Custom Engagement Rings

Choosing the Centre Stone

The centre stone is usually the largest part of the budget, so it is worth understanding what you are paying for. Four things decide a diamond’s price, and they do not matter equally once the ring is on a hand.

• Cut — how well the stone has been proportioned and finished. Cut is what makes a diamond look alive. Of the four, it is the one we would tell you not to compromise on.
• Colour — graded from colourless downward. In a yellow or rose gold setting, a stone a few grades down from colourless often looks identical to the eye and costs considerably less.
• Clarity — the inclusions inside the stone. Plenty of inclusions are invisible without magnification. Paying for a grade nobody will ever see with the naked eye is the most common way people overspend.
• Carat — the weight. Price rises sharply at the round numbers, so a stone just under a milestone weight can look the same and cost noticeably less.

Come in and look at stones side by side under normal light rather than choosing from a spec sheet. The difference between two stones on paper and the same two stones in your hand is frequently not what people expect.

Choosing the Setting

The setting decides how the ring wears every day, which matters more over thirty years than it does in the showcase.

• Solitaire — one stone, clean lines, timeless. Easiest to pair with a wedding band later.
• Halo — a ring of small stones around the centre, which makes the centre read larger and adds sparkle for less money than a bigger stone.
• Three-stone — a centre stone flanked by two others. Popular for anniversaries as well as engagements.
• Vintage and hand-engraved — milgrain edges, filigree, detail work. This is where a hand-finished ring separates itself from a mass-produced one.
• Pavé and channel bands — small stones along the shoulders. Beautiful, and worth knowing they need prong checks over the years.

If the ring will be worn by someone who works with their hands, says so early. A low-profile setting that does not catch is a better gift than a tall one that gets knocked.

Metal: What Wears Best

14k gold is harder and more scratch-resistant; 18k has a richer colour and a higher gold content. White gold is plated with rhodium and will want re-plating every so often to stay bright white. Platinum is the most durable and the most expensive, and it develops a soft patina rather than losing metal. There is no single right answer — there is a right answer for the person wearing it.

Worth reading before you decide: 14k vs 18k vs platinum, which covers how each one actually wears day to day. And if you want to see what happens after you approve a design, here is how a custom ring is made, from wax to finished piece.

Working Back From Your Date

If you are proposing on a specific day, or a wedding date is already set, start the conversation earlier than feels necessary. A fully custom ring generally runs four to eight weeks from approved design to finished piece, and stones that need sourcing add to that. Rings from the showcase can be sized far more quickly.

Engagement season runs from November through February. That is when the bench is busiest, so a December proposal is a conversation to have in October, not the first week of December.

Talking About Budget

There is no rule about what an engagement ring should cost, and anyone quoting you a number of months’ salary is repeating a 1930s advertising slogan. What matters is designing something good at the number you are comfortable with.

Tell us the figure at the start. It lets us steer you toward the choices that buy the most visible quality — cut over clarity, a slightly smaller stone in a better setting, 14k instead of platinum — instead of showing you something that does not fit and then stripping it back.

Engagement Ring Questions

How far in advance should I order a custom engagement ring?

Allow four to eight weeks for a fully custom piece, and more if the stone has to be sourced or you are ordering during engagement season. Tell us your date at the first conversation and we will tell you honestly whether it works.

Can I use a diamond I already have?

Yes. Inherited and reset stones are some of the most meaningful rings we make. We will examine the stone first and tell you what condition it is in before it goes into a new setting.

Do I need to know her ring size?

It helps, but it is not essential. We size rings on our own bench, so a ring that is slightly off can usually be adjusted quickly after the proposal. If you want to try to find out beforehand, here is how to measure a ring size without giving the game away.

What if she does not like it?

It happens, and it is not a disaster. Bring her in. Redesigning or adjusting a ring is ordinary work for us, and plenty of couples end up designing the final ring together.

Can you match a wedding band to the engagement ring later?

Yes, and designing the band to sit flush against the engagement ring is much easier when the same bench made both. See wedding sets.

Is the 3D ring builder the only way to design a ring?

No. It is a useful starting point, but you can also walk in with a photo, a sketch or nothing at all and we will work it out at the counter. See how the custom design process works.

Come and See Stones in Person

Design online, then visit either Bakersfield store to choose the stone and finalise the ring with someone who will actually be making it.

Rosedale (661) 587-9298 · Ming Avenue (661) 834-0824 · Locations, hours and directions