To help launch the new Spectre x360, HP gave a sneak peek at the maker process. Jewelry designer and blogger Jess Hannah was one of those makers and she was up for the challenge when they asked her to #bendtherules of her design process to create something, unlike anything she’d made before. She had been thinking about doing custom bridal for some time, and this was just the push she needed to embark on this new journey. Jess knew she didn’t want your average brilliant cut diamond. No, she envisioned something truly unique and knew Jean-Noel of Top Notch Faceting was the guy for the job.
The final design is exquisite! Perfection at its best.
Here is Jess’ experience:
“I didn’t have a ton of time to work on this project. Which was fine for me, because I tend to work well under pressure anyway. Lucky for me Jean happened to be in town, so I met with him to drool over some of his unique hand cut stones. I fell in love with a beige asymmetrical hexagon-ish shaped Zircon (not to be confused with Cubic Zirconia- they are not related), from Harts Range in Australia. The coolest thing about this stone is the Double Refraction. When you look into the stone the facets have a blurring effect- what you are actually looking at are the physically larger molecules that make up the crystal, vibrating on an atomic level.” as told by Jess.
Jess: “People tend to lean towards diamonds for engagement rings but I am starting to see a new trend toward alternative stones. They are starting to realize that diamonds are in fact NOT rare and that they gained their popularity and status through marketing on behalf of the DeBeers Organization. All gem grade materials are rare- However, among gemstones, diamonds are actually the most common.
When I first set out to design this piece, I took the HP Spectre x360 around with me and sat at a coffee shop to browse the web for some inspiration. The size made it easy to use and the versatility really came in handy – especially tent mode. Since it was propped up without the keyboard in the way, it allowed me to look up stone shapes to reference while I sketched on my notebook right below.
I sketched out my design on paper and figured out all of the specifications of the design, then scanned it into the HP Spectre x360 and sent it off to my CAD designer. Because my drawings were so specific, we were able to communicate primarily over email to get my ideas across. When I saw the wax in person, it was exactly what I had hoped for. The design features the Zircon in a four prong setting with rose cut grey diamonds on each side. All of the prongs are very rounded and that theme is continued on the shank of the ring with graduated dots. The ring is 18k solid yellow gold.”
If you are interested in this ring or have your own idea for your custom engagement ring, please
shoot Jess an email at info@jhannahjewelry.com.
[All images and info thanks to Jess Hannah]