After receiving hundreds of votes from our online community, we are proud to announce the winner of this year’s 2011 DIY (Dream it Yourself) Custom Design Jewelry contest, where you dream up the perfect piece of jewelry and we turn it into a wearable (and affordable) reality.
(Click to read the whole story)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR41YUiFcjk&feature=player_embeddedYes, we have a winner!
As we officially usher in our annual DIY (Dream it Yourself) Custom Design Jewelry contest, the question pops up: Why custom design a piece when I could simply buy one?
Here are 5 reasons, created from our team at Joseph Schubach Jewelers in Scottsdale, Arizona:
1. Uniqueness – Easily the top reason! You’ll have a piece that’s like no other. In a world of increasing “sameness”, a custom design piece of jewelry says distinctinctly and only you!
2. Creativity – When you create a piece of jewelry, you have the opportunity to use your imagination. The piece you create is borne out your creative wellspring. Everytime you look at it, you’ll proudly know the mastermind behind it!
3. Cost – Let’s get practical for a moment, shall we? You not only custom designing your engagment ring or wedding band, you custom design the price, by choosing the metal and the gem.
4. Heirloomability – Okay, we made that word up. But a true heirloom represents the owner and the generation. When you pass it down, you’ll know the piece represents you and your family.
5. Emotional connectivity – We have so many couples come in to our showroom who tell us exactly why they want a particular design; how each facet represents an element of their relationship. A custom design ring represents the emotion surrounding the piece. You can’t buy that from Tiffany’s!
So if you’re ready to custom design your wedding ring or engagement ring or a necklace or a pair of one-of-a-kind earrings, reach out to us! We’re more than just custom design jewelers, we’re dream makers.
We’re holding our annual custom design jewelry contest. Stop by. See our magic. Vote!
We’ve received close to 30 submissions for our Dream it Yourself custom design jewelry contest this year – the most ever! And now, we need your help. Take a moment to review our handcrafted pieces, designed according to each contestant’s exact specifications. Which one catches your eye? Ask your friends and family to vote, too!
“This year, we were truly amazed by the amount of submissions. Our one-of-a-kind jewelry design contest is really catching on! And each and every piece has a story to tell. One common theme among all of the pieces? A genuine sense of play. Everyone was prepared to take some fun and unusual chances. As designers, we were more than happy to oblige!”
– Joe Schubach
When you vote, here are the some points to consider:
1. Originality – does the piece have a distinct mark of individuality to it?
2. Playfulness – does the piece have a fun, personal touch to it?
3. Overall Feeling – how does the piece make you feel? Is it evocative?
This is a great example of custom jewelry redesign, where the client provides the stones and sometimes the metal. In this case, we created a truly dazzling piece that saved the client money and re-used existing material (ecologically sound!)
Dear Joe,
Once upon a time I met this woman who was to one day become my wife…. Having no idea what to do for wedding bands, I came to you and together we designed my wife’s 3 piece solitaire engagement ring and 2 part wedding bands, and a custom wedding band for myself. Back then it was all we could afford and the rings were testaments to our love for one another.
But then one day many years later, my wife decided that she wanted to have her 3 rings somehow mechanically glued together so they wouldn’t all turn in different directions. And I think this is where it all began……I am now forced to come and meet with you to discuss the metal gluing process…. and somehow we went from gluing (bad Idea), to designing to bigger dialmonds and making a whole new ring (better Idea). I’m not sure how this happened but it turned out to be the most fantastic rings anyone had ever seen. (it would win this contest hands down if it were in the contest)
(contd below pics)
So for the next four years, I had to stare at this really cool over the top bling ring, and listen to all the compliments, and then look down at my old ring in saddend disappointment that mine just wasn’t big enough or pretty enough. (yes size matters) To make matters worse my wife chipped her stone….. and again ……You convinced me to replace it with a bigger center stone. What was I thinking? Now her ring was WAY over the top and my ring was now this inferior little piece of jewlery that just wasn’t good enough any more.
SO ….Thank you for helping me make my dreams come true! Its not fair that my wife got to have you design a really cool ring with all kinds a big crazy diamonds and I had to be stuck with the first ring I could afford to have you design when we got married 8 years ago. Finally….. I now have my own size 14 Bling Ring with 18 1/2 carat diamonds totaling 9 carats. (note 1 more carat that my wife’s ! ) Some people say its crazy, but when they see that its designed in the same style as my wifes they see that it was meant to be!
No one has ever created 2 more perfect rings that go together, and we are showered with complements continuously on how beaiful they are. Mostly from strangers who are complaining about being blinded from yards away, Laugh.
and if you read this story and your thinking why did I go 1 more carat than my wife? Well its pre planning because one day she will chip a stone in her ring and Good ol’ Joe will trick me into getting her something bigger, and this way I will still be one step ahead.
Thanks Joe, I got what I wanted !
Stephen S
Marc wanted a matching ring and cuff link set using his three blue topaz stones, and he wanted something a little bit different. This is what happens when you give me a little design freedom. Black and white diamonds with blue topaz.