There are many ways a piece of jewelry becomes yours. Sometimes you discover it in a case and love it exactly as it is. Other times, it starts with a gemstone, a photograph, a sketch, a piece you already own—or simply an idea. If you’ve ever wondered how an idea becomes a finished piece of jewelry created just for you—also known as custom jewelry—the process may be easier than you think.
How Custom Jewelry Takes Shape
At Olufson Designs, you don’t need to arrive with a finished design. Our sales staff works with you and our goldsmiths to develop your ideas and determine what is possible when creating something custom and truly unique jewelry for you.
While every project is different, the process generally looks like this:
- Start with a conversation. Bring your ideas, inspiration, sketches, gemstones or jewelry you’d like to reimagine. We’ll talk about what you like, how you want to wear it and what you’d like the finished piece to become. The result is often a stunning piece of custom jewelry.
- Choose the details. Together we’ll consider the design, gemstones, metal and other elements that will make the piece work for you. Every detail helps make the jewelry custom just for you.
- Develop the design. Our CAD artists translate those ideas into a design, working with our goldsmiths to make sure it will work beautifully as a finished piece.
- See it in wax. This is where the design really begins to come to life. A wax model lets you see the size, proportions and details of your piece in three dimensions. It’s an opportunity to hold the design, visualize the finished jewelry and make any final tweaks before giving your approval. The process of seeing your custom jewelry take shape is exciting.
- Bring it to life. Once the design is approved, it moves into our in-house workshop for casting, stone setting and finishing.
Most custom projects take approximately six to eight weeks from start to finish.
Sometimes It Starts With a Gemstone
September’s birthstone is a perfect example of another way a piece can begin. For those interested in custom jewelry, choosing a gemstone can be the first step.
Mention sapphire, and most of us picture blue. But sapphires occur in a remarkable range of colors, including pink, yellow, green, purple, orange and many shades in between. When it comes to custom jewelry, your options are limitless because of these varieties.
With so many possibilities, choosing a sapphire can become less about finding the “right” color and more about discovering the one you love. And you certainly don’t need a September birthday to choose one.
A loose gemstone can become the inspiration for an entirely new design. Or perhaps you already own a gemstone you’d like to see in a different setting. Sometimes color is all it takes to get an idea started. That’s how custom jewelry often begins—with a meaningful stone.
Start Wherever You Are
A custom piece doesn’t have to begin with a completed drawing or even a clear picture in your head, especially when it comes to designing custom jewelry.
Bring a favorite gemstone. A photograph. A sketch. A piece from your jewelry box. Or just the beginnings of an idea.
We’ll help you figure out where it can go from there. That’s the beauty of creating custom jewelry—there’s no wrong place to start.
Because sometimes the most meaningful jewelry begins with a very simple question:
What if we made it mine?