Custom Jewelry
Custom Engagement Rings, Made in San Diego
We design and build engagement rings at 907 6th Ave in downtown San Diego. You can start from a diamond you already own, including one out of an inherited ring, or choose a stone from our vault. You see and approve the design before anything is cut, and you are talking to the people who will actually value and set the stone.
How a custom ring actually gets made
Most people arrive with one of two starting points. Either they have a stone already, inherited or out of a ring nobody wears, and want it in something modern. Or they want to buy the diamond and the setting together and would rather not pay a mall markup for a design somebody else chose. We work either way, and because we buy estate diamonds every day, the stone in the middle is very often one we own outright rather than one we are brokering for someone else.
- We talk about the person who will wear it: hand, lifestyle, what they already own and never take off
- Then the stone, whether it is yours already or one we source, and what it can carry structurally
- A drawing you approve before any metal is cut, with a real number attached to it
- Wax or CAD where the design warrants it, so nobody is surprised at the end
- Setting at our own bench, by the people who valued the stone in the first place
What people ask us to make
- Solitaire
- One stone, nothing competing with it. The setting decides how large it reads.
- Halo
- A surround of small stones that makes a centre stone read considerably bigger.
- Three stone
- Past, present, future. Also a good way to use a stone that is smaller than expected.
- Hidden halo and pavé bands
- Detail visible from the side rather than the top.
- Bezel and low profile
- For people who work with their hands and cannot catch a prong on everything.
- Reproduction of an heirloom
- Rebuilding a worn-out ring in a way that will survive another fifty years.
Questions people ask first
Can you use a diamond I already have?
Yes, and it is the most common way people start. We check the stone first for chips, prior damage and how it will hold in a new setting, then design around what it can actually carry. If it is not safe to reset we will say so rather than take your money and find out later.
How long does a custom engagement ring take?
It depends on the design and on whether we are sourcing a stone. A simple resetting of your own diamond is fast; a ring designed from scratch takes longer, and a stone we have to find takes as long as finding the right one takes. We give you the timeline when we quote, not after.
What does a custom ring cost compared with a store-bought one?
Usually less for the same stone, because you are not paying a retail markup on a design somebody else chose. We quote against the actual job: the stone, the metal and the bench time. There is no price list, because there is no standard ring.
Do you sell loose diamonds?
Yes. We buy estate diamonds every day, so the stone in the middle of your ring is often one we own outright rather than one we are brokering. That is usually where the saving comes from.
Can I see it before you make it?
Yes, and you approve it. Drawings first, then wax or CAD where the design warrants it. Nothing gets cut until you have seen what you are getting and agreed the number.
Would rather sell it? We buy diamonds and engagement rings outright, every day. Want to keep it and still raise money against it? A collateral loan leaves you the owner. And we do the rest of the bench work too: design, restoration and repair.
Free appraisal
Bring it in and we will weigh it.
Bring the stone, or a photograph of it, to 907 6th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101. The consultation is free and there is no obligation to go ahead.
- Since
- 2006 · 20 years
- Rating
- A+ BBB Accredited
- Appraisal
- Free, verbal, in person
- License
- #37110819