A CAD render is the last point at which a ring costs nothing to change. After casting, a change of mind means a new piece and a new charge, because cast metal cannot be un-cast. That single fact is why we will not start a piece without written approval of the render, and why we would rather send you four revisions than one rushed approval.

What the render is for

A render is a dimensioned model, not a picture. Behind the image is a file where the shank has a measured width and thickness, the gallery has a measured height, the stone seat is cut to the actual stone, and the prongs have a length in millimeters. When we send a render we also send the dimensions, and those numbers are what we cast to.

This matters because a ring can look right in a render and be wrong on a hand. A 2.2 mm shank reads as delicate in an image and as thin after two years of daily wear. A 9 mm head reads as substantial at 3× magnification and as top-heavy at life size. The numbers keep the picture honest.

What to check before you approve

Look at six things, in this order:

  • Proportion. Center stone diameter against band width. As a rough guide, a band at about one third to one half the center stone's diameter looks balanced; much thinner reads as a wire, much thicker competes with the stone.
  • Shank thickness. Width is what you see, thickness is what keeps the ring round. Below about 1.5 mm thick at the base, a ring worn daily will distort.
  • Head height. How far the stone sits above the finger. A high head shows more stone and catches more on clothing. A low head is more practical and looks smaller.
  • Gallery and under-bezel. Whether the space under the stone is open, closed, or has a rail. This affects cleaning, light through the stone, and how the ring sits against a wedding band.
  • Prong count and shape. Four or six, round or claw. Fewer prongs show more stone; more prongs hold it more securely.
  • The profile from the side. Ask for a side view and a top view if you only received one angle. Most design problems are visible from the side.

Ask for the render at life size as well as enlarged. Every render we send can be shown with a scale reference — print it and lay a ruler against it.

The revisions customers ask for most

After a few thousand renders, the requests fall into patterns:

Make the band thinner. The single most common request, and often the one we push back on. We will cast a 1.8 mm band if you want it, but we will tell you what it will look like in five years.

Lower the stone. Usually driven by a job — nursing, cooking, gym work, gloves — or by a dislike of high settings after seeing the side view.

Change the prong style. Claw to round, four to six, or adding double claws on a large stone.

Adjust the curve. A band that needs to sit against an existing engagement ring. We ask for the other ring's measurements or a profile photograph, because a curve modelled to a guess will not fit.

Stone size. Often a move from 1 carat equivalent to 1.5 or back down after seeing the proportion at life size.

Engraving placement. Inside the shank, and whether the text will be hidden by the sizing bar.

What a render cannot tell you

It cannot show you how a stone will behave in room light. It cannot show the exact color of a lab-grown colored stone, which varies stone to stone. It does not show casting texture, plating sheen or the slight softness that hand-polishing gives an edge. Those appear in photographs of the finished piece, and we send those before packing on request.

It also cannot rescue a design that is wrong at the level of concept. If you want a ring that looks like a specific antique, a render of a modern setting will not get you there, and it is worth saying that at the first email rather than the third revision.

Why we insist on written approval

Because the approval email is the specification. It is what our setters and QC inspect against, and it is what we compare to if a piece arrives and something is not right. A verbal "looks good" on a call is not something we can check a ring against three weeks later.

Read the dimensions in the approval email as well as the image. If a number looks wrong, say so before you reply. The how it works page sets out the full sequence, and our designers will walk you through any render line by line if you ask.