It could well be that Scott now holds the distinction as our most thoughtful custom ring client yet (and that’s saying A LOT considering Green Lake’s clientele is full of people going above and beyond to make something truly special). All the way from Indiana, Scott got in contact with Sam here at the workshop where they were able to work remotely on his private Design Page. Whereas a lot of guys may start out with only few rough ideas as to the kind of ring they’d like made, Scott came prepared: He’d compiled an interactive site dedicated to his girlfriend Rho that covered everything from lifestyle to taste and even pictures of her hands to guesstimate ring size; he had links to her Pinterest boards that captured all the things she enjoyed; and at last, he shared with Sam the long story that brought him here – which bolstered the significance of the ring. He really wanted the whole design to be specifically for her only.
Sam went to work pulling out ideas for rings, discovering needs for an active, outdoor lifestyle and seeing opportunities to incorporate both organic forms and lines reminiscent of Art Nouveau. Scott relayed how Rho talked about jewelry in the past, declaring she wouldn’t want anything super fancy (which he rightly took as girl-speak for ‘something nice just not traditional).’ Sam and Scott decided on a stunning sea-glass colored Montana sapphire for the center while using diamonds from his family ring for accents. The process took months of back-and-forth, almost 10,000 words exchanged in total (that’s like 20 pages printed), but in the end Scott created a kind of ring money alone just can’t buy.
Here’s a snapshot of what the custom process looks like, from sketch to wax to finished ring (Scott also had his ring box custom crafted and inlayed with sea glass all the way from the UK):
Clients who visit the store can peer into the workshop and see what’s being done whereas out-of-area customers can ask for images from the bench, like this one of Gold & Platinumsmith Mac setting Scott and Rho’s ring. Some clients even want to have the process filmed or just film it themselves!
This last image may seem out of place and certainly needs some explanation: Many jewelers and designers at Green Lake may receive thank you notes from clients. Scott, however, sent the store a giant box of these squishy balls as a fun thank you and they’ve made their way onto benches, into the lab and on to the walls of our production room. They’re apart of Green Lake now – thanks Scott and again, congratulations!