I loved reading Elizabeth's piece last week about editing her jewelry collection because it showed how even with sentimental pieces, sometimes it's time to move on if it's just not quite right for you anymore. Our next design story is about a (favorite) client of ours who did just this with her three-stone diamond ring - and the end result is stunning...Many readers may know our client Karen as she is a true patron of small businesses. She has been a client of ours for many years (dating far back into the Lawrence Miller & Co. days) and she is an unfailing supporter of our craft and process. One thing to know about Karen is that she loves jewelry. I could spend hours chatting with her about her amazing collection and she always has the most lovely story to go with each piece. So, when she approached us with a custom redesign project, I knew we were in for a treat.Karen had a diamond ring from years ago that featured three radiant-cut diamonds that she herself chose. They are stunning and emblematic of her good taste. When she originally created the ring, she chose a modern setting in yellow gold, with the three diamonds arranged in a row - a very classic design that suited her well at the time. Ten years later, she got creative and opted to reset the diamonds in a combination platinum-18k yellow gold ring with the diamonds inlaid in the band to create another modern design. While she liked the ring well enough, she felt over years of wear that it was missing something - it just wasn't "her" anymore. It was this ring that she brought to us with a new idea: reset the diamonds in a more playful design, custom fabricated, and totally unique. I loved the idea.We played around with a few options and then decided to create a sample ring for Karen to view in person before finalizing the design. We cast the ring in a plastic material and dropped her diamonds in the setting to ensure the layout worked for Karen.This is a great option for clients who need a tangible way to envision things before fully committing to the final design. She loved the layout and provided approval to fabricate the ring and set the diamonds. Here's the rest of the story, in Karen's own words:

"Tim is truly an artist with tremendous skill... After days of anticipating the final design, I could hardly wait. Tim presented the ring and I began to cry — it was AMAZING — a whimsical and unique setting in brushed gold  and the diamonds were exquisitely set in a unique design. It was stunning and distinct — just as I had dreamed it!"

 Karen describes her ring as "stunning, unique, amazing, and distinct" (and we couldn't agree more). We love that she chose a playful approach to setting her diamonds and created a ring that breaks all the rules of "classic" jewelry design yet results in a gorgeous design that she can wear every day with ease. It's a great example of how you can work with the elements you have on hand to transform an "eh" ring into something truly exceptional. If you see Karen around town, make sure you pay her a complement on her design - she really does have a great eye. And, check out our instagram post where we have a video of the ring in action!