Custom Made Jewelry Handcrafted

What is white gold made of ?

White gold is currently the most popular of all gold alloys, especially for engagement rings and wedding rings.

Fashion question certainly.

However, few people really know what white gold is made of.

bague en or blanc

January 30, 2024 — Nicolas Tranchant
Tags: Gold Jewelry

How to wear a signet ring ?

The signet ring is a jewel of ancient origin, historically used by both women and men.

This is one of the few jewels that had a practical utility function, as it served as proof of identification, like today's digital signatures, in order to seal the letters with a wax seal. and legal acts (marriage, inheritance ...).

large gold signet ring for men

If the wearing of the signet ring meets the aesthetic and fashion today, precise rules governed the wearing of signet rings for the nobles during the Middle Ages.

The wearing of the signet ring changes according to the country, the sex and the time.

Here's how you find it, starting with a review of the fingers of your hand 

January 29, 2024 — Nicolas Tranchant

History of Platinum Discovery and Historic Price

Platinum is the ultimate luxury precious metal in modern jewelry. It was discovered late by Europeans during the 16th century and neglected at the time, because it was unknown to scientists and jewelers. Then it slowly (in three centuries) imposed itself as the precious metal of reference for jewelry during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Although the general public knows little about platinum as a precious metal for jewelry, everyone knows that a platinum disc is a more rewarding reward than a gold disc. And the price of platinum in jewelry, much higher than that of gold, reminds anyone who doubts it.

Platinum as a precious metal in jewelry took off at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris during which the Mellerio jewelry house, a secular French jewelry store, exhibited a sublime platinum Tiara, which was acquired by the crown of Spain. Platinum then imposed itself as the precious metal of the Kings and princes of Europe.

platinum crown owned by the Spanish royal family

May 24, 2023 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Real diamond iced-out Rolex Datejust

Rolex is the biggest watch brand in the world, and the most famous one worldwide. Among the many iconic rolex watches produced up to now, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust is one of the most recognized and looked after.

Rolex watches are known for maintaining their value over time and many rolex owners and watch lovers like to customize their luxury watch to their own taste.

In the case of this project, we had to customize our client's Oyster Perpetual Datejust model that had already been personnalized in the past, as described below.

real diamond iced out custom rolex in 18k gold custom real diamond rolex watch for men
April 03, 2023 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

CNC Intaglio Carving Process

Intaglio jewelry is a very specific form of artwork consisting in carving a fine stone to represent a shape, a face, an event of life or a religious scene. Such form of art dates back from antiquity, the most ancient intaglio ring discovered by archeologists is estimated to be 3000 years old.

intaglio carved ring in gold 

 

March 20, 2023 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

133+ Things to do in Puerto Vallarta for your Holidays

Puerto Vallarta is nowadays a reknown destination for holidays for both Mexicans and North Americans and also a great place for retirement. Being known as an heavenly destination, it is also a great place for business and investment.

With more than 6 200 000 tourists flying to Puerto Vallarta in 2022 (which 57% came from abroad) and more than 35 000 US and Canadian citizens living in Puerto Vallarta, the town offers a great deal of activities and things to do to enjoy your stay or living in Puerto Vallarta.

View of the bay of Puerto Vallarta

Panaramic view of Los Arcos from the shore

As I have been living more than ten years in Puerto Vallarta for business purpose, I have discovered many things to do here with my Mexican friends. I wish I could say I have done it all, but I still have some activities to check on this list of more than 133 activities to do in Puerto Vallarta.

February 01, 2023 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Paraiba Tourmaline Stone: Price and History of a Unique Gemstone

The Paraiba tourmaline stone is a fine stone still little known to the general public and yet it cannot leave anyone indifferent as its colors and the incredible story of its discovery mark the spirits.

Discovered at the end of the 80s by a solitary miner from a poor state in Brazil, its story is like a fairy tale and this stone, rarer and more expensive than diamonds, has become the fetish jewel of jewelry designers and investors.

blue paraiba tourmaline rough stones

January 20, 2023 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Wiccan pendant: a 7 pointed star

Esotericism or Wicca is concerned with shapes and symbols as well as the power of stones and nature in general.

So that it is particularly suitable as a subject for jewelry combining both esoteric symbols and natural stones.

