In jewelry, bold is in. But not everyone wants to walk around with hefty rings on their fingers—especially in the sizzling summertime heat!

Jewelry designer Paula Doebrich, founder and CEO of Meluzza Jewelry, recently worked with a client who wanted to transform a voluminous wedding ring belonging to a beloved grandmother into a series of stackable rings that could be worn together or alone. The final ring styles Doebrich created are both chic and lightweight, while retaining elements (and the spirit) of the original ring. 

We asked the designer about the ring revamp, which began with this complicated style:

Gem + Jewel: Hi, Paula. Tell me about this ring transformation. What did the client want to do? And what did you suggest?

Paula Doebrich: This client inherited the ring from her grandmother. She wanted to honor her grandmother's memory, but the ring was way too small for her and it didn’t fit her personal style, so she reached out to see if we could transform it into something she could wear daily to remember her grandmother. She wanted to make sure the jewelry could shine on, and she knew the best way to do so would be remaking the heirloom into something more personal. 

Making three rings out of one is really creative! How did you and the client come to that decision?

We brainstormed a little about what would make sense for this piece of jewelry. But this client usually wears very delicate jewelry and wanted to make sure whatever we created would be wearable for her on the daily. So, we decided to break up the chunky ring into many smaller bands that she could mix and match. At first, we considered adding earrings to the mix but in the end it felt best to stick to rings.

One of three small rings Doebrich created and its drawing

What was the process like for you to design the rings? How did you start with this revamp?

I usually like to start by connecting with the client and understanding what they are looking for. When I design original [her brand] Meluzza Jewelry, I have more freedom to create anything that pops into my mind, but when creating something specifically for a client, you need to be more mindful of what they will love. Of course people want to work with me because they like the overall style of my jewelry, but I still want to make sure I understand their needs before I get to work on custom pieces. It’s all about putting yourself into someone else’s shoes and making sure you match their style. 

Once I know more about my client, I brainstorm as many ideas as possible and share the first drafts. From there, we are able to narrow the selection and adjust designs as needed until we find the perfect match. 

What challenges did this revamp present for you as a designer?

We worked on this design remotely, because the client is not based in New York, so I didn’t know the exact dimensions of the stones until after I had finalized all designs. This was tricky because pictures can be deceiving and I was worried the designs wouldn’t work if the stones were too off size-wise from my estimations. But luckily everything worked out just fine!

The second of three small rings Doebrich created and its drawing

The third ring Doebrich created with its drawing

Are you also the fabricator/bench jeweler? 

I only do the design work—the manufacturing is done by trusted jewelers in New York. However, I do work closely with the bench jewelers, so I understand their process well. The first step in the process is turning my gouache renderings into a CAD design. Once that's approved by me, the jewelry is cast and assembled in the New York City workshop. I can always check in on each step and I know I can fully trust them with any project. 

How easy/hard was it to work with the existing diamonds?

The only challenges I had was not being able to measure the stones prior to designing the jewelry. Another challenge could always be that the stones are too damaged, but luckily in this case we only had small chips in a couple of stones that didn’t impact our ability to use them in the design. Reusing heirloom diamonds is always a great way to both honor a memory and make something that is sustainable!

What was the client reaction?

After sharing the first pictures, the client reacted by saying “I just cried a little bit,” so I'm assuming they were happy tears—it was a very positive reaction!

Did you like how they turned out?

I loved this project because it was so simple yet so sophisticated and significant for the client. It really shows that sometimes simplifying a piece of jewelry makes it shine even more! In the end, I only care about two things: my clients being happy and jewelry being worn. And both objectives were achieved here.