For one a kind rings, a Custom diamond ring is the way to go!!

The thought just won’t leave your mind!! You want a custom diamond ring, not any of the run of the mill diamond rings on offer.
You have these amazing designs floating around in your mind & it’s giving you sleepless nights. Where do you start? Whom should you involve?

Let’s start with the design. A custom diamond ring is uniquely different and personal. The trick is to keep it practical while achieving the desired result.
You may have quite a few images of the kind of custom made engagement rings you may want to present to your fiancé but your ideas may seem good in your head but next to impossible in reality. How do you go about that? It’s not really that difficult, sketch it out.
You don’t have to be Picasso or Michael Angelo; as long as you can draw a general outline of it, that will be adequate. If that is a problem i.e. a 7 year old can draw circles around you , there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Ask a close friend to help you sketch your dream custom diamond ring & you’re on your way.

The second step is to get a good jeweler who makes their own rings in house i.e. in their store. Why not look online you might wonder? Well due to the personal nature of this particular project, you need to put a face to a name & preferably one on one. You need to have confidence with the custom diamond ring designer.
This makes the online option unsuitable. You might be surprised to know that a small jeweler in your home town can give you better results than a major one due to the personal attention they will give you. Ask to see samples of the diamond rings they have made and decide if they are up to your standards. If not, go to another.
This is an important step so take your time!! The only limitation small jewelers could have will be 3D equipment….. we’ll look at that in a little while.

When you find the jeweler you are comfortable working with, take your sketch to them and ask whether it is possible to make the ring you have draw. They might decide to re-sketch it before giving you an answer. If they say yes, then this is a good time to discuss the cost of the project.
Why am I calling it a project? Because this is how the jeweler will be looking at it. He or she will be making your ring from scratch so it won't be taken lightly.....
Consider what stones you want on your ring. As well as diamonds, you might want some colored stones e.g. Tanzanite or sapphires. Decide whether you want gold or platinum as your diamond ring setting. Also depending on your design, whether you want asccent stones or not.

When it comes to the diamonds you want to use on your custom diamond ring, it’s important to know your diamond grading.
Learn about the 4C’s and why they affect your budget so drastically. Make sure you view the diamonds under a microscope and ideally ensure they come with a diamond certificate.
When you get that out of the way, then you can go to work on your ring. Your sketch can now be turned in to a full color drawing.
Most jewelers will do this by hand but the tech savvy ones use 3D (three dimensional) software e.g. auto cad which enables you to see a complete replica of your custom diamond ring on a computer monitor including the exact dimensions of your ring size & the stones to be used. As you can imagine, this is a big plus as you don’t have to keep fantasizing about the final outcome of your ring.
Then there are those meticulous jewelers who will take this a step further and make you a model of the 3D image before they make a cast for your ring.
Once you have seen the final design and it tickles your fancy, you then sign off on it and the jeweler goes ahead and makes your ring.
Make sure that the finished product matches your drawing or 3D image you signed off on or you are not obligated to take it.

Why should you be so fussy? Well since a custom diamond ring is personal, you might not get many takers if you ever wanted to sell your ring so make sure you are ecstatic & proud of your ring & that it will leave anyone who sees it green with envy!!