Blog — custom jewelry

My brother Ben asked me to create a custom engagement ring for his girlfriend, Meg. He had a few images of vintage-inspired rings that Meg mentioned she was interested in. I had been picking up clues over time, as well. I already knew her finger size, that she likes round diamonds, and prefers bezel settings. That's enough to start with! (Ready to start dropping hints yourself? Send me a message!) I created two options for Ben to look over. The first option featured a round brilliant center diamond with a simple split-prong halo. I added some leaf-shaped filigree underneath the...

My client asked me to create a tough, hammered cuff bracelet as a Christmas gift for his boyfriend. To start this project, we examined and measured some of his boyfriend's bracelets to figure out the right size. I decided that it would be easiest and fastest to design the basic shape in CAD, mill it in wax, then carve a hammered texture in the wax. I used a large ball burr to mimic the texture marks that a planishing hammer would produce on the surface of the metal. After I laid out the hammered texture, my client reviewed the bracelet....

  It's engagement season! I've been designing a number of custom engagement rings this month, so my sketchbook has been filled with ideas for halo rings, one-of-kind solitaire stunners, and vintage-inspired engraved rings. xo, Christine

The alternative title for this blog post is "My First Engagement Ring". So glad it was for my sister! On Halloween weekend in 2009, my sister Tania and her boyfriend Chris came to the city for a Halloween house party in South Philly. Tania's always been a little craftier than me, so while she helped my boyfriend whip together a last minute costume, Chris and I went out to the corner store. On that walk, Chris asked if I'd be willing to design an engagement ring for Tania using a diamond he had researched and sourced from Blue Nile. My...

What's a halo? Most people think of a crown surrounding the head of a saint, prophet or angel. In the jewelry world, a halo refers to a circle of diamonds surrounding the center stone of a ring. Sometimes, a halo will be made from colored gemstones, or small metal designs like in this custom engagement ring, which has a beaded halo: You can have more than one halo in the same ring. This round brilliant diamond is surrounded by a cushion-shaped double halo. Setting styles can vary in halo rings. This halo ring has a half bezel setting for the...