We present you the manufacture of an esoteric pendant made of solid silver and gemstones according to the indications of a customer who has created her own jewelry design via our dedicated service.

It is a pendant 50 mm in diameter with two heptagrams, one is inscribed in the other and 8 stones set around the periphery and the center of the pendant.

The central moonstone of the pendant is bigger than the others.

esoteric pendant in silver and stones

January 11, 2023 — Lauro Rosales

Custom Masonic Ring

Freemasonry has existed for centuries and uses symbols from its origins in the art of building, such as the square and compas that are the most emblematic symbols of freemasonry around the world.

These are the basic tools of the builders of the ancient time, when the freemasonry emerged back in the 13th century in England.

It should be noted that these symbols are also shared with the companions of duty and other workers' guilds around the world, which let us understand the impact freemasonry had beyong its inner circle.

It is therefore normal to see on most masonic rings these symbols reproduced in the form of engravings or moldings.

In the case of the project presented here, it is an 18-karats white-gold Freemason ring surmounted by a natural onyx stone receiving in its center the square and the 18-karats yellow gold compass.

gold masonic ring with black onyx

Freemason ring made in 18 carat white and yellow gold, via our custom-made ring creation service

December 10, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6
Tags: Signet Rings

11 Easy Tips to Choose the Right Engagement Ring for Her

Getting engaged surely is an important step in life, but it can be a real headache for the fiancé when comes the moment to choose the engagement ring.

Choosing the right engagement ring you want to offer to your fiancée isn't an easy task.

The issues to be faced by the fiancé are many :

  • what style and ring design does she like?
  • what's her finger size ?
  • which stone to choose ? diamond or gemstone ?
  • how to choose a diamond ?
  • which metal will fit for the ring ?
  • will my budget be enough ?

How to choose a large diamaond engagement ring

November 22, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Mexican Opal Mine: Hunting Opals in Magdalena de los Opalos

The small town of Magdalena de los Opalos is worth a visit, although it is a bit far from the city of Puerto Vallarta. Indeed, this town of 16,000 inhabitants is of a typical Mexican style, its very clean streets allow you to walk around the central square and the surrounding streets while enjoying the freshness that you cannot find in Puerto Vallarta. The many opal mines surrounding the city have made it a recognized place of exchange for this gem and the visit of the mines as well as the search for opals for leisure have made it an interesting tourist destination to spend a day or two there.

view of Magdalena de los Opalos in Jalisco, Mexico where you can find mexican fire opals

November 16, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6
Tags: Gemstones

Soccer Championship Ring for the 2022 World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is the sporting event of the year 2022. And it is all the more interesting for jewelers since the 2018 edition, with the victory of the French soccer team, gave rise to the creation of a soccer championship ring to celebrate this victory.

This ring, completely devoid of the style of American championship rings, was made by Los Angeles jeweler Jason Arasheben.

This massive ring is interesting in terms of design, but may disappoint some football fans in the sense that we do not know how to differentiate it from other American style championship rings made for championships of other sports such as American football or basketball.

2022 soccer championship ring for the FIFA world cup

November 11, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Custom 24k Gold Jewelry

When it comes to jewelry, 24k gold is the most precious metal you could use to make a unique jewelry. For most precious it is, pure gold has some constraints you should be aware of.

Three main particularities characterize 24k gold:

  • Color
  • softness
  • weight

Color: 24k gold is obviously yellow, deep yellow and only yellow. As being pure gold, it is not possible to have pure gold of different color as it has not been mixed with any other metal. (white gold and rose gold are the result of pure gold mixed with other metals that change its color).

Softness: 24k gold is also a soft metal that is quite easy to bend compared to 18k gold or enve 22k gold. So jewelry made from pure gold has to be thicker than 18k gold jewelry to withstand the everyday life being worn during decades.

Weight: density of 24k gold is 19,5 while 18k gold density is 15,4. So every jewelry made in pure gold is almost 30% heavier than the same jewelry made of 18k gold. Obviously, this affects the price of our 24k jewelry as it is heavier and 1 gram of pure gold is more expensive than 1 gram of 18k gold.

Taking into account this information, these are the reason not all jewelry is made of 24k gold and why 24k gold jewelry really stands out of conventionnal jewelry.

Here after, we present different custom jewelry projects made of 24k gold.

