Custom Design or Help With Your Estate Jewelry By Appointment January 3, 2023 01:30

Things can get a hectic in our little store, so starting in 2023, we will be available to meet with you by appointment for engagement ring shopping, custom design or help going through the box of estate jewelry you just inherited.

We will schedule appointments with you between 10am to noon. So you can come in before the store opens at noon. This will allow us to focus all of our attention on you - without interruption.

Call us at 616-897-9480 to set up your appointment.

Or you can email Cliff - cliffy777(at)comcast.net

       (put the @ symbol where it belongs!)

Just What She Had In Mind - New Jewelry From Old June 27, 2019 17:51

Sue had three rings containing nine diamonds that she was not wearing any longer. She had an idea in her head for all the gold and diamonds to be combined into a single ring.

She wanted it to be 10-11mm wide at the top and taper down. She wanted the diamonds to be set as low as possible. We can do that! We sent a quick sketch to Jere (at first she had 7 diamonds, then found a pair of earrings so the sketch shows 7).

Jere took my lovely (!) sketch and sent me back several CAD images for Sue to look at. 

Sue approved the CAD image, so we cut the wax. Sue took at look at it and said, "That is exactly what I had in mind." Next step was melting down her old gold, casting the ring, setting all the diamonds and polishing everything up. The result was this:

Well, Sue was beside herself when she picked up the ring. One of the things we love about our "job" is helping people bring a piece of jewelry from thought to reality. Sue let me get my phone and capture some of her happiness:

Engagement Rings V2 - CAD/CAM and Lost Wax Casting September 23, 2015 12:15

We love technology at Chimera Design. Cliff and Jere have been working together using CAD/CAM and the art of lost wax casting to create custom engagement rings and other pieces of jewelry for almost ten years now. Here is a quick overview of the process:

• Cliff & Jere take your vision and create a CAD/CAM image.
• Once you approve the image a wax model is cut.
• You can inspect the wax before we cast it.
• We cast the model in your choice of precious metal.
• The stone(s) are set and BINGO - you have your jewelry creation.

Sometimes people come in with a design they have sketched out, sometimes they come in with pictures they have found on the net - sometimes they just come in with one or more diamonds looking for ideas. YES WE CAN - we can make a piece of jewelry as unique as you are.

Victoria had a yellow gold band with she loved. She wanted to celebrate 20 years with Todd by getting a new solitaire diamond set in a ring that would match the shape of the ring she had. This collage of photos shows the band, the CAD/CAM image, the wax model and the finished ring.

Juli saw some ring designs online. There were certain elements she loved, but others that she did not like. We incorporated the parts she loved AND used most of the diamonds from two rings she already had - added a new, larger center diamond and Juli had the ring of her dreams. Here are two CAD images, one of the ring and one of the top. Below that is the finished ring.

Susan had an idea for a new ring for her diamond. She loves nature and wanted something that resembled a tree branch for her diamond and she wanted it accented by some blue sapphires.

One of the most popular ring designs we have ever done was for Sandy. She had an idea based on two or three ring styles - she took the halo element from one, the bezel set diamonds front and rear from another, and diamonds combined with rubies from yet another. We have made several rings that were inspired by Sandy's but PLEASE don't let her know!!!

Sam saw a ring on the website of a very famous jewelry designer, but a) he did not want to pay the premium price and b) he wanted to use different sized diamonds. Yes, we can do that.

This last example is a ring we made for Peter and Sarah. Sarah wanted her ring to be made with an uncut, unpolished diamond. She also wanted to incorporate some small, cognac colored diamonds from a ring Peter had given her. Sarah sent us some images of rings she found on the web for a starting point. Here is the end result:

Engagement Rings V1 - Design Online September 23, 2015 10:20

This is the first of FOUR ways we offer engagement rings (and other jewelry) to YOU. We have a Showcase App that will let you try hundreds of configurations from your phone, laptop, or PC. Not only will you get instant images to see the changes you make, you also get real time estimates for what it will cost.

Above are 5 completely different designs Cliff did on the Chimera Showcase.

Simply click on the link here, then choose "Flexible Designs" and give it a try. It is FREE and you can try out all kinds of combinations with no risk or obligation. If you settle on a design you love, click "Add To Quote" and Cliff will contact you with a solid estimate on the price for your creation.

Click Here: Chimera Showcase.

Here are some examples of rings design by our customers using this app. The image on the left is taken from the Chimera Showcase and on the right is the actual finished ring.

First, is a 14kt white gold ring we made with Deb. She had inherited two diamonds from her mom and wanted to have a ring to remember her with. She wanted her birthstone (May - emerald) in the center of the ring. She considered several different shapes for the center, before settling on a round slightly larger than the two diamonds. 

Next is a ring for Will and Allyson. Allyson is concerned about the environment and wanted to use only lab created gems. So we used Moissanite for the accent stones - Moissanite is a lab grown substitute for diamonds - combined with a lab created sapphire in the center. We started with a round center, but ended up with the oval shape lab sapphire you see on the right.

Just so you know the Chimera Showcase is NOT just for the ladies, here is a ring designed for Frank using the app. He wanted a modern, updated version of yellow gold and black onyx - a classic combination for men. 

As you can see - there are almost limitless possibilities for YOU to create your dream engagement ring with the Chimera Showcase app.

Click and design!