For those who have not been following along this is installment three of my articles on custom designing a ring. I have been picking projects that are unique and highlight the design process. Today’s topic fits the bill perfectly.
While the focus of this ring design may not be for everyone, it is a great example of how you can pull a unique design idea from the important parts of someone’s life. So I introduce to you the Herpetologist, Amy, and her partner Bryn. The result is both beautiful and personal.
This is a surprise engagement ring for Amy and Bryn wants to include snakes in the ring design, a creature Amy is passionate about. She knows that Amy wants an engagement ring that has a ruby center but is struggling with conflicting reports of human rights abuses in areas where rubies are often mined. I suggested we look at Chatham, a well-known pioneer of lab-grown gemstones.
Lab-grown gems are chemically the same as their natural counterpart. The main difference between the two is how they are obtained, one grown in a laboratory while the other is mined.
For those who have not been following along this is installment three of my articles on custom designing a ring. I have been picking projects that are unique and highlight the design process. Today’s topic fits the bill perfectly.
While the focus of this ring design may not be for everyone, it is a great example of how you can pull a unique design idea from the important parts of someone’s life. So I introduce to you the Herpetologist, Amy, and her partner Bryn. The result is both beautiful and personal.
This is a surprise engagement ring for Amy and Bryn wants to include snakes in the ring design, a creature Amy is passionate about. She knows that Amy wants an engagement ring that has a ruby center but is struggling with conflicting reports of human rights abuses in areas where rubies are often mined. I suggested we look at Chatham, a well-known pioneer of lab-grown gemstones.
Lab-grown gems are chemically the same as their natural counterpart. The main difference between the two is how they are obtained, one grown in a laboratory while the other is mined.
The first design is a bypass-style ring with a snake on either side. I used texture and yellow gemstone eyes to bring the snakes to life.
This design is meant to give a more subtle option of the snake element of the design. I wanted to put focus on a unique center stone since Ruby is also an important part of the design. I used a custom-cut Chatham ruby. This is called a rose cut, it is flat on the bottom and domed on top. This cut focuses less on sparkle and highlights the rich color of the stone.
Bryn had mentioned she may want a ring in the future and she likes some of the Celtic knot designs. I have seen so many beautiful Celtic knot designs that incorporate animals. That was my inspiration for this last design. It incorporates the entire body of a snake and the center stone is smaller to leave room to focus on the metal parts of the design.
The first design is a bypass-style ring with a snake on either side. I used texture and yellow gemstone eyes to bring the snakes to life.
This design is meant to give a more subtle option of the snake element of the design. I wanted to put focus on a unique center stone since Ruby is also an important part of the design. I used a custom-cut Chatham ruby. This is called a rose cut, it is flat on the bottom and domed on top. This cut focuses less on sparkle and highlights the rich color of the stone.
Bryn had mentioned she may want a ring in the future and she likes some of the Celtic knot designs. I have seen so many beautiful Celtic knot designs that incorporate animals. That was my inspiration for this last design. It incorporates the entire body of a snake and the center stone is smaller to leave room to focus on the metal parts of the design.
"I know that the first two designs were exactly what I had asked for, but the third design was such a surprise! I fell in love the second I saw it and Amy is going to love it too. I was nervous starting this process but I am so glad that I tried it."
This ring ended up being the winner! No changes are needed. Bryn was not sure which metal she wanted. We offer three types of white precious metals, 14k white gold, platinum, and palladium. I suggested 14k white gold in this case because the warm undertone will look nice with the ruby, and it better fit with Bryn’s budget. Learn more about precious metals.
There are a lot of different ways to get started having your piece of custom jewelry made. Most fall into one of these categories.
Try this:
Open a design account and get started! Fill in the required information and you are done.
You will be automatically directed to your design board. From here you can email a designer. The more information you can include the better. Visual information is the most efficient. Do you or your partner have a Pinterest idea page? Send the link! Do you have a photo of a ring you lost and want to recreate? Add it as an attachment to your email. You get the gist.
Try this:
We suggest you start by checking out our design galleries. This will help you narrow down the style you are looking for. First, you need to decide if you would like a ring or a band. Then compare the different styles of rings, is there a gallery where you like the ring designs better than the others? If there are a few that catch your eye, just let us know which ones. An experienced designer will be able you thread together the design elements that are prominent. They can use these elements to make suggestions for new designs you may like.
The next step would be to take the design quiz. You can follow this link, or start a design board and find it there.
We feel you. Most of us never fit into the main categories either:) Just contact us and we will go from there.
10am-5pm Tuesday – Saturday
319-895-2026 (text)
360-878-8428
info@ethoscustomjewelry.com
203 4th Ave W
Olympia, WA 98501