Our Custom Jewelry Process
At New Gild Jewelers, we work intuitively from our first design consultation meeting to nurture ideas that will be right for you and your loved one. When designing wedding and engagement pieces, we inquire about the recipient and your relationship with the hopes of answering an essential question. Who are you as individuals and as a pair? We often begin fielding design ideas during this very first encounter. After that initial meeting, we work to ensure that our process and ideas are communicated to you with transparency. This holds true for non-engagement jewelry, too. No matter the purpose of the piece, the story it tells is everything to us.
Concept
We decide early on whether a hand carved wax, a 3D printed wax, or a direct fabrication in metal is more appropriate for your project. Occasionally, our first idea at our first meeting is a perfect fit for you, so we get started right away on CAD (computer-aided design) images or dive right in carving a wax! Other times, we meet face to face or virtually several times to bounce ideas back and forth, using design concept sketches or good old fashioned conversation.
Intention
If you have your own metals and/or gemstones, we work with them–if not, we help you decide what would suit your ideas and budget and bring in materials for you to check out. We’ll help guide you towards a choice that you’ll be happy you made for years to come. Then, we design around your chosen stone(s)!
Decision
Ultimately, we land on a wax model of your project that you can see and feel in 3D space. We can either confirm the design or tweak it, and we keep going until we have the perfect wax. We also ensure the stones we’ve chosen fit perfectly.
Perfection
Finally, we cast the wax using “lost wax casting,” which is a fancy way of saying we convert the wax object to a metal object. Then, we work our magic at the bench to polish the casting and set diamonds and gemstones, as well as apply any hand finishes. Lastly, you’ll visit us in-store to pick up your finished piece! We always ensure that your ring or other custom jewelry object fits just right, and that it’s beautiful and sparkly.
