Nov 26, 2019
Ring Design Requests and Challenges
LISA
Everyone is an Artist
Many clients start shopping for an engagement ring after spending weeks, months, or even years looking at rings and they already have an idea of what they want. Others have an artist within and are inspired to put down on paper what is in their heart. Still others are truly undecided and want a designer to guide them through the decision making process.
Since every Krikawa ring is made to order, our process is more personal. At the outset, we'll want to find out what inspires you, your favorite colors, meaningful symbols or lifestyle activities. We want to see your inspirational images--Pinterest boards, Krikawa favorites, symbols you like--as well as hat to avoid. Discovering what’s important to you about the design and about your life is a great starting point for design. We've had clients provide ideas drawn on a napkin, a rudimentary CAD file, and more recently AI created images--you don't need to provide a sketch, we've got that covered.
Krikawa’s skilled team--from our design consultants to CAD engineers to master goldsmiths--combine our expertise and work to figure out the best way to incorporate the aspects that are important to you in a ring that is structurally sound and aesthetically beautiful.
Three Common Design Requests
One of the biggest challenges in bridal jewelry is telling a client they cannot have exactly what they want. However, helping clients understand when a desired element may not be feasible without compromising the longevity or functionality of the ring, means we're doing our job! As custom designers committed to creating heirloom-quality pieces, we don't take shortcuts and we never say "yes" to a design that could fail you. Sometimes it is necessary to “just say no” to a design request. As much as we hate saying “no”, there have been instances when we’ve had to. Three design requests we often receive and overcome are described below.
1. Small Prong Requests
Clients want the center stone to be the star of the show, so a common request is for an engagement ring with super thin or short prongs. While the visual appeal is understandable--who doesn't want a stone that appears to "float"--thin prongs are prone to breakage and short prongs will not securely hold the stone. Because the center stone in an engagement ring is both a visual and emotional focal point of your ring, we refuse to compromise its safety. Fortunately, there are countless styles to showcase your stone while keeping it secure. Our designers will guide you to styles that balance beauty with long-term durability.
2. Soft or Alternative Metal Requests
Just like a marriage, every ring will face stress over its lifetime, and a good engagement or wedding ring should be able to flex with life's changes while standing the test of time. While we love all metals, some are simply not suited for engagement or wedding rings.
Silver, for example, is so soft it tends to scratch, warp, and age far more quickly under daily wear. We do not recommend Silver for engagement or wedding rings.
On the opposite end, ultra-hard alternative metals like stainless steel, cobalt chrome, meteorite, titanium, and zirconium are so rigid they cannot be resized--posing a long-term problem if your finger size changes.
At the risk of sounding cliché, the best metals for engagement rings and wedding bands are (not in any particular order): Platinum, 10k gold, 14k gold, and 18k gold. For intricate designs, lacy elements, or filigree, we recommend platinum for its superior strength and wear resistance. We definitely want to avoid 10k gold and 14k rose gold for delicate features.
Having worked with both precious metals and non-precious alternative metals for over 20 years, good rings are made from a material that grows gracefully with your marriage, neither vulnerably malleable nor so inert that it cannot change at all. That is why our design consultants will only recommend metals that are best suited for your ring design and lifestyle.
3. Symbol Ring Requests
Personal meaning is at the heart and sold of custom design. Some features that are genuinely attractive today may nonetheless be poorly suited to a forever ring—for example, a specific symbol capturing only a slice of the wearer’s current interests. While your beloved may adore tennis, even Serena Williams is not solely defined by the sport and I don’t think she would want to wear an engagement ring shaped like a tennis racket for the rest of her life when there is so much more to her—entrepreneur, fashion icon, wife, and mother. (Serena, please weigh in on this if I’m mistaken.) With the help of an experienced design consultant who is genuinely interested in memorializing your love story in precious metals and stones, we’ll provide guidance on how to incorporate meaningful symbols into your ring design.
A Ring That's More Than Metal and Stone
Your engagement ring and wedding band should be more than just beautiful objects--they should be symbols of the magic that brings two separate and beautiful people together and creates a union that is greater than the sum of their parts. At Krikawa, our master jeweler team is here to guide you through our simplified custom ring process and help you create rings that capture that magic today and endures for generations to come.
Whether you arrive with a fully formed vision or only the seed of an idea, we're here to guide you every step of the way toward a ring that's not only breathtaking but built to last.
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