My City February 2023

MYWEDDING

You Dream It,We Create It BY R. DAVID GAINES, GG, PRESIDENT AND OWNER, GAINES JEWELRY

W hat aspect of our lives today has not been impacted by recent advances in technology? It has changed the way we are entertained, the way we communicate, the way we live our lives.The world of custom jewelry design is no different. Until fairly recently, custom jewelry design was a segment of the industry shrouded in anxiety and mystery. Many times, the anxiety rested in the fact that the customer wouldn’t have a clear vision of the look and feel of the completed piece until all the work, and therefore expense, was finished. Until recent years, a jewelry craftsman would hand-carve a wax model of a design for the customer to approve. If that wax model need ed significant alteration, it required the craftsman to start all over with a new model.The process was time-consuming and therefore, expensive. It also created a certain veil of mystery and apprehension, as a customer wouldn’t want to pay for a custom piece they ended up not liking. It was equally unnerving for the jeweler who could possibly end up with either an unhappy cus tomer, or a piece of jewelry that was made to someone’s liking, only to have them not accept it. Enter CAD/CAM technology! (Cue the “Indiana Jones” music.) Today, virtually all of these past pitfalls are gone. Now, pieces are completely designed using the latest in computer modeling before any wax model is created. Whether a customer

is working with our artist to sketch their dream piece, or they bring in an image on their phone that they or their loved one has seen, making their vision come true is a snap! Once the initial rendering is completed, any adjustments to custom pieces are quick, easy and inexpensive with just a few keystrokes or swipes of a computer mouse. With each adjustment by the customer, we create full-color renderings of the prospective design from virtu ally all angles. Want to see the design with a round center stone? Square center? Click, click, click …no problem! Once the design is tweaked to perfection, no hand-carving of wax is required. Our wax models are now 3D-printed, giving the customer an exact replica of their design. Sometimes, things look different on the computer than they do in person – ask anyone using a dating app! Again, there is no mystery in today’s custom jewelry world.The 3D wax model allows the customer to hold the piece, feel its thickness, see how it looks on their hand, etc. Once approved, the wax is cast into metal and stones are set by our stone-setters. If you can dream it, it can be created …and within your budget. Today’s jewelry customers want their items to be uniquely “them.” Choice is king today. With the latest technology, jewelry can express their unique taste and lifestyle, many times for less investment than designer “off-the-rack” pieces. It’s an exciting time to be in the jewelry industry! u

Deena Englard / Unsplash.com

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