Inside a Bespoke Commission

Most bespoke pieces don’t begin with a perfect sketch.

They usually begin with a message.

“Danya, I have an idea…”

Sometimes a client sends me ten inspiration pictures. Sometimes she sends me one. Sometimes she knows the exact diamond shape she wants but nothing else. And sometimes all I get is, “I want something different.”

That’s actually one of my favorite places to start.

The first thing I try to understand isn’t only what the client likes. It’s how she lives, what jewelry she already wears and how she wants this particular piece to feel.

Then comes the stone.

This is the part I can spend far too much time on.

I’ll compare diamonds that may look almost identical on paper but completely different when I see them. I’ll look at proportions, character, light and how the stone will work with the design we’re creating.

And sometimes I’ll go back and say, “No. I found you a better one.”

Once we’ve chosen the stone, we refine the design and create the CAD. This is where tiny details suddenly become very important: how high the diamond sits, how delicate the prongs should be, how another ring will sit beside it, and whether the proportions feel right.

Then it goes into the hands of the craftsmen.

When the finished piece comes back, I inspect it before it goes to the client. And yes, occasionally I send something back because a tiny detail bothers me that nobody else would probably notice.

That’s bespoke.

It isn’t choosing option A, B or C.

It’s creating the piece that didn’t exist until you asked for it.

Danya
Founder, Stellar Gems