17 Apr Hemming Plaza Jewelers creates custom necklace for Children’s Home Society auction

Each year, Hemming Plaza Jewelers participates in local fundraising events to support our community and those in needs. This year, we are proud to announce that we are supporting the Children’s Home Society. On April 27, 2014, CHS is holding a LIVE Auction at “Evening Taste with Chef Matthew Medure,” an intimate gathering of influential folks which includes gourmet food, fine wine and live and silent auctions. All proceeds benefit CHS to fund adoption, foster care and family education programs to ensure that children in Northeast Florida have safe, loving homes.

Juan and Kirk Gonzalez, owners of Hemming Plaza Jewelers and both parents, believe in this event and CHS’s commitment to children of our community. During this event, they’ve decided to create a very special piece of jewelry to auction that represents Children’s Home Society. The necklace contains six CHS logos each containing a 2.5 mm round brilliant cut diamond with an estimated total diamond weight of 0.36 carats. The diamonds have a clarity grade range of VS2 – SI1, and a color grade range of G-H, and are bezel set in 14 karat yellow gold logos. The logos are connected by a 14 karat white gold link chain. The necklace is 32 inches in length, and has a combined metal and diamond weight of 6.6 grams (4.2 dwt). The appraised value is $2,850.00.

Here’s how this piece evolved.

Step 1: The start of designing the stationary necklace on the CAD computer.

Step 2: This is the computer image prototype of how it will look when it is finished.

Step 3: Growing the wax

Step 4: After the wax is invested (curing) into a flasks, melted gold is injected into the flask and takes the shape of the cavity inside the investment.

Step 5-7: After letting it cool off for a few minutes, the investment is soaked in water creating a reaction allowing majority of the plaster to release the casting.

Step 8: After cleaning all set plaster, we start cutting the charms off the spruce.

Step 9-11: We start cleaning the imperfections with a file and set the stones to ready for polishing.

Step 12-13: The charms are then soldered to the chain creating the finished stationary necklace.