A private studio on Bellevue Avenue where a commission starts with loose stones on the desk, not a catalogue. You see a 3D rendering, then wear a printed model of the finished piece, before anything is cast. Inherited stones welcome.
Most custom pages describe four beats. Draw it, print a wax, cast it, set it. That skips the two decisions that actually determine whether you like the finished piece, so here is the whole sequence including the point where you say no.
A booked appointment means the cases are open and loose stones come out on the desk. Bring a photograph, a ring that fits, an inherited piece, or nothing at all. Budget is discussed at this point rather than at the end, because it decides the stone.
Natural or lab grown, shown side by side at matching specification with the certificate in front of you. Cut is what makes a diamond bright, which is why a well cut stone one clarity grade lower usually looks better than the reverse.
The design is drawn in 3D around your stone and its exact measurements. You see it from every angle before a single millimeter is committed. Changes at this stage cost nothing but a conversation.
A resin or wax model of the finished piece, printed and put on your hand. This is where band width and stone height get settled, because proportions on a screen and proportions on a finger are not the same thing.
Once you approve the model the piece is cast in your metal and the stone is set by the bench jewelers the studio has used for years. Setting style, prong count and finish were all agreed before this point.
You see the finished piece before you take it. After that, prong checks and cleaning keep it wearable, and resizing or retipping is handled at the studio like any other repair.
Same mineral, same grading scale. Nobody can tell them apart by eye. What changes is price, which decides how large a stone your budget reaches or how good a cut you can afford.
Shown together, not sold separately. Both come out on the desk at matching specification so the comparison is yours. There is a longer version in our lab grown vs natural diamonds guide.
Cut is what makes a diamond return light. A well cut stone one clarity grade lower usually looks brighter than a poorly cut stone with the better certificate. It also costs less.
Eye clean is the practical test. If an inclusion cannot be seen without magnification at normal distance, it is doing nothing to the way the ring looks on a hand.
Sapphire and ruby are hard enough for daily wear. Emerald is included by nature and usually oiled. Opal and pearl are softer again. Tanzanite is easier to chip than its price suggests.
Hardness decides the setting. A softer stone wants a bezel or a protected profile rather than raised prongs, which is a design decision made before the drawing, not after.
Two stones at the same carat weight can differ noticeably across the top, because weight can hide in a deep pavilion. The measurement that matters for how large a ring reads is the diameter.
The setting is cut to your stone. Seat depth, prong position and the gap under the stone are all built to the one you own, which is why the stone is chosen first.
Metal is usually picked on color in the showroom and regretted on wear. The differences are real and they are easy to explain, so here they are before you choose.
When platinum is scratched it displaces rather than sheds, so the metal moves around the mark instead of leaving. Prongs thin more slowly, which matters for the part of a ring that holds the stone.
It is denser and heavier on the hand, it develops a soft patina that some people prefer and others have polished off. It also costs more per gram.
14k is harder. More alloy, more resistance to knocks and daily wear. The color reads slightly cooler.
18k is warmer and softer. Richer yellow and more precious metal by weight. Also more willing to pick up dings. Neither is the correct answer. It depends on whether the piece is worn every day or occasionally.
White gold is yellow gold alloyed pale and then plated with rhodium to make it bright white. That plating wears, usually first on the back of the shank. Re-plating is a routine job every few years.
Nobody mentions this at the point of sale often enough. It is not a fault. It is maintenance. Worth knowing before you choose white over platinum.
A high solitaire throws light and also catches on gloves, hair and car doors. A bezel or a lower profile trades some sparkle for a stone that survives a life spent using your hands.
Micro pave reads as delicate because it is. Small stones want checking periodically, which is ordinary jewelry repair work rather than a defect.
Resetting a family stone is the work people are most nervous about. They are right to ask questions first. Three things are worth knowing before anything is unset.
A chip at the girdle or a hairline running from an inclusion can sit invisible under a prong for fifty years. It is found by looking at the stone out of the setting, which is the first thing that happens rather than the last.
Old European and transitional cuts often carry thin girdles. A thin girdle is more fragile at the moment of setting. That does not rule out a reset. It changes which settings are sensible.
Occasionally a stone should stay where it is. Occasionally the old mount is worth keeping and restoring instead. You get told that plainly. An honest no costs a sale and saves a stone that cannot be replaced.
It starts with a conversation at the studio, usually with stones on the desk rather than photographs on a screen. The stone is chosen first because the setting is built to its exact measurements. You then see a 3D rendering, then a printed model you can wear. Nothing is cast until you approve it.
Because a setting is built to a specific stone. Two diamonds of the same carat weight can differ by half a millimeter across. Prong position, seat depth and the gap under the stone are all cut to the one you actually own. Designing first and shopping for a stone to fit afterwards is how a setting ends up compromised.
Yes. Resetting inherited stones is some of the most satisfying work in the studio. It starts with looking at the stone out of its old setting, because chips at the girdle and hairline damage hide under prongs for decades. You get an honest answer about what a stone can take before anything is unset.
They are the same mineral graded on the same scale, so the real question is what your budget reaches. At matching specification a lab grown stone costs less, which usually buys size or a better cut grade. We show both side by side in daylight rather than steering you. The longer explanation is in our lab grown vs natural diamonds guide.
Platinum displaces rather than sheds metal when it wears, so prongs thin more slowly and a scratch pushes the surface around instead of removing it. 14k gold is harder than 18k and holds up better to daily knocks, while 18k is warmer in color and softer. White gold is yellow gold plated with rhodium, so it needs re-plating every few years to stay bright.
A high solitaire catches light and also catches on gloves, hair and car doors. A bezel or a lower profile protects the stone and suits people who work with their hands. Micro pave looks delicate because it is. Small stones need checking periodically. That trade off is worth deciding before the piece is designed rather than after a stone is lost.
That is exactly what the model is for. Proportions read differently on a hand than on a screen. Band width, stone height and the gap under the shank are the three that usually change. The design is adjusted and printed again before anything is cast.
Yes. Pendants, earrings, bracelets and redesigns of jewelry that is no longer worn all go through the same process. Colored stones bring their own considerations, since emerald and opal are far softer than sapphire or ruby and want a setting that protects them.
Astra Jewelers is at 250 Bellevue Ave, 2nd Floor, Montclair, NJ 07043, in Upper Montclair. Design appointments are Monday to Saturday, 10:00am to 6:00pm. The studio serves Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Verona, Cedar Grove and the rest of Essex County.
We are a second-floor studio on Bellevue Avenue. Appointments get you undivided attention, and walk-ins are welcome during opening hours.
250 Bellevue Ave, 2nd Floor, Montclair, NJ 07043
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10:00am-6:00pm