At New Gild we love getting to know our clients above everything else that we do. We are so lucky to interact with so many fabulous people like Kim Ly Curry! As an avid traveler and food-lover, her Instagram feed has earned her a spot in Zagat’s Top 100 Food Influencers in the U.S. One bite at a time she’s taken on the Minnesota State Fair, Hawaii, Linden Hills, and beyond! She’s even planning a guided trip to Greece to show off her tasty expertise in the coming year!
When Kim Ly saw a ring from our Rock Candy collection on Instagram a few years ago, she reached out to us to design her own. This is the story of how her sapphire stunner came to be!
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Our custom design process always starts with our client’s imagination! In Kim Ly’s case; she had fallen in love with a sapphire ring on our Instagram feed. Together with New Gild co-owner and designer, Jen, she decided that a sapphire would also be the best choice for her custom ring. On the Mohs scale of hardness, sapphires are rated at a 9. This means that sapphires can easily withstand the daily wear and tear that rings go through without the surface becoming abraded and cloudy over time. Kim Ly is a dog-mom with an active life so she needed a ring that could keep up with her!
Jen sourced a few different sapphire options for Kim Ly to pick from and the winner was a large, round, scintillating teal sapphire. On Kim Ly’s dainty finger, this substantial sapphire easily steals the show.
After the center stone was chosen; the rest of the design fell into place! Jen and Kim Ly talked through the details with sketches and Pinterest boards. It’s important to us that our custom process is hands-on for the client. Kim Ly was able to sit with Jen and talk through all the ideas and reference photos she could! Our detailed design process ensures that your custom piece is one of a kind in every way!
Once the design was finalized, a wax model of the ring was ordered for approval. Wax may sound odd in the context of jewelry design; but it’s actually one of the most important parts of our custom design process! A 3D printed wax model gives the client an opportunity to inspect the design and make any changes before the final piece is cast in metal! In the case of Kim Ly’s ring, our jeweler examined the measurements of the wax carefully to ensure that it would fit into the final ring. Once Kim Ly said yes to the wax model everything was ready to be finished!
The 3D-printed wax model of the ring was cast in a soft 14K yellow gold. The teal sapphire center is set into four prongs with double claw tips on the surface of the stone to expose as much of its color as possible. Small round diamonds adorn the yellow gold band as well as a sweet hidden halo below the stone. Kim Ly’s final ring is classic with a modern twistu2013 just like her!
Kim Ly is such an amazing friend to New Gild; we knew that she would be an amazing feature for our Rocktober event. We caught up with her and asked some questions about her life and her experience designing a custom ring with us!
New Gild: What inspired you to design a custom ring?
Kim Ly Curry: I saw a ring on your Instagram page and obsessed over it for about a year! I wanted something similar and Jen came through with the design.
NG: What do you love most about your ring?
KLC: I love how unique it is and the gorgeous sapphire stone! Itu2019s full of fire and so sparkly. I love how it changes colors in certain lighting. It can look green or more teal depending on the day. And I love the hidden diamond halo surrounding the underside of the stone!
NG: What was your favorite part about the design process?u00a0
KLC: I loved the whole thing. It was effortless and Jen made it so easy. She communicated with me through every step. She found my dream stone right away and it was even better than I couldu2019ve imagined.u00a0
NG: What’s your dream piece of jewelry?u00a0
KLC: Well, I’ve already got my dream ring custom-made by you! So I guess my next piece of jewelry would be a unique gemstone pendant.u00a0
NG: Would you recommend our custom design services to others?
KLC: Yes definitely! I love your creativity and unique designs.u00a0
Visit us in-store during our Rocktober event to start designing a custom piece of jewelry for you or even the one you love! During Rocktober, we will be offering a $150 discount on our custom design fee OR 10% off of a pre-made or fabricated mounting when you buy a gemstone out of our cases!u00a0
