In custom jewelry, the last 10 percent of the process holds 90 percent of the impact.
A piece can be beautifully designed, perfectly printed, and cast without flaw — but if the finishing and stone setting fall short, none of it matters.
At Apex Jewelry Design, finishing and setting are treated as disciplines, not afterthoughts. The work at this stage determines how a piece feels in the hand, how it catches the light, and how confidently it can be worn every day.
Finishing: Where Detail Becomes Discipline
A clean finish begins long before the final polish. Every surface is shaped with intention — crisp edges where they belong, softened transitions where comfort matters, and uniform curves that reflect light the way they were engineered in CAD.
Each step is controlled:
- cast cleanup without over-removing metal
- maintaining symmetry across both sides of the piece
- preserving seat geometry created in CAD
- controlled polishing to avoid rounding out detail
Finishing isn’t about shine — it’s about definition.
A piece should look sharp, clean, and confident before the polishing compound ever hits the wheel.
Stone Setting: Precision That Protects the Design
When it comes to setting, tolerances are unforgiving. A stone that shifts by a fraction of a millimeter changes everything — alignment, security, brilliance, and the overall balance of the design.
That’s why every seat is cut under magnification, checking:
- prong thickness and height
- even pressure on the girdle
- proper bearing depth
- alignment across the plane of the piece
A perfect setting disappears into the design. Nothing looks forced, stressed, or improvised. The gem sits naturally — supported, secure, and framed exactly as intended.
The Difference Is in the Hands That Finish It
The final polishing, the last stone set, the inspection under the loupe — this is where craftsmanship meets accountability.
It’s the last place where human judgment can elevate a piece from “done” to finished.
At Apex, the work doesn’t leave the bench until it meets one standard — the same standard applied from the first line of CAD:
Measured twice. Delivered once.
Because great jewelry isn’t defined by the design alone.
It’s defined by how it’s finished.