Follow the step-by-step journey of a ring:
Part 1: The Journey of a Ring: Stuller Customer Care Center
Part 2: The Journey of a Ring: Jewelry Design and Development
Part 3: The Journey of a Ring: Jewelry CAD and Modeling
Part 4: The Journey of a Ring: Explore Stuller’s Fulfillment Area
Part 5: The Journey of a Ring: Just-In-Time Jewelry Distribution
From Paper to Proposal
Each year, everyday consumers purchase millions of engagement and fashion rings. For centuries, this piece of jewelry has consistently proved itself the most popular. Stuller receives thousands of orders each year, whether over the phone, online, or both. But how do those incredible styles come to life? Did you know it starts simply as an idea that sometimes isn’t even on paper yet? In this segment of our Journey of a Ring series, let’s take a behind-the-scenes look into the Jewelry Design and Development Department.
A Simple Idea
The process begins when a member of our merchandising team approaches our Jewelry Design and Development team with a detailed idea/request. The idea goes to one of our conceptual designers who puts pencil to the paper and creates a sketch. “I’ve experimented with quite a few tools of the trade to see what helps me best convey an idea when providing concepts,” says Former Product Designer Carlos Lopez. “Rough sketches on paper work best for me. From there, I transfer it to the computer to draw digitally before printing the design. As the last step, I hand-paint the details.” This process can take anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks.
Where does Carlos get the inspiration for a new design? “I have a constant desire to create something completely original. I’ve heard several times that nothing is original, but that doesn’t stop me. I strive to make every design unique in hopes that I can achieve something that hasn’t yet been created,” says Carlos.
On to Virtual Design
From there, the ring moves on to our virtual design team in our Jewelry Development and Design Department. The conceptual work this team receives can range from a multi-view technical drawing to a rough napkin sketch. But it’s the relationship the design will have with our jewelers that determines how Virtual Design will work on the concept. “For example, a piece destined for 3C or the CounterSketch® Studio Library will be modeled using our in-house proprietary software,” says Virtual Designer Michael Bartlett. “Once a design’s path is planned out (traditional vs. 3C vs. CounterSketch Library), we then build it in the appropriate CAD software.”
Our virtual team prides itself on taking these images from simple ideas on a page to reality. “The conceptual designers are always excited to see the designs take shape and mature into a finished piece on screen,” says Michael.
The model then moves through multiple check processes to ensure the highest level of aesthetics and production standards are met. Once it is approved technically and aesthetically, it moves into the prototyping phase. So the next stop in our Journey of a Ring series is our Jewelry CAD and Casting departments.
A few friendly faces from our Jewelry Design and Development Department
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How do designs begin in your store? Tell us about your jewelry design and development processes in the comments below!
