New and Old

Nothing for months and then two posts in one day.  Shame on me.

Platinum and emerald cut diamond ring

I had an old piece I custom made for a customer quite a few years ago come in for a cleaning and we got a snap shot of it.  It's not really like anything I normally make so I thought it might be interesting for you to see the full range of designing I can do when I put my mind to it.  I have to say that this was put together working with the customer on the design and I was incredibly concerned that the stone wouldn't stay in the setting however I have never had to even tighten it up a bit (it was bought at least 15 years ago).  I think it helps both that it is in platinum and that the customer has taken good care of it.  This is not a design you should be rock climbing in!

That's the old. Now for the new.

22k and 18k gold earrings with 5.30 ct. t.w. aquamarines and diamond accents

My relatively new German supplier was coming in to see me recently so I figured it was time to get out some more of the pieces that she had sold me the last time she was in town.  I had gotten a pair of aquamarines at the time that I had actually bought thinking my wife would like me to put in something for her.   However when I showed them to her she had less than a stellar reaction so I just put them aside for awhile.  So I finally made up the earrings above with them.  As soon as Kathy saw the actual earrings, she suddenly was in love with them.  Unfortunately for her (and fortunately for my bank account), they sold within a week of my putting them out in the case (before any occasion came along she could claim them for).  The customer left a deposit on them and I left them in the cases and within another week another customer came in, saw the design and placed an order for them with some large round tanzanites.  I know that sooner or later I'm going to have to make up another pair for Kathy..........................

My customers have a sense of humor too! And on a musical note.....

I always like it when people buy their own gifts.  It saves a lot of angst by their significant other over what to buy.  It also makes a statement that you are strong enough in your relationship that not everything needs an approval by your partner.  One of my favorite customers came in the other day and spotted a ring she fell in love with.  Her birthday was coming up so she figured she would just buy it and then give it to her husband to give to her on the actual day.  When the day came a week later he gave her the box and this is what she found inside of it:

Needless to say this isn't exactly the ring I made up! He did hand over the real one immediately afterwards. 

18k yellow gold pendant with diamonds

I had another customer in recently who came in for an interesting custom job.  He wanted a measure from Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte on a pendant.  I know it had great significance to the couple although honestly I didn't ask what that was.  I thought that simply engraving the measure on the piece wasn't really going to be interesting enough so I suggested a more interesting bail. The tiny diamonds were the customer's idea as well.  Apparently his wife cried when she realized what the measure was from. Got a favorite musical measure?  Let me know and I'll see what I can do for you!