Here is the final sketch...
Then I decided to do a final image in gouache on vellum... which is a fairly traditional way to render jewelry. But because this is so thin and pretty much all gray and white in color, I outlined it in an India Ink pen.
There will be a band across the bottom (the headband) but I did not include it in the illustration.
This piece is designed to be fabricated in Sterling Silver with approximately one carat of Diamond Melee, twenty-two 3.5-4mm round off-white pearls, one pearl drop and one marquis cut white sapphire (or another white semi-precious stone.)
Now, I am not just building this for the client... but also for myself. This will be a great portfolio piece. Let's be serious... how often does somebody want a custom tiara? So, this will probably be the only one I ever make. AND if it comes out as good as I think it will, I may actually borrow it back to enter in a jewelry competition.
For that reason, I'm making this at cost. I'm giving my time (labor) and only charging labor for the stone setting (I probably will leave that up to a master setter because I would like it bead set.)
But even though this is at cost... it's looking like it will cost upwards of a couple thousand dollars. If we leave all the diamonds out, we can drop it by around 1k.
And this is an issue I have been running into... I cannot control the cost of materials. I have said it time and time again... precious metal is at an all time high, and there is no relief in sight. I try my hardest to come up with the lowest prices possible (making the metal thinner, the overall size smaller, offering materials at wholesale pricing plus my labor, etc) but I can only do so much.
I'll keep you posted on the final decisions with this piece.
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