 INDEX

  1. Custom 24k gold Rings
  2. Custom Name Necklace
  3. Custom pendants in 24k gold
custom ring in 24k gold custom earrings in 24k gold 24k custom name necklace
October 20, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Custom Emerald Engagement Ring

When it comes to proposal, surprising your fiancée with a unique engagement ring design is by far one of the best feeling a man can feel.

While custom diamond ring designs are the norm for proposals, going sideways choosing a unique an mysterious precious stone as the emerald is a sure way to surprise her and make your engagement ring colourful.

Of course, be sure emerald is a stone that she loves.

Emerald stones were considered precious for centuries, by far before diamonds were even know all over the world.

In the case of this emerald engagement ring making, we are going to show you all the steps our clients went through to create a truly unique emerald ring so he could propose his fiancée with one of a kind ring.

emerald ring customized for proposal

September 14, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Hand-Crafting Unique Engagement Rings

When comes the moment of the proposal, it is easier to do it with the right engagement ring.

You may have the best proposal idea, but having THE perfect engagement ring hand-made and personnalized for her will give you confidence to popose her with a YES as an answer.

You will discover here various unique engagement ring designs hand-crafted in our jewelry worshop so you can discover how to can start with an idea and finish with a stunning piece of jewelry that will impact your whole life.

Let's begin.

blue topaz engagement ring hand made in our workshop custom engagement ring hand-crafted with diamonds initial engagement ring in 18k gold
unique emerald engagement ring hand-made with personnalized design blue sapphire engagement ring custom made simple ruby engagement ring

 

June 16, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

2.5 ct Diamond Engagement Ring

Whether for an engagement or to celebrate a wedding anniversary, a diamond ring is the most sought-after jewel for this kind of occasion.

In the case of this diamond ring project, we show you step by step the designing and creation of a custom engagement ring made of a triple shank set with a large oval 1,7 carat diamond. You will notice on the picture that the shank is set with 1,6 millimeter round diamonds for a total de 1,7 carat of diamond.

In total, this ring is set with 2,5 carat of diamond.

large engagement diamond ring

June 13, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Antique Byzantine Silver Ring Making

The reproduction of antique jewelry is an opportunity to recreate and appropriate pieces of history that fascinate us, both for their design, so different from modern jewelry, and for their history, which reminds us of the origin of our civilization.

The British Museum in London exhibits incredible Byzantine rings, which recall the splendor of the Byzantine Empire, pearl of the Orient at a time when Christianity was very present there.

We therefore had the opportunity for one of our customers to reproduce one of these rings that you can find here on their site

antique byzantine ring in silver

June 01, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

Intaglio Ring: from Antiquity to the present day

Intaglio rings are not at all fashionable, they are not even known to the general public at all.

And yet, everything about these rings is fascinating, whether it's their method of manufacture, which hasn't really changed over the centuries, or their millennial history, which bears the traces of the many civilizations that have preceded ours and left their mark for the making of modern intaglio rings.

To open the chapter of intaglio ring is to delve into the history of the world and antiquity, myths and legends, a fascinating world full of adventures, fantastic beasts, gods, but also everyday objects and life scenes from antiquity in Egypt, Mesopotamia or the Roman Empire.

onyx intaglio intaglio singet ring in 18k gold

 

May 23, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS FRANCOIS RAPHAEL TANI8011158E6

14K Gold Watch Bracelet Making

Gold watches are, for men, the ultimate luxury jewel.

Elegant and easy to wear, the watches are discreet while being an object of admiration because of their mechanical complexity and the aura of the brands that design and manufacture them.

In this case, we were able to craft a 14K white gold bracelet for our client who wanted it for his Patek Phillip 5054 18K gold luxury watch.

patek philippe 18k white gold watch

February 16, 2022 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS

Sapphire Stone Jewelry Guide

Sapphire is one of the four most precious gemstones (which are diamond, ruby, emerald, and ... sapphire) and certainly the best known with diamond. Blue sapphire is by far the colored gemstone the most used in jewelry.

For most people, sapphire means blue sapphire as this is the most famous type of sapphire stone. In fact, there are many varieties of sapphire gemstone that can be of any color, from white (or colorless) to green.

