You
As a master jeweler, we specialize in turning our clients’ vision for a one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces to reality. If you are ready to begin your custom jewelry process, book a consultation with us today and start your journey now!
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OUR CUSTOM
DESIGN PROCESS
We offer a fully customized jewelry design service to bring the pieces you’ve imagined to life. We work with top-of-the-line machinery in order to create the best quality custom jewelry for our customers. From our CADD design software to our 6 axis CNC milling machine, our master jewelers are ready to create your dream jewelry pieces all in-house!
1:
Our custom jewelry design process begins with you and your ideas. We start by meeting with you and sketching your design concepts on paper. We will then model the initial sketches in our CAD milling machine. This machine allows the designer to draw a customer’s jewelry design on the computer using special software.
2:
Once designs are approved, we begin the process of bringing your ideas to life. To develop your custom jewelry, our milling machine then cuts out the approved image into a to-scale and to-size wax model. This jewelry model can then be reviewed by the customer before moving to the final step.
3:
After approval of the wax model, we are ready to cast precious the metal piece from the wax mold. Finally, we set the stone (if applicable), and make sure every detail is perfect before presenting it to you!
STYLE
At Rick Terry Jewelry Designs, we’re more than just a jewelry store. We want to be your jeweler. When you work with us, whether it’s purchasing an engagement ring, choosing the perfect gift for a loved one, or working with us to create the custom piece of your dreams, we want you to be informed and educated about the processes and materials we use.
There are so many options when it comes to buying jewelry that the task can seem daunting, overwhelming, and confusing. However, we hope that with a little help from our Jeweler’s Guide to Jewelry, you will be shopping like a professional in no time.
There are many different parts that make up your ring.
The head (or setting) is the portion of the ring that typically holds the stone, whether that’s a diamond or other precious stone.
The shank is the lower portion of the ring.
The prong is a little metal claw that holds the diamond in place. Prongs can be rounded, pointed, flat, or V-shaped.
There are stark differences between the type of design work on a ring when it is commercially made versus when it is handmade. The craftsmanship differs significantly and impacts the quality of the ring. Always be sure to get your ring inspected every four to six months by a jeweler in order to investigate wear-and-tear, to get it properly cleaned, and ensure there are no issues that need to be addressed.
Setting Styles
There are many ways to hold a stone in a design. The most common are prong set, channel set, bead & bright, and bezel set.
Prong Set
The prong is a little metal claw that grips the diamond (or other stone) tightly, holding it in place. Prongs can be rounded, pointed, flat, or v-shaped. Most prong settings feature four or six prongs.
Channel Set
Channel settings provide a secure way to set smaller diamonds in a row in the band of a ring, creating a metal channel of stones.
Bead & Bright/Pave Settings
Pave settings use closely set diamonds with minimal visibility of the prongs or beads holding them in place, giving the impression of continuous sparkle.
Bezel Set
With a bezel setting, instead of holding the diamond with prongs, it encircles the stone with a thin metal rim.
Tension Setting
Tension settings use tension in a metal band that secures the stones in place so they appear suspended between the two sides of the shank.
Stone Shapes
When choosing diamonds, the first choice is often deciding what shape to use. Round cut diamonds are by far the most popular, with nearly 75% of all diamond purchases being round. Princess cuts are also quite popular, but there are a wide range of diamond shapes and styles to examine. Take a look at the examples below and feel free to stop by one of our stores to try one on at our showroom.
Round
Old European
Emerald
Baguette
Cushion
Rose
Marquise
Princess
Oval
Radiant
French
Asscher
Trillion
Pear
Old Mine
Materials
Jewelry is offered in a multitude of metal and stone materials, and deciding which of those materials works best together requires an expert opinion.
Metal Materials
At Rick Terry Jewelry Designs, we prefer to most frequently work in gold (white, yellow and rose) and sterling silver for our custom pieces. That is due to the ease of upkeep for those materials, they are the easiest and longest lasting to maintain.
We offer repairs in most other metal materials as well but those circumstances are on a case by case basis determined by our associate staff and jewelers.
Diamonds
Diamonds are by far one of the most common stones used in jewelry but there are even a few options for different types of diamonds. The most frequently found diamonds are a standard white diamond, salt and pepper diamonds, fancy colored diamonds and lab created diamonds.
Most of the colors of diamonds are determined by the amount of color in the stone or the lack of color in the stone. Diamonds in the normal color range are colorless through light yellow and are described using the industry’s D-to-Z color grading scale. A perfect diamond is considered a stone with no color and no inclusions. These are the most expensive options for natural diamonds. (https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/)
A salt and pepper diamond is a stone with visible black carbon inclusions throughout the stone that make the diamond have a black and white look.
Fancy colored diamonds, on the other hand, are diamonds with very visible color ranges, typically a yellow and brown diamond that exhibit color beyond the Z range, or diamonds that exhibit any other color face-up. They come in every color of the spectrum including blue, green, pink and red. Click to read more here (www.gia.edu/fancy-color-diamond-description)
Lastly and most recent to gain popularity are lab created diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are exactly that, diamonds that were created in a laboratory or factory rather than occurring in nature. Some lab grown diamond laboratories use advanced technology to mimic the conditions that natural diamonds undergo when they form beneath the earth’s crust.
Colored Gemstones
There are hundreds of types of colored gemstones available to be used in jewelry but the three most commonly used are emeralds, rubies and sapphires.
Emeralds
Emeralds are famous for its distinctive green color and are a variety of the beryl mineral species. The earliest emerald mining ranges widely from about 3500 to 330 BC. Some people believed its green color represented fertility and rebirth. About 60 percent of the world’s emeralds come from Colombia. The most prized emerald hues are green to bluish green. Also tone contributes to emerald value, an emerald’s value is lower if it’s too dark but has good saturation. And if the tone is too weak it is no longer an emerald, it is simply green beryl.
Rubies
Rubies were most likely discovered around 3000 BC, and their color ranges from medium to dark orangy red to purplish red. It is a member of the corundum mineral species. Over the years people have believed that rubies could bring health, wealth, wisdom and love. Nowadays synthetic rubies are one of the most challenging for gemologists to identify from natural rubies.
Sapphires
Sapphires and rubies both belong to the same gem species corundum. Sapphires come in blue and also in a variety of other colors. The most famous historical sources of sapphires are the Kashmir region, which straddles Pakistan and India. Today, the major sapphire sources are Madagascar, eastern Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia. Many sapphires are heat treated, this is not only common for sapphires but also is practically an art form. This is because sapphire changes color when it is “cooked” for the right amount of time and under the right conditions. Improved color is the main objective of heat-treating sapphires, while a secondary goal is improved clarity.
If you are ready to take the next step and sit down with one of our Master Jewelers to discuss creating a one of a kind jewelry book a consultation now to get started.
