I used to think that custom-design was reserved for ultra-expensive pieces or people with really odd tastes (have you seen the engagement ring made with someone's tooth?!). But after shopping in traditional jewelry stores for wedding or engagement rings, we’ve noticed most people are unable to find anything that is “exactly right.” Because, if you're going to wear it every day, forever, it should be perfect right? Whether the options don't sound like the ring you're looking for, you see something you like but want it slightly different, or want to design something from the ground up, creating a custom-designed piece can be the perfect solution.
Heres 5 important things to know when thinking about creating a custom piece.
Custom designed jewelry does not cost more
Contrary to popular belief, custom rings do not cost more than buying something out of a jewelry case or online. Typically, we work with clients with a wide range of budgets from $500 up to $30,000 to create rings. We can work with you to create the piece you're looking for within your budget. We never sacrifice quality, but can manipulate things like metal karat, metal weight, and gemstone options to create a piece that feels stunning to wear and fits within your budget!
Start early
It can take up to a month of back-and-forth before you are totally satisfied with the design/look/feel of a custom design. Here's how the process works: Begin with a custom design appointment with our owner/designer, Michelle. She creates either a sketch or a photoshopped rendering based on your preferences and any existing stones. You can approve or modify the design until it looks exactly the way you envision your ring. Once the final visualization is approved and a 50% deposit is taken, it can take up to 6 weeks to create your ring.
Have your budget and any ideas ready for your virtual design appointment
Know you can repurpose family jewelry, gemstones, and diamonds
We love working with family diamonds, gemstones, or even refurbishing finished jewelry for clients. Typically, we will have you photograph and/or get the general dimensions of the piece/stone we will be using. We proceed with designing the same way we would if we were sourcing the stone for you. Once you approve the final design, we send you a prepaid insured Fedex shipping label to send the piece to our studio in Los Angeles, where we incorporate the piece into your design. If we are taking apart an heirloom piece of jewelry and using just the stones, we offer gold metal credit for the weight of the gold of the piece we are taking apart. If there are leftover stones (or if you would like the original ring without the stones left intact) we can send these back to you with the final piece.
Try on different styles, and don't go into it blind
Our designer will ask you some very specific questions, including what width the ring should be (to the millimeter) and whether you want things shiny, matte, rounded, textured...you get the picture. This might seem obvious, but it's worth going around to different jewelry stores just to try on different styles that you can show your jeweler photos of. You can also do this online and gather inspiration images.
Find your ring size!
There are a few simple ways to find your ring size. Any local jewelry store can take your ring size for free. Make sure the sizer they are using matches the width of the ring you want. If you want a thin simple engagement or wedding ring, there is a sizer that uses a thinner ring for the sizing. If you are looking for a wider band, make sure the sizer also uses a wider band to the size you -- this changes the fit and is important for getting an accurate size.
To start your custom ring, contact us on our Custom Design page!