Knox Jewelers Journal
Split Shank Engagement Rings
At last count we had upwards of 50 split shank engagement ring designs with new and custom versions coming out on a regular basis. Many of these split shank engagement rings have micro pave set diamonds in the design, many also have diamond halos. We wanted to feature some of our more popular split shank engagement rings designs in one article so that someone unfamiliar with our website or store could look and compare many different designs on the same page.
Please note that the images are linked to the rings product page which will have additional photos and possibly a video of the ring.
The first split shank design is a very clean and simple split shank design with pave in the split shanks. The center stone is an approximate 2.00 carat round center diamond.
Classic Split Shank Engagement Ring with diamonds in the split shank
Here is a Split shank design with a round center diamond in a cushion shape diamond halo, the design also features a surprise diamond
(click thru to other photos to see surprise diamond)
This Split shank design features a round center diamond in a cushion shape diamond halo, the design also features a surprise diamond
Here is a beautiful split shank micro pave, halo design engagement ring with a princess center diamond
Speaking of halos, the signature look of our Cielo design is the combination of a split shank with a halo. We have made this design for just about every shape center stone, here are a few:
Round Halo Cielo
Another round center diamond version…
Round Brilliant Cielo
One more…
RB Cushion Cielo
Princess Cielo
Cushion Cielo
More to come soon…
| Categories: Unique Custom Design Engagement Rings
Engagement Ring Photos and the Importance of Real Photography
As we approach 6000 “real” photos of engagement rings and wedding bands, we’re reminded of all the work we’ve done in getting our designs on this very website. It’s important to understand that our quality and workmanship have to be top-notch when photographing at the macro level. Our jewelers and craftsmen must execute with the same passion as our designers. It takes years of experience across these many dedicated individuals to deliver a quality piece, something that a virtual image will never convey.
Sometimes we wish our photos could be produced by the touch of a button. It would be much easier to generate 6000 perfect computer renderings and not worry about capturing the countless hours of detail and passion put into our pieces. One slight problem, our customers don’t wear virtual rings.
Photograph taken of Caledonia Design - Unique Engagement Rings
The key to our business is heirloom quality unique engagement rings. The designing is only half of the battle. The craftsmanship yields the end product and is where we really shine as you can see in every one of our engagement ring photos. Our designs are handmade and given meticulously attention to in every detail. How would anyone be able to see our quality if our collection was all computer generated? The diamonds still have to be precisely set, the metal still has to be polished smooth, and the engraving still has to be cut by hand.
Our customers come to us because they want to cherish the beauty and art put into everyone of our designs. They don’t want the same design that has been made ten thousand times by an overworked, underpaid worker overseas. They want unique, they want one-of-a-kind, and they want heirloom quality.
Virtual jewelry only shows 50 percent of any given design. It’s a mere concept of how a design should look. The design still has to executed into a beautiful piece of art and that feat takes years of experience. Quality and craftsmanship come with no easy button.
Tags: craftsmanship, engagement ring photos, quality, render, virtual | Categories: Unique Custom Design Engagement Rings
Hand Engraved Ring Designs
Knox Hand Engraved Ring Designs
Hand engraving on jewelry and other metal objects is a very specialized art form in and of itself and when skillfully placed on an already high quality ring, can make for an absolutely unique and heirloom quality piece of jewelry.
The actual engraving is done with an extremely sharp tool called a graver. The graver is used to carefully carve a pattern or design into the metal, leaving no room for error. The artisan that does the hand engraving will have various sizes, shapes, and angles of gravers that they use for different effects/designs. The cutting into the metal with the graver is often (but not always) facilitated by small hand held pneumatic devices that are essentially small pneumatic hammers.
What is Cast in Place engraving or CAD-CAM engraving?
It is important to differentiate between actual hand engraving and the much more commonly found cast in place engraving or CAD-CAM engraving in which a design or pattern is placed in the wax or prototype of the item being cast to give the look or effect of hand engraving.
Here are a few examples of cast in place engraving or CAD-CAM engraving.
Example #1 of cast in place ‘engraving’
Example #2 of cast in place ‘engraving’
Example #3 of cast in place ‘engraving’
Is it possible to tell the difference between hand engraving and cast in place engraving?
The quick answer is no, a novice may not always be able to tell the difference.
While even a novice may be able to tell the difference between extreme examples from both methods, (the example photos used here are classic examples of the representative methods) please note that there will be many examples from both methods that may be virtually indistinguishable from each other when looking at merely photos, especially to a novice.
That said, the predominant indication of cast in place/faux engraving will be a ’smoothed out’ or ‘polished down’ look to the detailing in the pattern as opposed to a much sharper or crisper pattern in hand engraved designs.
Here are a few examples of actual ‘Hand engraved’ designs. Notice the sharpness and crispness of the detailing in the patterns.
Example #1 of a hand engraved design
Example #2 of a hand engraved design
Example #3 of a hand engraved design
Example #4 of a hand engraved design
Example #5 of a hand engraved design
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Tags: hand engraved, hand engraving, Unique | Categories: Jewelry, Unique Custom Design Engagement Rings
