't worked with, and a project that you really want to carefully plot out. You just don't know how you fit with someone until you actually work with them. But Haven's ring is *amazing* though, and that's good press for them for sure.

 

[yssie]

Huh.. thanks for sharing that here. It sounds like they just - missed stuff, and didn't listen. The worse bit is that they're apparently not apologetic about it or willing to learn from it. I guess that's not a crime, but, well... having had the experience of a custom job gone wrong because the vendor didn't listen to my requirements and QA apparently took the month off - I have absolutely no desire for a repeat performance, thank-you-very-much. Definitely not with something this important. So - thank you, that's a really helpful review, and I've got lots to mull over.

WF and Hunt Country are at opposite ends of the spectrum - WF is strictly CAD, Hunt is strictly handmade. Depending on what sort of pricing they come up with... goodness, I don't know! I'm terrified of going handmade - like Haven observed earlier I'm a worrier and I don't like to cede control, and I know WF and I work well. OTOH DH wants to go handmade like we planned originally, and Hunt has some really pretty stuff and their prongs look TDF, so it seems I'm at least safe on that front either way!

And yeah - ITA on posts in the middle, I don't get that at all! What a pain. Pains.

Hmmmmm. I don't know. I'd be tempted to go with WF I think. The handmade thing- I've done it when I had a project that I didn't feel like steering every last detail- with Victor I kind of gave him the general idea and let him do his thing. I think it would be a lot harder when it was a new vendor you hadn't worked with, and a project that you really want to carefully plot out. You just don't know how you fit with someone until you actually work with them. But Haven's ring is *amazing* though, and that's good press for them for sure.

I don't think Hunt Country made Haven's ring? It IS amazing - definite testament to the virtues of finding a jeweller you work well with, no matter what the style! I'd definitely have to feel very comfortable working with them - so communications have to go well, I'd need them to be open about their timelines and manufacturing processes, they'd have to be willing to sketch, revise, sketch, revise again until I'm totally satisfied. From our initial conversation it sounded like she was very interested in all the details I had in mind, so that's a good sign. Fingers crossed for good news tomorrow...

Thing is, I KNOW WF will do a good job of executing what I specify. I just don't *know* what I want to specify, so having an artist's input would be really helpful. I feel like there are so many places this sort of design could go, and I want to explore some of them!


EDIT - okay, Hunt has wax models on their site. So I don't know how that works - do they hand carve the wax and cast the metal? Otherwise what's the point of the wax? Definitely some questions to ask tomorrow - if they CAM the wax and CAM the metal there's no advantage to doing without CAD as well. If they hand carve the wax then I can see some plusses there, even if they cast afterward... or maybe parts are cast and parts are handmade (hand-forged)? What does "handmade" even mean here??

 

[LGK]

Huh.. thanks for sharing that here. It sounds like they just - missed stuff, and didn't listen. The worse bit is that they're apparently not apologetic about it or willing to learn from it. I guess that's not a crime, but, well... having had the experience of a custom job gone wrong because the vendor didn't listen to my requirements and QA apparently took the month off - I have absolutely no desire for a repeat performance, thank-you-very-much. Definitely not with something this important. So - thank you, that's a really helpful review, and I've got lots to mull over.

WF and Hunt Country are at opposite ends of the spectrum - WF is strictly CAD, Hunt is strictly handmade. Depending on what sort of pricing they come up with... goodness, I don't know! I'm terrified of going handmade - like Haven observed earlier I'm a worrier and I don't like to cede control, and I know WF and I work well. OTOH DH wants to go handmade like we planned originally, and Hunt has some really pretty stuff and their prongs look TDF, so it seems I'm at least safe on that front either way!

And yeah - ITA on posts in the middle, I don't get that at all! What a pain. Pains.

Hmmmmm. I don't know. I'd be tempted to go with WF I think. The handmade thing- I've done it when I had a project that I didn't feel like steering every last detail- with Victor I kind of gave him the general idea and let him do his thing. I think it would be a lot harder when it was a new vendor you hadn't worked with, and a project that you really want to carefully plot out. You just don't know how you fit with someone until you actually work with them. But Haven's ring is *amazing* though, and that's good press for them for sure.

I don't think Hunt Country made Haven's ring? It IS amazing - definite testament to the virtues of finding a jeweller you work well with, no matter what the style! I'd definitely have to feel very comfortable working with them - so communications have to go well, I'd need them to be open about their timelines and manufacturing processes, they'd have to be willing to sketch, revise, sketch, revise again until I'm totally satisfied. From our initial conversation it sounded like she was very interested in all the details I had in mind, so that's a good sign. Fingers crossed for good news tomorrow...

Thing is, I KNOW WF will do a good job of executing what I specify. I just don't *know* what I want to specify, so having an artist's input would be really helpful. I feel like there are so many places this sort of design could go, and I want to explore some of them!


EDIT - okay, Hunt has wax models on their site. So I don't know how that works - do they hand carve the wax and cast the metal? Otherwise what's the point of the wax? Definitely some questions to ask tomorrow - if they CAM the wax and CAM the metal there's no advantage to doing without CAD as well. If they hand carve the wax then I can see some plusses there, even if they cast afterward... or maybe parts are cast and parts are handmade (hand-forged)? What does "handmade" even mean here??

I really, really don't know! Gives me fits, it does. Yeah, you'd think a wax indicates casting of *some* sort.

Haha, OK, as far as Haven's ring goes- well, that shows how good my memory is... not so much.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have nothing to add except moral support, but I would consider how you will set the outside edge of the final stones. I think they will touch your adjoining fingers at least a little, and making sure those last stones are nice a low, or perhaps have a bezel-ish ourter prong... or something more elegant. Anyways, you might be happy to have that for comfort!