Sometimes you have an idea in mind for the perfect piece of jewellery and just cannot find something to fit the specification. Fortunately, with our onsite workshop and team of experienced jewellers, PA Jewellery are able to help bring your ideas to life, from initial design to the finished product, keeping you involved in the process every step of the way.
To get the ball rolling, we’ll have an informal chat about your ideas and requirements, identifying the most important aspects that need to be present in the final piece. This may be a key design feature, your own diamond or gemstone, or a practical requirement such as size. It can often be useful for you to supply images of particular styles you like, and we can show you pieces from our extensive selection of existing jewellery to provide inspiration and give you a better understanding of what a specific feature might look like.
With the basics established, we can begin to develop an idea of how we might approach making the piece and how much it is likely to cost, practical aspects that are important to establish early to avoid proceeding down a route that isn’t going to work. Sometimes you may know exactly what you want, and we will aim to follow your instructions as closely as we can. In other cases, you may have an overall style or shape in mind but be less sure of the details, and we can work with you to produce a brief to help us develop the design.
If we are designing the item, our in-house designer will use CAD technology to produce technical images and high quality renders of the piece. If we are remaking a worn-out piece of jewellery or creating something to match an existing item, we may 3-D scan your piece as a starting point to work with in the software. In some cases, it may be helpful to also produce a resin model of the item for you to view before proceeding with manufacture. This part of the process is key, as it enables us to review the design with you, tweak it where necessary and confirm all the details, before beginning to make it. Enabling you to participate in the process is really important, as it means we can be more precise on the little details that might otherwise be overlooked. After all, this is your piece of jewellery.
How we go on to make the item may vary. Sometimes, we will have the piece, or its separate elements, cast straight from the technical CAD file. These will then be assembled (where necessary) and polished, and have any stones set into them, to make your final piece.
In other cases, the design may be more suited to being made by hand, and our skilled goldsmiths will use the details from the CAD to guide their work. The decision on which route is preferred will usually be practical, as some designs simply work better when made using traditional techniques, while others are more successful as cast pieces. Also, if we are making some or all of the piece using your precious metal, then the item will need to be produced by hand, guided by the design that has been created on the computer. Your piece may end up being a combination of cast and handmade components, for example a ring with a shank handmade from your gold and a head cast from our CAD. The goldsmith then assembles the elements to produce the final item.
To ensure that the fit and size of your creation still works and meets your expectations we may invite you to review it again before we send it to have stones set. This gives us a final opportunity to iron out any errors in sizing that may be more difficult to alter after the stones have been set, or to make any minor adjustments to the width, profile or finish of the piece.
Feedback from our customers suggests that being involved in the design of a piece of jewellery can make it feel even more special, and increase the sentimental attachment felt toward a piece. It is also immensely satisfying to see your initial idea eventually exist as a real item that you can wear and enjoy for many years to come.
To start your own bespoke jewellery journey, you can contact design@pajewellery.com or simply visit our showroom where one of our jewellers will talk you through the process and help you get started.