How Easy Order Designing Works
-After you read about the options here, browse our galleries & choose a Design you like & add it to your favorites
-Fill your Favorites list with items that have design elements you like... note what you like about each piece! (accent gems, the engraving, pattern, etc.)
-Choose a Gemstone & save it (Add to cart, save in your Favorites list or click "Ask a Designer" to get more info about it.)
-When you're done, click "Ask a Designer" on your Main Design, share your ideas & leave the rest to us!
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Choose your Favorite Design
Pick any of our Easy Order Originals, Semi-finished pieces or virtually any design in our portfolio as a starting point.
We love to customize in so many ways, from adding design elements to mixing several ideas to create a ring that is all about You!
Pin choices to your favorites list with notes of what you like about each one, then click "Ask a Designer" on your main Design & get started with our Artists.
Can't Wait? Call 888.339.1709, live chat or click "Ask a Designer" for help!
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We have lots of choices, but that's on purpose! Who wants a ring like everyone elses?
Want an Original fast? Pick an instock piece & let us customize it for you.
Prefer a made to order design, but not sure about full custom?
Pick an Easy Order Original with virtually any option...
like a square shank?
How about a few more accent gems, or a different hand engraving style?
No problem, there are no limits!
Really want a Unique Custom Original?
Start with any idea, design, sketch or just have a conversation with one of our incredible Artists!
...We love to make Unique, One-of-a-kind pieces!
Choose your Favorite Gemstone
Most of our Original Designs are made to order, so you can choose the main Diamond or other Gemstone. We will even change the center Gem on most in stock Designs if you like another one better. We specialize in diamonds & all colors of beautiful sapphires & we pick those that "stand out" in a parcel, hand selecting each gem we buy.
We don't buy a gemstone by lab grade alone & neither should you. We carefully inspect each one, looking for sparkle, color as well as characteristics not listed on lab reports. Your Green Lake Designer is your partner to get you the most beautiful gem for the money and for your design.
Call 888.339.1709, live chat or click "Ask a Designer" for help!
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For example, we take into account characteristics that are not listed on most
certificates like surface graining, or internal graining which are types of
imperfection not generally shown on a GIA Report plot. Graining can exist even in IF and VVS diamonds without affecting the clarity grade
if the graining is colorless, however a diamond witl little or no visible
graining looks betterr and is more valuable than an diamond with an identical
grade with medium to heavy graining. This is one of many reasons that there's a
wide price range between the top and bottom diamonds with the same grades.
We pride ourselves on making each piece an original, & that includes making sure you have the perfect center gem for your special Ring.
Personalizing with Accent Gems
Since we make each piece right here in our Seattle Studio, we can customize any Stock piece, Easy Order
Original or Full custom Design with all kinds of accent gems.
As you browse the site, when you see a piece that has accent gems you like, jot a note of what you like about it & click "Add to Favorites". Then,
when you find the design(s) that that you like the most, click "Ask a Designer" and start designing with our artists.
We'll look over your favorites & notes & help you Create your own Original Design in no time!
Browse our Design Essential Customizable
pieces
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If you find a perfect instock semi-finished piece, it's especially fast as we have a live metal foundation to start with...we just add your favorite finishing touches & Go!
From Bead set diamonds to a channel of Sapphires & diamonds to open Micro-pave set gems... anything is possible.
Accent gems can make even the simplest design Unique!
From Left to right:
Flush set
Channel set
French Cut micro-pave (aka Open Bead set)
Hand engraving makes your
design an Original
At Green Lake Jewelry Works, fine hand engraving is one of our specialties, & we
have more hand engravers on staff than
most any other custom shop in america.
We can add hand engraved patterns, lettering, or unique motifs to virtually any surface of any design. Choose any piece with a blank area, and let us create you a true original... add her favorite flower,
dragons, a special message or virually anything you can imagine!
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How does it work?
Hand engraving is the done by cutting the surface with finely prepared tool steel or carbide gravers and is done as one of the very last steps, so we can add engraving to existing pieces any time. Cast patterns on the other hand are cast as part of the design and have to planned for in advance.)
As you browse our portfolio, when you see an engraving you like, add it to your favorites.
When you see a piece with an engraving style or pattern you like, save it with a note & add it to your favorites.
Once you find a design you like, click "Ask a Designer" to consult with our designers
on how best to combine all the elements you saved & create your own original design. From a simple flower to ornate designs
with inlaid metals, we can hand engrave any design you find or can imagine!
Hand Engraving turns a simple Classic into an Heirloom!
Hand done Milgrain ...the perfect
detail!
Milgrain edges go along with Hand engraving and bead set (micro-pave) diamonds so often, it's easy to overlook
milgrain as a design accent of it's own.
Fine, hand done
milgrain adds an elegent touch to otherwise simple designs, and makes the edge of a row of diamond have an Antique, finished sparkly look!
Look through our Portfolio of custom designs with milgrain details and see!
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Milgrain is done by hand cutting a fine groove to create a ridge, then running a toothed wheel along the ridge or edge. We often add it to engraving and to Bead set accent Gems, as well as using it by itself...Milgrain is the perfect finishing touch!
Milgrain around engraving, Double Milgrain, between accent Gems & as an edge detail.
Hand Made Filgree & Hand Forged details
Fine wire filigree was nearly a lost art until Green Lake & a few other shops around the country brought it back to popularity over a decade ago.
You see, most "filigree work" in mass produced jewelry is actually cast in place,
not hand done. The problem is, when you try to cast filigree, you can't achieve the delicate detail of hand made filigree
wire work.
Green Lake is recognized as one of the finest filigree and hand made specialty shops in America.
"When Love and skill work
together expect a masterpiece." - John Ruskin
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There are no shortcuts to quality workmanship...
