Custom Designs
At Maertens, we specialize in creating one-of-a-kind and custom created pieces of jewelry. Our team is creative and includes experts in all aspects of jewelry making from ancient techniques to the newest technology. Custom designing a piece of jewelry can be intimidating, but our team of jewelers and designers work hard to put their clients at ease. The design process is multi-faceted, but includes four basic steps to help you create a piece that is truly yours.
Step 1: Consultation
The first step involves you meeting with a member of the Maertens design team. You should come prepared with your ideas and any pictures you might have. Our team will ask lots of questions and listen carefully as you describe the piece of jewelry you want to have made, how you will wear it, and your budget allowance. You will be able to select the specifics such as metal type, diamond quality and be able to choose from a rainbow of gemstones. Your piece can be created in any precious metal from sterling silver to gold to platinum and you may choose 14 karat or 18 karat gold in any color (yellow, white, or rose). We often suggest recycling diamonds and gemstones from old and unworn pieces of jewelry. Our design team will offer their own suggestions and ideas, showing you examples of what we can do and suggest manufacturing techniques. We believe that the most beautiful pieces of jewelry are created through this collaborative effort.
Step 2: Design Presentation
On your second visit, you will be shown intricate sketches, capturing your design on paper. You will have the opportunity to perfect the sketch, making changes and alterations until you are ready to finalize the design. At this meeting, we will also have diamonds and gemstones for your approval if your design includes them. We may also have samples of jewelry for you to see in person that represent parts of your design. This step may take one, two, or several meetings to perfect the details but once the final design in approved, the jewelry making begins.
Step 3: Jewelry Making
Our jewelers and designers can create jewelry for you using a variety of methods, and we will help you select the best method to suit your needs. Prefabricated Mountings: There are jewelry mountings that are prefabricated that can be used or altered to create a unique piece of jewelry. Prefabricated mountings are a cost effective way to create a unique piece, because they don’t require that you start from scratch.Some designs are so unique that they have never been made before, these designs require that they be made by hand or made using computer aided manufacturing. Handmade Jewelry: Since the beginning of man, jewelry has been made and worn as a sign of power, faith and fashion. Our jewelers make jewelry using age old techniques from hand forging metals to hand carving waxes. They take raw materials; sterling silver sheet, 14kt gold wire, platinum stock and put it through grueling and harsh process involving heat and pressure. The pieces aren’t always pretty in these stages but each piece is finished by hand using fine polishes with a close eye for detail for a beautiful finished creation.
Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM): Some designs are better suited to be made using CAD/CAM technology. These designs are often very intricate, have straight lines or need to be perfectly symmetrical. The Maertens are associated with CAD/CAM experts who have been using the software since it was introduced to the jewelry industry. The technology allows the client to see their design in a three-dimensional computer image. Changes can be made to the computer rendering just as will the hand drawn renderings. From the final design, the computer creates a wax carving based on the design. A wax created by computer is more precise than those carved by hand and can be more easily recreated if changes are needed. From the wax, a casting is made and given to a jeweler. The jeweler then sets all diamond and gemstones and finishes the piece by hand.
