Late last summer (those of you procrastinators, take note!), I was approached by a client who wanted to discuss a custom design project for his wife’s upcoming “significant” birthday, which happens to be today. We met so that I could learn more about what he was hoping to accomplish and so that I could guide him in his decision making. These were the parameters he gave me:
- Earrings
- Diamonds
- High karat gold (possibly two tone, so that the piece would be more versatile paired with her other jewelry)
- November birthstone
- Modern/classic design
I worked up seven different earrings designs for my client. He eventually chose this one:
November’s birthstone is usually one of two gemstones; topaz (which can be cognac-colored or various shades of blue) or citrine (honey color). After seeing this rendering, my client asked to see the briolette as a citrine instead of a blue topaz. I was able to easily change the color of the briolette in photoshop for him to see. He preferred the 2nd version. As a result, we decided to also flip the placement of the white gold and yellow gold “swag” so that the yellow gold swag would end with the citrine briolette.
From here, it was on to manufacturing. I met with the manufacturer several times to ensure that the wax carving was to my specifications and to ensure that the gemstones were to my liking.
The earrings were completed last week, with just enough lead time in advance of the November 11th deadline for me to shoot some photos. Here are the finished earrings together with my original rendering:
And, in a closeup on my Plexiglas model “Dorabella”:
Joana,
I love the earrings and think they are FABULOUS! I was able to wear them to my birthday dinner. This collaboration of you, the client and his friends and family really produced something that is breathtaking and very very special to me. Thank you for all of your hard work and patience. To anyone reading this, you had better order your’s now before Joana is too busy to do custom orders anymore.
I hope to see you soon to thank you in person.
The client’s wife.
Dear “client’s wife” 😉
I’m so delighted you love your earrings. Your husband even provided me with a picture of you so that I could “study” your ears and keep the overall dimensions of the earrings to scale with your height and build.
I’m already gotten queries at work as to when people can actually see the earrings “live”, so I guess you’ll have to make an appearance at a concert sometime soon! I hope this coming year is the best one yet for you.
All best wishes,
Joana