Omori Diamonds inc. is a Winnipeg custom jewellery designer specializing in fine engagement rings, diamond rings, custom pendants and all forms of custom jewellery. Book a free appointment with expert jewellery designer Jim Omori to receive undivided attention in creating your lifelong treasure

In this entry of the Omori Diamonds inc., Winnipeg custom jewellery journal, we are going to show you a very spectacular custom pendant we created. One of the fascinating aspects of this pendant is that it was created using a piece of jade that had been in the client’s family for over 300 years! As jewellery designers, one of the most exciting aspects of our job is when clients trust us with their precious heirlooms. We are very proud to be able to breathe new life into these family treasures, so that they can continue to be worn and enjoyed.

How the design started…

The client originally approached us with a piece of jade that had been in his family, dating back multiple generations to China. The jade, although incredibly beautiful had a small crack in it. We were given the task of designing a beautiful pendant for his wife which would conceal the chip and allow the jade to continue to show off it’s natural beauty.

To begin we created some hand drawings for the client to view and comment on.

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As you can see from the above drawing, Jim Omori created an outline of the pendant which would involve contoured rows of precious metal, inlaid with bright and beautiful round diamonds. This would create a beautiful complement to the Jade’s smooth shine, and the upper portion of the pendant would strategically hide the small chip. After showing the design drawings to the client, he enthusiastically approved the design and we went on the the next step!

Carving the custom design in wax…

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With the design drawings approved we then went on to the next crucial step in the jewellery design process. We carved the shape of the pendant in wax, so that it fit the exact proportions of the piece of jade. This step is not only important for allowing the design to be cast successfully, but is also a useful visual representation for the client. Most of the time, clients are thrilled at seeing their design come to life in 3D form, however there are times when they may have other suggestions or want to make changes. A wax carving is great, because we can make changes directly to the wax based on the clients input. In the case of the custom jade pendant, the client was very happy and gave the go ahead for us to cast the design in gold and platinum.

The Casting…

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Once the client approved the wax, we then went on to cast the design in gold and platinum. The above picture shows the rough, unpolished casting. The casting is done directly using the wax carving and so this is why it is so important to get the engagement design right from the start. Fortunately, we have assembled an excellent team of expert designers who are just the right specialists for the job!

The final masterpiece…

With the design cast, it was time to finalize the pendant. Our expert goldsmith went on to polish the platinum and gold as well as set the diamonds and of course, the precious piece of heirloom jade. At this point we contacted the client to come down and see his design in person. We are proud to say that he was amazed and grateful for how we were able to make use of his family heirloom to create a beautiful custom pendant for his wife.

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