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Choosing an engagement ring is obviously a very important part of the proposal, but is also a very difficult decision to make. Many couples prefer to choose a ring together to make sure that the ring is perfect. A lot of people like to design an engagement ring to make sure that the ring is everything they want.
Your engagement ring should reflect the personality of the wearer. Some couples might want to create an engagement ring that is as unique as their relationship. After all, an engagement ring is something that you will wear every single day for the rest of your life, so it needs to be something you really love and feel good about wearing.
Here’s everything that you need to know about designing a custom engagement ring.
Start Early
Choosing an engagement ring can take a while, and having a custom one made needs even more time. Give yourself plenty of time. Customized engagement rings can take anything from a couple of weeks to a couple of months to make, so give yourself enough time. Don’t forget, you will also need time to do some research, look at plenty of engagement rings to get an idea of how you’d like your ring to look, and spend in the design process with the jeweler. Don’t try to do this work in a rush.
Have Inspiring Images On Hand
The most important thing is to have plenty of visual cues and inspiration to share with the jeweler who will be making your ring. Make sure you take lots of time to look at as many different rings as you can so you know what you like. It can help to visit a jeweler and try on lots of rings, even if you have no intention of buying one, so you can see what suits you and make sure that what appeals to you in pictures still appeals to you in person. Bridal magazines, Instagram, and Pinterest are also all good places to find ideas and inspiration. Save lots of pictures to show your jeweler, so they know exactly what you’re imagining. Get a clear idea of the kind of band, settings, and stone that you like. When you’re designing your own ring, you can take ideas from anywhere. Sites like Allurez jewelery are also good places to get ideas and get advice, as they offer a custom ring service.
Find A Highly Recommend Jeweler Whose Aesthetic Matches Yours
Ask your family and friends if they have recommendations for good jewelers. If you know someone who has a ring you really love, ask them where they got it from, especially if you know their ring was custom. You want to make sure you choose the right jeweler. You want to go through the process of designing your own engagement ring with a jeweler that you can trust, has a good reputation, and has done plenty of ring design before. As well as finding someone that can trust, you also want to find someone who is already making rings that reflect the kind of style that you want to have made for you. Working with a jeweler who has a style that appeals to you already is a really good idea. This means you will find it easier to explain what you want and will know for sure that you will end up with a finished ring that is exactly what you want and that you will really love. A lot of people will do well with starting with the jewelers existing collection as a base for their custom design and then adding their own unique touches to the design.
A lot of jewelry designers are perfectly happy to make some slight tweaks to any of their existing designs, as well as making completely custom designs from scratch for you, depending on your preference. To find out which option would be best, take a look at the rings they already have and have a few conversations with them about the kind of ring you want, what they can make, and what they would recommend. Make your ring design a collaborative process with your jewelry designer.
Choose Your Metal
Most engagement rings are traditionally made from yellow gold, white gold, silver, or platinum. However, the big advantage of design your engagement ring yourself is that you can choose just about any metal that you like. As well the traditional options, you could choose rose gold, palladium, titanium, or recycled metals that are made from a blend of metals.
Try on a few different rings with bands made of materials to see what you like and what looks most flattering on your skin tone. It’s also a good idea to discuss your choice of metal with your jeweler, to make sure that you choose something that is hard-wearing enough to be worn every day.
Choose A Special Stone
Diamonds can be difficult to understand, with different ratings for cut and clarity. Forget making a logical choice and let your instincts choose for you. All diamonds sparkle in their own way, so ask to see a range in your budget, cover up the specs, and choose with your heart.
Of course, if you don’t want a diamond, you don’t have to have one. Alternative stones are becoming more and more popular for engagement rings. Sapphires, emeralds, and rubies are all popular choices and can look just as beautiful, especially if you want something with a bit of color. Some people now choose gemstones like opal, aquamarine, or amethyst.
As with the metal for the band, you need to choose something that can stand up to daily wear. Ask your jeweler for advice, and look at lots of stones to see what flatters you and appeals to you most.
Choose Your Cut
Once you’ve chosen the stone, you will need to choose the cut. A traditional ring stone is usually cut in shapes including cushion, princess, oval, emerald, pear, radiant, marquise, and heart. The cut will change how the stone reacts to light and can make quite a difference. Ask your jeweler to talk you through the differences and look at a few examples.
For a more unique look, you could decide to have your diamond uncut. An uncut or raw diamond is not cut to fit into any setting. Instead, they are placed onto the band exactly as they came out of the earth, and the setting is then made to fit around the stone. This is an unusual and striking finish that many people love.
Choose The Setting
There are also lots of different settings to choose from, as well as all those choices for diamond cuts. Settings include halo, cathedral, prong, tiffany, bezel, bar, flush, suspension, tension style, channel, vintage, cluster, shank, and three-stone settings. The setting changes who the stone picks up light and how it sits on the band. As with the cut, ask your jeweler to show the different types and talk you through the decision you’re making so you know you’re making the best choice for your finished ring. Take your time to look at different settings so you understand which one you are selecting.
Collaborate On A Sketch And Wax Model
When you have an engagement ring designed just for you, your jeweler will first give you a rendering or a sketch of the ring. This sketch is designed to make sure that the ring visually satisfies your requirements and includes everything that you asked your jeweler for. Once you have approved this sketch, the jeweler will then make a model of the ring out of wax. This gives you another chance to check the design and make any tweaks before work on the real ring begins. Some jewelers will also give you a computerized rendering of the ring, so you can see it in more detail. Each of these examples should be looked over carefully, to make sure you are getting exactly what you want. It’s much easier to make changes at this stage than when your jeweler is working in metal.
Focus On What You Like
If you’re designing your own engagement ring, you’ll naturally want to make sure it’s as unique as possible. No matter whether you’re designing custom moissanite engagement rings or anything else, you should make sure you don’t go overboard with it. It’ll be something you’ll wear constantly, so you’ll want to make sure it’s something you like.
You could think that the more unique the ring is, the better it’ll be. That isn’t always the case. Consider how you’ll feel about it long-term and cater to this accordingly. You wouldn’t want to be in a position where you don’t like how it looks anymore, so make sure to avoid it.
Allow Time For Casting And Further Customization
Once you have approved the sketches and wax models of your custom-designed engagement ring, your jeweler will be able to move onto the casting stage. They will cast and clean the ring, then set the stones into it. If you have asked for any custom details, such as micropavé, this will be created by hand at this stage by your jeweler. Remember that this process will take a little while. No matter how excited you are, try to be patient. If the work is taking a while, it means your jeweler is taking a lot of care over your ring, and you will get a beautiful finished product that you will love wearing for years to come. After the ring has been set, the jeweler will give it a polish, and then it’s ready for you to wear. Your custom engagement ring is now finished.
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