BUSINESS FEATURE
BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
EVERY RING HAS A STORY Each custom ring is named after the individual wearing it.
THE DESIGN PROCESS Designing a custom engagement ring can take up to six weeks and includes: • Initial consultation • One to two weeks in the design process, including computer-aided design* renderings • Two to four weeks of in- house manufacturing • Delivery *COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN IS A SOFTWARE PROGRAM THAT CREATES 2D DRAWINGS AND 3D MODELS OF REAL WORLD PRODUCTS BEFORE MANUFACTURING. FREDRICK USES IT THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS.
Hazel Jean : This ring was inspired by a customer’s girlfriend who was from Butte, Montana. The rose gold represents the copper mines, and the top of the band was built to mimic the criss-cross frames of gallows.
COURTESY DEAN FREDRICK
The Natalia : A customer created a custom engagement ring for his girlfriend, Natalia, who was a fan of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn. The rubies and a black diamond have the red and black coloring of Harley Quinn.
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Dean Fredrick examines a diamond.
AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Dean Fredrick Custom Jewelry Jeweler makes custom pieces in New Braunfels D ean Fredrick’s high school art teacher encouraged him to take a basic jewelry engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings, necklaces and pendants. The jewelry designer prefers
Dittmer : Gold was repurposed from a customer’s multigenerational family heirloom bands.
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for the Gemological Institute of America’s Gem Trade Laboratory, where he graded—at the time—the largest diamond in the world. “It was 273 carats, and I got to spend about 45 minutes with it. They sent me out to New York to grade it at the laboratory there,” Fredrick said. “It was huge.” After spending eight years grad- ing diamonds, Fredrick then went on to the largest Israeli diamond manufacturer, where he spent six years grading and selling diamonds to retail jewelry stores. He said presenting a piece to a client is the most rewarding part. “Delivery time is the best, just to see their faces,” he said.
Dean Fredrick Custom Jewelry 1208 N. Academy Ave., Ste. 1101, New Braunfels 830-522-2425 www.deanfredrick.com Hours: by appointment only
making class, sparking his interest in the craft and career prospect. He now specializes in custom engage- ment rings and wedding bands, and produced designer pieces for celebrities such as Halle Berry and Celine Dion. Fredrick started his namesake business in 1999 while living in California for school. Later on, he moved back to Texas to the Austin area before deciding to open up a shop in New Braunfels in 2020. Now located centrally in the Town Creek development, Fredrick designs and manufactures custom
appointments so he can give his undivided attention to his clients. Once he gets a general idea of what his client wants, he sketches it out. “I’ll send them renderings of everything,” he said. “So once they give me the go ahead, I’m [going to] start manufacturing.” He noted before someone comes in for a consultation, they should know the wearer’s nger size, whether they want a center stone, what kind of center stone and the color of metal. Fredrick has over 37 years of jew- elry design experience and worked
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