How Long Does It Take To Make A Custom Engagement Ring?
If you're wondering how long it takes to create that perfect, custom engagement ring you've been dreaming about. Typically, you're looking at around four to six weeks for the entire process. There are several factors that influence this timeframe, which we'll explore in detail in this article.
If you need the ring sooner, don't worry, we can get creative. A popular solution is the option of a temporary, ready-made ring to pop the question while we're working on the dream ring. More details about this later in the article.
What Affects Turnaround Time?
Collaboration, Communication, and Design Approval
The design process is one of the biggest determinants of how long a custom engagement ring will take to create. The faster you can make decisions directly impacts when your final design can come to life.
During the first design consultation, you’ll sit down with your jeweler and collaborate together to bring your vision to life. Whether you’ve been dreaming of the perfect engagement ring for years or need help to determine what that looks like. Be prepared to discuss your ideas, priorities and budget.
But delays are typical when feedback or final design approval is slow. The faster the decisions, the sooner your own engagement ring can be put into production. Communication isn’t just helpful—it directly impacts your timeline.
Availability and Sourcing of Materials
Availability of materials can be a factor in the designing of your custom work. White gold, yellow gold, and platinum, are common precious metals that can be easily sourced normally.
Whether you decide on a natural diamond or a lab-grown diamond, finding the perfect diamond of your preferred shape might take longer if you're seeking a rare color, a large diamond, or a specific quality.
The small round stone settings aren't difficult to source, but shipping time to acquire them may take a few days.
Occasionally, the time it takes to decide on the main diamond can delay the timeline. Comparing options of different center stones and can slow you down. But a good jewelery can help you with this decision and shorten this process.
Jeweler's Workload
Another factor that impacts the timeline is your jeweler’s current schedule and workload. The number of other custom projects your jeweler has in progress will affect the lead time.
More intricate designs that require additional care and craftsmanship, can extend the production time. Each ring is handcrafted with precision, and your piece moves through multiple stages—from casting and setting to polishing and final inspection.
Complexity of the Design
The complexity of the design can add a few more days to the production process. Most skilled artisans work with intricate design details regularly, so this doesn't typically extend the process by more than a couple of days.
Custom vs Customizable Engagement Ring Settings
Some online retailers or local jewelry stores offer a customizable ring experience where you can select from ready-made engagement ring settings to pair with a center stone from their inventory. This speeds up the production time considerably because they just need to set the centerstone into the setting with minor adjustments so you can get a ring in just a couple of days.
The downside to this is that the ring may not appear as seamless and dazzling as a truly custom piece.
For instance, if the diamonds in the setting are not matched to the same color grade range as the center diamond, or if the diamonds in the setting are not proportional to the center stone, the ring may seem a bit off.
This can be really magnified with certain types of settings, especially halo engagement ring settings.
When the stones in the setting are matched to the color of the center diamond, it creates a seamless and harmonious look for the entire ring. This is because when all the diamonds have a similar color grade, your eye perceives them as one cohesive, brilliantly sparkling unit rather than noticing individual stones with differing hues.
Something as small as a color mismatch between the center stone and the surrounding diamonds can be quite noticeable and even make the center diamond appear smaller because it doesn't blend well with the setting, especially in halo rings.
It's small details like this that skilled artisans bring to custom work to achieve a seamless brilliance and maximize the sparkle of the overall ring and make it a perfect piece.
My Custom Engagement Ring Design Process
I work one-on-one with my clients through the entire custom engagement ring process. My clients really appreciate being able to work with the person designing the ring from start to finish.
Consultation and Design
I see this process as a collaboration. I want to bring my clients vision to life in a way that they may not have known possible.
When I'm doing a design consultation, my clients say that I point out things they never would have thought to notice and then once they see it they can't unsee it.
To combat the challenge of visualizing the final product, I create a CAD model or or computer-aided design, which shows clients various angles of the ring before we actually create it so that way you can make sure it looks exactly how you want it.
I make sure that every detail of the design is exactly how they want it.
Selecting the stones
I don't keep an inventory of diamonds because it allows me to seek out the best possible diamonds based on your desires rather than be forced to just sell what they own like traditional jewelry stores.
I first look through a large database and then personally curate the ones for you to make your selection from based on your diamond shape, budget and diamond clarity and color.
Knowing your desired ideal budget for the ring, I'll show several diamonds in a range below and up to this number so that way you can decide if you want to splurge on.
Then, I bring in the top three choices. Even three diamonds that appear nearly identical on paper can look quite different in real life.
This also gives me a chance to examine each one up close and help you select the perfect diamond.
From there, I'll source the diamonds in the setting to match the main diamond. It's really important that the color and the proportion of the stones in the setting balance the main diamond.
Details like this differentiate a masterfully custom-made engagement ring from an off the shelf or "customized" diamond ring from a fine jewelry retailer.
Crafting the Ring
Once you approve the final custom ring design, I bring your ring to life. I take the CAD design and create a wax model, cast it in metal, polish it to a shine, and carefully set each stone by hand.
Every detail is intentional, from the placement of the setting stones to the angle of the prongs and the way the facets catch the light.
I take extra time to ensure the proportions are just right and even the parts of the ring that are not visible are polished. I want to ensure the entire ring feels seamless, balanced, and full of sparkle from every angle.
The final product is the perfect ring of her dreams that you poured your heart into.
How To Speed Up the Process (Without Sacrificing Quality)
The main driver on how long a custom engagement ring takes is clear communication. Providing feedback and responding quickly and making decisions in a timely manner can significantly shorten your timeline.
Provide photos of your ideas. Ask for help if you're struggling with a decision. A good jeweler can help you talk through, or provide creative solutions so your custom made ring takes less time to create.
Temporary Proposal Ring or Promise Ring
For clients in a time crunch, I offer a solution where you can select your diamond and we can set it in a temporary solitaire setting for your proposal.
This gives you ample time and allows you to go through the custom design process together as a couple.
This takes the pressure off of having to create the "right engagement ring", worrying about her ring size, if it's the right metal type or other details you might be hesitant about.
You can create a unique engagement ring together as part of your love story.
Start Your Custom Engagement Ring Design
If you're ready to get design the ring she's always dreamed about, reach out to my studio. I look forward to collaborating with you.
