Whenever possible, we like to start off with a meeting at our workshop. An initial meeting usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. During this time, we will discuss what is important to you, which details you are already certain about, and which aspects need further exploration. We’ll show you examples of our work and the materials we work with. If coming into our workshop isn’t possible for you, we can also schedule a time to discuss your ideas over the phone.

We have found the design process is often more efficient if we determine which stones you would like to use before advancing too far with design. We can help source your gemstones for you, but we're also happy to work with stones you already have!

After an initial meeting, we will sketch the design using hand drawings, CAD models or wax models. We can often iterate on the design with you over email, although additional meetings are sometimes necessary. This depends largely on how much you decide about your design prior to, or during, the first meeting.

Once we have refined your design to what you want, we will put the project into a contract that will specify the design, materials, timeline and costs. Typically, half the cost is due when you sign the contract. At this point we begin making your piece. The balance is due once your piece is finished.

The design portion of a project can take as long as you’d like! Once the design is settled, crafting and manufacturing a piece of jewelry can take anywhere from two weeks to more than a month, depending on the degree of complexity. On average, it takes four to eight weeks to go from the initial meeting to delivery of the finished piece.

If you have a very clear idea of what you want, we might be able to complete the design phase within a single meeting. More often, one or two additional meetings are needed to resolve a design. Each round of design work takes about a week.

If you have a looming deadline, we can sometimes accelerate the process to meet your goals. Let us know your deadline as soon as possible, and we’ll let you know if it can be met!

We work on many different types of projects that have a wide range of costs.

A fully custom project whose design starts from scratch will have a minimum cost of about $1000 and (not including gemstones) is unlikely to cost more than $5000.

We have a family of engagement ring designs — our Neighborhood Rings — and a family of wedding band designs — our Water Rings. Working with these existing designs will be less expensive than a fully custom project.

Pieces from our Basics jewelry series (and some simple designs that we can source for you instead of custom-producing) will range in cost from under $100 to more than $1000 depending on the materials.

Customization of a Basics design will typically add a few hundred dollars to its cost (Basics pricing and ordering information).

Once we have a clear idea of the design you’re looking for, we can generate a ballpark estimate that is usually within a few hundred dollars of the final cost.

Please let us know if you have a particular budget in mind, and we’ll tailor our design solutions to meet that budget.

So glad you asked! Here's a method to figure out your approximate ring size at home.

The more you know going into the initial meeting, the more productive the meeting is likely to be.

Please have a look at the many pieces of custom work we've put here on our site.

Sign up to start making a collection of pieces you like. Whether it's the materials you love, the techniques you're interested in, the design styles that resonate with you, or some combination of those aspects, that collection will be a great starting point for our conversation about your project.

To share your collection with us and set up your meeting, send us a message through the tool on our My Collection page.

Other helpful things you could bring:

• »   sketches you’ve done of your design idea
• »   pictures of jewelry you like (or don’t like!)
• »   jewelry you own that shows your personal style
• »   anything else you think we’d find inspirational