Let’s talk custom jewelry (from your mouth to your finger)

A common question we get is how much information and details do we need in order to make a custom ring (or other piece of jewelry) exactly as the customer wants it.

The short answer: we want as much information as the customer can conveniently provide us based on what he/she knows (or thinks they do). The more details we have, the easier it is for the custom jewelry team to nail the custom ring design...and do it SOONER in the back-and-forth process as we communicate with the potential customer.

The other side of the question is, “Can we make this work with very little detail and/or no pictures or examples from the customer?”

YEP!

Details, Details, Details

When you say “very little detail”, that means the barest of minimum which may only include some of what we look for, such as:

• A general description of features liked and disliked by the potential customer.
• The desired center stone shape (or less, one of a couple possibilities).
• The expected center stone carat size (or less, just a range of options).
• How many accent stones are wanted (or less, a “more than” or “less than” range).
• The chosen metal type (or less, just the metal color such as a customer unable to decide among white metals .925 sterling silver, 10k/14k/18k white gold, palladium and Platinum).
• The preferred center stone setting (ie: 4-prong, 6-prong, bezel-set, a setting featuring prong accents etc).
• Whether the ring design might have a single band or multiple split bands; whether it should have a halo or no halo; whether it should feature a cathedral, trellis or bridge setting (or none of that); or whether it ought to have a pavé band or not.
• And any special details like engraving, filigree, scrollwork, peekaboo accent, other hidden stones, or even colored stones instead of the standard clear/white (birthstone simulant accents are a common request).. 

(by the way, if any of these jewelry words are unknown to you, there are no dumb questions...just ask for a definition or pictures on something okay? If you want, we can even send you our custom jewelry glossary!)

But honestly, you shouldn’t worry too much about jewelry terms. Our custom design department is trained to hear a potential customer describe a “design your own” ring they’re seeking in generic ‘layman’s’ terms and these guys and gals on our team can ‘translate’ that info into jewelry preferences and features.

We might get a free custom cubic zirconia ring quote request like this:

From this text-only description, our trained team can deduce the following:

• The center stone shape is round cut.
• The center stone will be secured in a 4-prong setting. 
• The desired center stone size will need to be determined by sending the customer a sample pack of round stones in assorted sizes for review and decision (not a problem). 
• There's gonna be a curved-row “halo” of accent stones surrounding the center stone.
• The customer’s custom ring will have a “pavé band” row of single stones going around part or all of the band (A couple of email exchanges will allow us to find out whether the "row of stones that line the body of the ring" go all around the ring or if it stops just below the finger line, as well as whether the stone sizes are similar in width to the metal of the ring itself or significantly smaller).
• There's also some sort of metal scrollwork detail of an indeterminate “curly” style under the center stone setting (This is where it gets tricky. We may need to have the customer do even a rough sketch of what the scrolls actually look like. But it's definitely doable.)
• The needed finger ring size will need to be determined by sending the customer a finger ring sizer (unless she already knows her Japanese ring size and can use our handy international ring size chart to convert that to the U.S. ring sizes we use). 
• Some of the smallest “tiny” stones / accent stones aka “melee stones” ought to be blue in color-- either genuine sapphires or less expensive colored CZ sapphire simulants.

So whether it’s a handful of written/verbal descriptors or a hand-drawn sketch the best you can do...we’ve got you!

Take a look at this sketch customer submission:

LEFT: First the slightly more professional sketch (primarily to get an accurate stone count)...

RIGHT: Then a rough computer model (mostly to show the various sizes of each element relative to each other).

And here are the digital image jewelry CAD renderings approved by the customer before manufacturing:

Of course, starting from that customer sketch...it took some time to get there but our CAD jewelry artists can take even the most abstract jewelry design idea in words, a hand-drawn sketch, or even a customer’s memories...and transform those nebulous ideas into a concrete design element!

And one day, perhaps we’ll be honored to put a ring like this one on your finger...or the finger of your gift recipient.

Are you ready to see how your own dream ring will look like in the real world? 

Design Your Own Cubic Zirconia Ring

Or check out our other services:
Design Your Own Cubic Zirconia Earrings
Design Your Own Cubic Zirconia Pendant

Prefer to do all your instructions-giving verbally?
Don’t worry, boss...we can listen, eat Skittles and type at the same time! Just give us a call and let’s talk about what you want.

Give our custom program department a call  U.S. toll-free 1-888-355-2484 during business hours.

Personal service is our way of doing business. Seriously, if you have questions please ask. We promise a prompt and happy response that respects your time and puts the responsibility on our shoulders to convince you we’re the right company to do business with. 

Truth be told, we've had numerous first-time customers in the past whom we were able to convert into buying customers simply by answering all their questions about possible custom jewelry designs-- often answering questions over multiple months and even years! 

So ask away :)