Custom Design 101: What We Cover in Your First Design Appointment
So, you booked your first design appointment with Alexandria & Company - congratulations! You just made a huge step in moving your design idea forward. We know it can take a lot of research, referrals, and thinking to get here so first, allow us to say thank you for considering us for your project. We are very different from the traditional fine jewelry story experience, so you may be wondering what to expect from the process at this point. While every job is different, here are some basic elements we will hope to cover during your first consultation…
Using Heirloom Gold in New Pieces
One very popular service we provide is repurposing “old gold” - i.e., heirloom gold belonging to a client - into a new piece. This is a great option for clients to utilize a setting that might not be suited to them in its original design, but that is sentimental. By melting and reshaping the gold we can continue the life of that material while breathing new life into it with a different design. ..
Heirloom Redesign Idea: Cluster Rings
One of our specialties here at Alx&Co. is working with clients to redesign sentimental or antique pieces in order to breath new life into them. Sometimes, clients come with one piece that they want transformed into something new. Other times, they might have a collection of different pieces that we can pull from. In either case, we sometimes are left with a small pile of mismatched diamonds or gemstones and need to figure out a way to set them seamlessly together.
A Minimalist Heirloom Redesign
Our featured client had an antique family ring that held some sentimental value but that unfortunately was in pretty dismal shape after multiple poorly executed repairs done elsewhere. The ring - set with a nicely-sized natural diamond in the center and flanked by a pair of synthetic blue sapphires - was stylistically not her cup of tea. Combined with the poor state of the ring in general, these factors led our client to pursue other options for resetting the stones.
A Gorgeous Idea for Loose Diamonds
One of the most common requests we get for redesign work is to reset a family diamond in a more wearable setting. Many of our clients have either inherited jewelry from family members that isn’t their style, or they come to us because they are interested in resetting a diamond setting from a previous marriage into a different - less engagement feeling - design…