Sapphire is actually a variety of corundum with traces of other chemical elements that give it its color. It is characterized by a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, just after moissanite which has a hardness of 9.5, and below diamond which has a hardness of 10.

raw blue sapphire compared with cut blue sapphire

December 22, 2021 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS

Tanzanite : the origin of its price

Tanzanite stone is not a precious stone, within the meaning of French law, which only considers diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds as such.

However, the price of Tanzanite stone makes it a gemstone in its own right :

  • it is rare in geological sense (1000 times rarer than diamond)
  • it has exceptional blue / violet colors
  • it is in great demand in jewelry
  • we are already talking about the closing date of the only production mine

To better understand the fascinating history of this stone, we invite you to dive into the origins of its discovery.

Tanzanite ring

October 28, 2021 — Hugo Maherault
Tags: Gemstones

Bottom Up V3+ 3D printer build and test

As part of my jewelry business, I use 3D printing for the creation of Castable masters for some of my jewelry. Mainly making unique and complex pieces for my clients, I need to quickly and faithfully print wax masters for our creations.

I started my work on 3D printing in 2015 with the purchase of a 1200 Project 3DS printer, an honest review of which is published here (in French). I then changed my printer, for a Draken 3D printer from the company 3DFacture which is also an SLA type 3D printer offering a larger printing surface than the 1200 and the freedom to manage the light exposure parameters at will, allowing me to work with resins more economical than those of 3DS and especially castable.

 Then, I now turned to a 3D printer, still SLA, but of a new type for me since printing from the bottom up, unlike the two previous printers which are of the Bottom-Up type.

3D printer software

September 17, 2021 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS

130+ creative proposal ideas for a unique event

If you are looking for the best idea to propose to your girlfriend to marry you or get engaged, this is your definitive list.

We have gathered the most complete list of 135 great proposal ideas.

Whatever your skills or the personality of your loved one, you will find here the perfect way to ask her: Will you marry me?

The proposal idea I prefer is number 17 and the craziest might be number 122 while number 124 was a buzz worldwide.

more thant 130 proposal ideas

Check this out! 

  1. Best proposal ideas at Home
  2. Unique ways to propose to your loved one
  3. Beach proposal ideas
  4. Romantic proposal
  5. Outdoor proposal ideas
  6. Simple and private proposal ideas
  7. Cute proposal ideas
  8. Winter proposal ideas
  9. Fall proposal ideas
  10. Party proposal with family and friends
  11. Funny proposal
  12. Public proposal ideas
  13. Flower proposal
  14. Amazing proposal ideas that are way different
  15. Hotel proposal
  16. Holiday or Vacation proposal
  17. Restaurant proposal
July 12, 2021 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS

Custom Family Crest Signet Rings

Signet rings are centuries old, and while they are not used anymore as seal ring as they used to be in the past, they are a symbol of pride and elegance nowadays.

There are still synonyme of durability and in most of the case are an heirloom to the future family generation.

3 family initials gold signet rings

We mary ancient craftmanship with modern jewelry tools as 3D rendering and 3D printing to get amazing results. We detail here below the way we proceed and the making process used to craft your bespoke signet ring.

We offer the best customizable experience as your are free to choose:

  • The form and size of your ring, no process limitation
  • The metal of your choice, it can be Silver, 14k, 18k or even 22k gold
  • Open or closed ring (heavier in metal)
  • Raised engraving or intaglio
  • Metal or gemstone engraving
June 16, 2021 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS

The different types of necklace chains links in jewelry

Faced with all the existing chain maille weaves for making chains, used both for bracelets, necklaces and anklets, it's normal that you feel disoriented when you search for an internet purchase.

To find your way around, we offer you this guide which includes most of the chain maille weaves used for bracelets, chains and necklaces.

big silver chain for men

In the menu that follows, you can click on the model that interests you to go to the related chapter, or see our summary poster at the end of the article.

1 English chain 11 Spiral chain
2 Curb chain 12 American chain
3 Anchor chain 13 Mirror chain
4 Jaseron chain 14 Rope chain
5 Venetian chain 15 Bean chain
6 Snake chain 16 Gourmette chain
7 Palm chain 17 Polish chain
8 Horse chain 18 Rice grain chain
9 Coffee bean chain 19 Royal or Peruvian or Byzantine chain
10 Figaro chain 20 Industrial production of gold chains (video)

 

May 06, 2021 — TRANCHANT NICOLAS