Need recommendation on how to configure jewelry site

I'm developing a jewelry website for a client. They have 2 main sections to chose from on their home page, "Ready to Wear" and "Design Your Own". You can see the home page design HERE.

I'd like some opinions on how I should set this up with the products. This is my first zencart project, so I'm not sure I know if I'm comfortable trying to separate the two sides (or even if this is possible).

I was thinking that I would take the user to the main catalog page, regardless of what they chose, and have a drop-down selection on each corresponding nav category with the choice of "design your own" or "ready to wear". My category nav is going to consist of Rings, Bracelets, Necklaces, Earrings, Keychains. Each of these could have a drop-down option for the two choices.

Let me know what you think, and if you agree with me, then I need someone to point me in the direction on how to create the drop down selections :blush:

Thanks all!

I think it would depend a lot on what you expect your customer experience to be.

If I, as a visitor, am likely to go either to Ready To Wear or Design Your Own and not spend a lot of time switching back and forth between the two, I'd be inclined to make those two the categories, and when the visitor clicks on one or the other image on the home page, she is sent to that category's page with the options (Rings, etc) as subcats.