$536.97
About Specimental:
•Handmade in Vancouver, Canada since 2008
•I am a small-scale, independent jeweller who builds each bespoke piece by hand in my home studio; I am an actual artisan who creates hand-built one-of-a-kind pieces by myself
•If you choose to work with me, you and your project receive as much attention and communication as you desire
•I am available for project consultations via phone, email, Zoom, or text messaging: you let me know what works best for you
•I never ship my custom pieces until you have approved a high-resolution photo set and video of your jewelery; it won’t ship until you are 100% ecstatic with the result of my work
•Check out my most recent one-of-a-kind pieces on my Instagram, @specimentaldesign
•Check out my customer feedback going back to 2008 in my Etsy shop; I’ve been making clients happy with my work for years
THIS LISTING IS FOR A DEPOSIT ONLY- this is not the full purchase price of this ring set. Please keep reading yo see how this listing works.
Please note: The rings in the photo were a custom-made order, and have been sold. This listing is for a deposit on a comparable ring set. The cost of the ring set as seen here is $18 750 USD.
This ring set was hand-fabricated by me in my Vancouver, Canada, studio, as a 25th anniversary gift. The rings are built of solid, recycled 18k yellow gold. The bands have a hand-hammered texture, with a brushed finish overlay. All three rings are built to stack together flush, with no uncomfortable gaps between them. The opal ring looks stunning worn as a solitaire, as well as stacked with its diamond bookend rings.
The focal point of the rings is a vivid, brilliant Lightning Ridge black opal. Lighting Ridge, Australia, is home to the world's most famous and sought-after black opals.
Clustered around the opal is an array of VS diamonds, both raw and cut. The raw diamonds are certified conflict-free. The little round brilliant cut diamonds are 1.7mm across, and add flashes of brilliance throughout the piece.
I have accented the stones with granulation, or little gold balls.
The Materials:
The ring bands are 4mm wide (opal ring) and 2mm wide (diamond rings). They are a substantial 1.25mm thick. All of the gold is recycled, and was smelted by a 100 year old smelter in the USA, known for their stringent, environmentally low-impact refining methods.
The bezels around the stones were hand-milled by me, and were given a hammered texture, in order to compliment the raw diamonds and hammered texture on the ring bands.
The opal was sourced, cut, and polished by my opal dealer in Lighting Ridge. They have an amazing selection of opals, ranging from greens, blues, and pinks, to fiery reds. I choose only their best-quality opals, with the darkest body colour and highest brilliance ratings. Any shape is available, although I feel an oval shape goes best with this type of design.
The raw diamonds are dodecahedron shapes, with amazing naturally-formed facets. This is how these diamonds formed, deep in the earth, a billion years ago- they have not been cut, polished, nor worked in any way. They are VS/Flawless on the clarity scale. Like all of my diamonds, they are conflict free, and certified by the UN's Kimberley Process.
To Order:
Please message me to get the design process going. We will discuss stones, gold colour (yellow, white, or rose gold are all available, in 18 karat), band texture, etc. The rings in the photos are a unique item- your set will be unique to you, and the photos are used as a reference and design inspiration.
Design options that we will go over also include stones size, colour, and shape, number of diamonds, texture on bands, and number of rings desired.
Once the design has been finalized by me, and approved by you, you can use this listing to pay a small deposit on the ring set. Work on these ring sets can take upwards of 12 weeks, depending upon the sourcing of your stones, and my current work load.
I will send photos of the completed metalwork for your approval, prior to setting your stones. Once the stones are set, a second set of photos is sent for your approval. At that point, the rest of the amount is payable, along with shipping.
These will ship from Vancouver, Canada, via or Purolator Courier. They will ship with a tracking number, and a signature upon delivery when possible. $100 of basic insurance coverage is included. It is possible to insure jewelery shipments for only up to $1000- I can price out the additional insurance for you. Your rings are only covered for the amount of insurance you choose. The cost of the rings does not include any taxes, levies, import fees, etc. that your country may charge you. I am not authorized to collect these fees on your country's behalf, unless you are in Canada. I am unable to estimate your import fees- please contact your county's Customs office for an idea of cost.
You are more than welcome to pick your rings up in person from me in Vancouver- I always welcome clients to my studio.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
I am always open to hearing your design ideas. Please contact me through the shop, or at treloar@telus.net to discuss design possibilities.
If you are unsure of your ring size, the best way to be sized accurately is by visiting two commercial jewelers. Please ensure they size you using their thin sizing tools- not the wide band sizing tools, nor by having you try on rings from their display.
If any questions arise around being properly sized, I am always happy to help- contact me through the shop, or at treloar@telus.net
I don’t provide a gift wrapping service. Rings and earrings ship in jewelry boxes that are hot foil stamped with the Specimental logo.
If the person for whom you are purchasing the piece shares your address, please be aware of the following: International export law dictates that the detailed contents of packages, and their value, be clearly marked on the outside of the package. This means that if they see the package before you do, they can easily tell what they are being gifted with.
Need secrecy for this delivery? The very best option is to have your package held for you at your closest Fed Ex store- if you are unsure of its location, I'm happy to help.
Our hands are busy objects, and any ring worn on a finger can become accidentally damaged. All rings need regular maintenance. Make sure you are buying your raw diamond ring from a jeweler with the knowledge and experience needed to ensure your stone stays put. Ask them about their warranty and their repair/upkeep policy. Look at how frequently they work with raw diamonds, and assess whether they have the technical experience to create a ring that will last your lifetime.
I stand behind each piece of jewellery I make. If something goes wrong with your ring, at any time- you slam your finger in a drawer and crush the band, you break a prong, you smash and crack your stone- you can count on me to support you with the repair.
My gold is all recycled- the metal plant I purchase it from has been in business for over 100 years. They smelt their metals to the highest environmental standards, to cause the least impact on the environment. They do not deal with newly mined metals, as these metals cause much greater destruction to the environment.
There is no visible difference between recycled metals and newly-mined metals. There is also no difference as far as the karat of the metals go- 18k recycled gold is exactly the same in constitution as 18k newly mined gold. The vast majority of my clients prefer their metals recycled, as environmental impact is of concern when choosing the perfect piece of jewelry.
I can use your heirloom stones in a new design. The stones must be pulled from their settings and checked for stability by a professional jeweler prior to shipping them to me. I cannot recycle your gold. I am not set up to smelt gold in the studio, so am not able to melt down your old gold pieces for you.
My current production times are listed in my shop announcement. If you need something more quickly, please get in touch via the shop, or at treloar@telus.net
Depending upon my work and family schedule, I am happy to accommodate your rush orders. There is no additional charge for a rush order. However, please do get in touch prior to ordering to discuss your deadline with me.
Yes! All of my pieces are completely hand fabricated in the studio by me, from raw materials. I am able to create any of my designs with any stone, in any composition. In short, you can have your ring absolutely any way you like it. Contact me through the shop, or via treloar@telus.net to get the discussion around your perfect piece of jewelry started.
A raw diamond is an exceptionally difficult stone to set properly. Their unique shape means that a custom setting needs to be fabricated for each and every stone. The way in which the setting is closed around the diamond must be approached in a very particular fashion.
I began setting these stones into my rings in 2009, when only a small handful of jewelers were working with this type of stone. As the appeal of raw diamonds has exploded, countless numbers of jewelers are now incorporating them into their designs. I have set thousands of raw diamonds into my pieces since then. Please check out my client feedback, as a testament to my workmanship and design skills: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Specimental?ref=hdr_shop_menu#reviews