The Price of Being Different

A letter to all of you who sell our Steel Stacking rings with diamonds (that would be 99% of you!)

Our great success is based on our use of unusual and original materials. And we often find ourselves in equally unique situations when it comes to putting the jewelry together - there is not instruction manual for making jewelry out of cobalt chrome! It can be, at times experimental, and if something doesn't work the way we want, we continue to test and try new ideas and methods. This has been the case recently with our steel and diamond stacking rings.

We have had occasion when the diamonds on our steel stacking rings have come off. This is because the solder joint of gold to steel is just not as strong as gold to gold. Of course we always replace the diamond no charge, no question, and even though this is a rare occurrence (less than .01 percent of all the rings we have sold) and we have made our retailers aware of this potential, it is still our best selling ring, by a landslide! Even so, this has troubled me me to the point of loosing sleep over it. I feel it is unacceptable, because it undermines the confidence your customers have in our, and all of your, jewelry.

So, finally, we have found, if not a solution, a vast improvement. We have changed the way we are attaching the diamond bezels to the steel rings – it involves cutting a seat into which the bezel fits, which helps in two ways: first, it provides much more contact surface, which makes for a strong solder joint. Second, the seat provides a small but significant shoulder on either side of the bezel, which also gives significant support, and holds the bezel steady against hard knocks which may occur with wear.

With this increase in security comes an increase of solder, and a bit more is apparent, primarily on the underside. Minimizing the appearance of the solder joint on the top involves cutting the seat just right - a technique that doesn't allow any room for error! Aesthetically, I am confident that the new rings are still just as beautiful, especially given the increased safety (to the ring, and, most importantly, to your credibility as a fine jewelry retailer).

My thought process is this: It is always best that a customer knows what they are getting upon purchase - no surprises. So, rather than selling rings with invisible solder seams that have potential to fail (this would qualify as a surprise, and a rather negative one, at that), we should sell them rings are constructed soundly, regardless of appearance - and if this construction is not aesthetically appealing, the customer won't buy it.

Now, lest you worry the appearance of your beloved best seller has changed drastically, please allow me to allay your fears. I doubt most of you would even notice the change - it is really quite minor. And, because it is primarily on the underside, it is not seen when the ring is worn.

I really believe form must follow function, especially at these prices. If the design doesn’t function properly, it should not be made, no matter how pretty it is.

As always, I welcome your feedback....