The Metal Arts Custom Design Studio

When I first decided to propose to my girlfriend, I literally knew nothing about jewelry or any of the jewelers around Iowa City. After doing some research and looking around at various jewelers, I was able to come up with an idea for the type of ring that my girlfriend would like. I wanted a ring in which the diamond was set lower into the band and thus I had a large amount of difficulty finding examples of rings since most jewelers don’t carry many engagement rings of that style. That’s when I first began to consider MC Ginsberg and their designing studio, The Metal Arts.

While designing an engagement ring, especially when it’s your first major jewelry purchase (like this was for me), can seem a daunting task, Miriam and the rest of the staff at MC Ginsberg truly made it a wonderful experience. Miriam listened very carefully to the suggestions I had as well as my description about the type of ring I wanted. From there she was able to find examples of the types of diamonds and side stones I wanted to see, as well as making a few suggestions I had never even considered. My entire experience during the design process was amazing; I never felt pressured or pushed one way or another by the staff, they merely laid out the options, pointed out a few benefits and limitations of the options and then left it completely up to me to decide.[continued below]

Preliminary Sketch

Wireframe CAD

High Resolution Render

To-Scale Wax Model + Actual Gems

Finished Piece

The entire design process and the actual development of the ring took a little less than 2 months and when the ring came back it was perfect. It was exactly what I was hoping for and now, after the fact, I cannot imagine undergoing this process in any other way. I now have strong memories of the design process that will make this ring special for me in a way that could never have been if I just purchased a pre-fabricated ring. My fiancée now has a unique engagement ring that was made specifically with her in mind. Finally, Miriam worked very hard to stay within my budget and in the end the ring ended up being cheaper than most of the “not-quite-right” rings I had looked at previously. I highly recommend the design studio for any purchase in which you have an idea for the type of jewelry you want, even if you’re a “newcomer” to the field like I was. I cannot thank Miriam and the rest of the staff at MC Ginsberg enough for making this time in my life even more special.

-Nathan B.