Passing the message
The retailer’s most important task is to create a clear line of communication between the customer and CAD designer, conveying the client’s ideas to the designer in a clear and concise manner. Good communication must be supported by clear notes indicating all the major and minor details of the piece. A typical set of notes will have the piece’s size and dimensions, along with the metals to be used, types of stones and their sizes, setting styles, and any images or sketches that further illustrate the customer’s design.
Retailers must also indicate what the customer sees as the most important details or design elements of the piece. This may seem like a duplication of the previously described notes, but there may often be details a CAD designer could overlook that were, in fact, very important to the client.
As the retailer starts to understand the client’s needs, it is vital to begin pinpointing any possible problems with the design and construction of the piece, or even with wearability and durability. During this early stage of project development, any major design issues should be identified in order to either advise of changes or—at the very least—temper the customer’s expectations. It is also important the retailer, with the help of his or her CAD designer, tries to provide new or modified options that can address the design flaw and still achieve the client’s expectations.
It is crucial to bring up these issues early on because this will reduce the risk the project will be abandoned by the customer. In many instances, turning a blind eye to a design flaw might seem like a good strategy to quickly move the project along, but from personal experience, I have found having to rework a CAD design only prolongs the situation, risks missing deadlines, and can jeopardize your relationship with the client.
Some of the most common issues can be as obvious as an ill-advised setting for a fragile stone (e.g. bezel setting a soft stone such as an emerald or opal). Another issue we see fairly often involves sizing—for instance, when the inspiration of a ring is derived from a catalogue featuring a two-carat centre, but the client wants to scale down the piece for a 75-pt centre. It may be impossible to recreate any of the design elements at a scaled-down version.
