A CAD is a drawing of your ring that is created in computer software. It is important to remember that a CAD is not a final representation of your ring. The prongs are always shown above the center stone because they need to be shaved down by hand. The CAD is meant to show the cast of the wax, not the metal. So think of a CAD as a bulky, cartoon version of your ring. The finished product will be much more refined and polished than the CAD. There is more metal than required when the ring is cast to ensure enough metal in the prongs. It's all custom, hand-done just for you. In most cases, your custom ring design will require a CAD. However, a CAD will not be needed for simpler designs (like a solitaire). But we will discuss everything so you don't have to worry. A wax model of your ring is made, and then a mold is made from the wax model. The metal is then poured into the mold, which is the basis for the ring design. The jeweler then removes the metal mold and polishes and refines the ring by hand. Then they set the diamonds and the center stone, if required. ​