Compare the details; Many shops no longer even do hand forged work like we offer.
Almost all of our bench artists do hand made filigree & forged wire work.
"Jewelers" that don't do their own custom work in house cannnot possibly do the finest
work. Our designers, CAD modelers, wax carvers & bench artists can collaborate,
trouble shoot and do Great work because they all work within feet of each other.
Now you can work with great jewelry Artists directly!
Just for fun, ask other jewelers & "custom jewelry" sites where there work is done &
to see some finished pieces up close...you'll see the difference that fine hand made detailing makes.
At Green Lake, our intricate & detailed work
is done under 10x Microscopes, & each piece is finished out wonderfully. You
will see that custom designs as well as original, made to order jewelry at Green Lake is simply more beautiful and well made than mass produced or "semi-custom" from almost anyone else.
Finishes & Textures
Instock pieces, especially bands can be customized easily with special finishes or Textures. From a highly polished gleam to a rustic Boulder Finishtm we have all the tricks to add unique & interesting finishes to any design. We also help you select the best metal for each finish. For example, our "No Rhodium" white gold alloys hold a polish better than platinum & palladium, which each develop a signature soft matte patina over time.
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One of our favorite textures for Mens' Bands, for example, is created by pounding the band against a 3 ton Boulder at one of our shop entrances... You'll often find Ray outside, hammering away to create a unique, impossible to replicate texture!
We also really like a leathery looking finish we do, it's stippled finish (like a thousand microscopic hammer strikes) with a matte finish on top of it and then we take ahighly polished metal tool and rub across the surface to create highlights...Durable and beautiful!
Read more about our finishes...
Selecting the right Metal
Gold, Platinum, Palladium or Silver, take your pick...
We use the best metals available based on our hundreds of years of experience. Our
favorite metals are Platinum 950, Palladium 950 (both alloyed primarily with Ruthenium
or Cobalt), and a great, super White 14kt White Gold alloy from Stuller called x-1.
14k x-1 requires no rhodium plating (a process we think of as deceptive, as it wears off; usually revealing a yellowish-white metal underneath.)
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The Shank is the foundation of your Ring
The shank is the part of the ring below the main Gemstone. Although traditionally considered the lower half, it is not just the bottom of the ring, it is the foundation of your desing. The shank determines how your ring fits, how badly it turns in winter and is the pallette for most of the design. Matter of fact, in most designs, the side of the shank is one of the most important parts. Choose the inner & outer shape for a better fit, the cross section or even complex leaf & vine pattern shanks.
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Our most popular shank is a softly squared off shape (inside and out; aka Euro shank). It is very comfortable as the ring bulges out less between the fingers. This shank style also turns on the finger less during cold months & fits over knuckles more easily than a traditional round shank. Look at your finger, most people don't actually have round fingers, they are kind of a soft square shape. Factory made jewelry is made with round shanks because it is easier to make and can be sized up or down to fit almost any size. Since we make our rings one at a time, modifying whatever is needed for each client, we don't have to make one ring mold that can be re-used thousands of times...One more reason a Green Lake ring is a better ring!
Gemstone Setting styles
The main Gemstone setting is the heart of your ring and the most noticeable part. It doesn't just secure your gem, it serves as the focal point of your ring and sets the stylistic tone as well. The same design with a simple 4-prong head looks totally different with a full bezel and a halo of tiny diamonds surrounding it!
Beware of "Custom" designs with changable heads,...
They look like they were just tacked on ...which is what they are.
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Cast Patterns & Motifs
From celtic knots to leave & vine to mountain scenes, we have thousands of patterns in our portfolio, & can make custom patterns from any idea you can imagine. Save a few to your favorites,
(don't worry...even if they are a different syle or shape, we can fit most patterns to almost any surface of a new custom design.)
Don't forget, these are cast as part of the piece, so new patterns can't be added to existing pieces
.. for those, look to engraving or filigree...
Look through our
Portfolio of custom designs with patterns and see!
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pattern details
Creating a Unique Custom Band
Creating an Original Custom band is easier than ever!
Choose your favorite pattern or texture, edge style, width, thickness & overall shape to create your perfect Original. As you browse the site, add pieces that have Design Elements you like to your favorites.
When you're ready, click "Ask a Designer". Working directly with with our Artists we'll help you decide how to combine them to create an Original that is perfect for you! There are literally unlimited possiblities to create the perfect, Unique ring...
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It seems complicated at first, but we help you choose just the right options...We make it easy to get a true Original!
Add bands with these Key Design Elements to your favorites
Main Pattern or style
From Celtic knots to mountain scenes to our Uniquely masculine boulder finish we have thousands of ideas..or start a design page and upload a picture & we'll create a new design.
We can also make most patterns in different ways (For example, a raised pattern can be hand engraved instead, or turned into a "cut in pattern"... Browse & save anything you like to your favorites & ask your designer for advice.
Rails & edges
We can widen, narrow or eliminate the side rails, add milgrain or rope work...pretty much any edge treatment you like can be added to almost any design.
Cross section
Like your ring a bit thinner between the fingers? Or maybe you prefer a domed, heavier feel? By varying the cross section shape and thickness, we can make a heavy 2000.00 platinum band fit a 1000.00 budget, or a flat ring have a comfortable, rounded inner surface & rolled edges to feel like silk between your fingers.
Overall shape
Most designs can have a softly squared Euro shape to fit better over large knuckles, or Big masculine corners for added heft. We do lots of custom shapes as well.
Accent Gems
Making him a mountain band with the mountains from your trip to Chile? How about adding a tiny yellow diamond for the setting sun, or a row of blue sapphires where that river was? Of course we can add a row of accent diamonds to your wedding band too...just save a design with the look of gems & setting style you like with a short note or ask your designer for ideas.
Then click Ask a Designer & get started with our Artists!