We want to make choosing an our jewellery a pleasurable experience – it’s such an exciting process and whilst selecting a design is a big decision, it can also be an enjoyable experience. To make that process easier, we’ve put together a series of blogs explaining the process of commissioning jewellery or buying an engagement ring.
When you are looking at our site, you’ll see a gallery of examples of bespoke engagement rings that we’ve made for clients in the past, alongside some of our classic designs. All our designs can be customised to suit your tastes but the distinction between ‘made to order’ and ‘bespoke’ options really comes down to the degree of customisation that you’d like for your piece.
Made To Order
Our Made To Order service is available for clients who love our designs want to order those designs exactly as they are, or to customise them slightly to make them more individual. For customisations on our made to order designs - you could select different stones in an alternative cut or colour; choose a new metal colour or karat; or tweak an element in the existing design. For our Made To Order Custom service we usually aim for a lead time of around 6-10 weeks dependant on the complexity of the design and customisations.
Bespoke
The Bespoke Service is available for clients who want to take customisation a stage further and create a design that isn’t already available on our website. Whilst all our designs can be customised – this option gives you the ability to really reflect your own personality. You might want to think about little details that you could include, styles that you know your partner loves or the values that you hold. These are all aspects of your character that can be reflected in a bespoke design.
Commissioning a piece of jewellery inevitably involves working closely with the jeweller so that they can get to know you and understand more about what you’d like to reflect in your design. We love it when you can give us some design references and ideas about you or your partners tastes and style. Flora will draw on this inspiration and guide you through the process. She will produce initial hand sketches, followed by either gouache paintings or CAD renders so that you can envisage your ring and we can refine your design choices.
For this reason, a bespoke design is generally the more expensive option. Our bespoke options start at around £2,000 for earrings and pendants and around £2,500 for rings. The bespoke process involves meetings to discuss design options, stone sourcing sketching, renders and sometimes models. As a result it usually takes longer - we aim to complete in around 10-12 weeks but this is not an exact science and timings can vary considerably depending on the decision-making process and stone availability. If you are keen to opt for a bespoke design – then do try to build in as much time as possible, as this will give you the chance to consider the options carefully.
Costs
For our bespoke designs we also ask for a £300 design deposit in advance. This enables us to fully work up design options for you and is redeemable against the final cost once you approve our designs.
For all our pieces, final costs are dependent on your choice of metals, stones, and design style. When we customise our made to order designs, changes in the original quoted price will reflect the final materials chosen. Do let us know if you have a budget at the start of our discussions, as this will help us to guide you towards the best options within your price range.
Want to discuss a made to order or bespoke design?
Book a meeting with Flora at her studio here or find contact details here.
