The perfect custom piece: the guide

Throughout my jewelry career, one of my favorite parts is making custom pieces — starting from an idea or a concept or a story and going from there. The best projects are when a client talks about a story and then wants a piece made to symbolize that in one way or another 

I have made it all, from a hex nut design diamond engagement rings to a gold necklace featuring a sun and a bullet hole to dog name tags in the shape of a bow tie

A custom piece is one of the many creative ways you can make an idea come to life, have something unique to you and a piece you cannot get anywhere else the way you picture it

The process of having something custom-made is a bit intimidating — how do you know who to trust, what to pay and what to expect? 

What if you do not have a complete idea of what you want? 

Do not worry I am here to reveal the secrets and make it more of an option if you are considering it 

How do you start you ask?

Having a vision board for what you like with pictures, ideas, details you want, previous designs you enjoyed and maybe even a preliminary sketch

Research the metals and tones you like, stone shades and types of gems and other features

The most difficult parts of getting a custom piece done is finding someone who will deliver on your needs and your vision and jewelry is no different, someone who gets the vision or who works with you to figure out your piece 

Choose to work with a designer, artist or brand whose portfolio or previous work you like

Do do not fret, you have me! 

Jewelry is all about the vibe — are you going for traditional, trendy, moody, organic, timeless or a mix of styles

When to reach out 

Custom takes longer to produce because there is a design intent period -- back and forth between the custom team/designer. This might take a day or two weeks until the vision is clear and there is a sketch and a clear plan for production

Communication is key — there must be honest and open dialogue as to what you like and what you dont — the design phase is the best time to make sure you feel as if your needs are being met 

And finally cost

Custom implies expensive — but that is not exactly true. Custom usually means more resources to a one off piece and you can add more bells and whistles and details, however, this is not always the case if you work with the creator and your budget to see what can get done

The cost of a piece comes down to material cost, studio costs and labor. The most obvious expense is the materials: gold, platinum, diamonds and natural gems 

One which gets overlooked is the actual cost to make a piece — to make one single piece there are multiple stages from the craft who puts together a piece to the polisher to the setter who sets each stone individually

Jewelry is made by a team of talented artists and unfortunately talented craft artists are not easy to find and cost a lot — talent is rare and for me working closely with craft means everything is done locally and internally in NYC. This allows for check ins, adjustments, quality assurance and quicker turnaround 

As a designer part of my process is also making prototypes and hand renderings as needed so I deliver the highest quality jewelry 

For custom design and work the standard payment structure is 50% total cost upfront before production and 50% once the piece has been completed. This is like an informal agreement it gives security to both parties knowing there is initial funding and goodwill to start the project and the assurance the piece will be delivered as promised 

Once the design has been achieved or passed, production is ready to begin! depending on the design complexity and details it might add a couple of weeks such as if a lot of stones need to be set in a micro pavé or involve unique stones that might need to be sourced before the actual making of a piece begin 

Any mechanisms and complications in the design such as moving wings or petals will also add to the cost 

For my studio, expect a minimum of three to four weeks and longer for larger or more complicated projects but this might depending on the factors mentioned above and who you are working with (if not me)  

The result is the most important part is you are happy with the result and excited about it - a custom piece is something very personal and thus you are the most important client

Custom engagement ring featuring pavé and a natural oval diamond