Design Your Own Ring — Custom Silver Ring Builder by STRUGA Bali Workshop

You came here because the ring you want does not exist on a shelf. I built STRUGA on the same realisation. Below is how I help you design your own ring — the considerations, the materials, the families I work in, the price ranges, and the path from first sketch to a piece that feels like an extension of your hand.

What "design your own ring" actually means at STRUGA

For most jewellers, "design your own" is a configurator. You pick a band width, a stone, a finish. The result is a permutation, not a design. I treat it differently. When you commission a ring with me, we start from a question: what should this ring do for you? Mark a relationship. Carry a private symbol. Replace a piece you wear daily but never quite loved. Stand as architecture on your hand, not jewellery.

I make rings in heavy oxidised 925 silver — what I call Living Silver. No rhodium, no lacquer, no plating. The metal ages with you. Edges soften, recessed surfaces darken further, polished planes pick up the micro-history of how you actually live. A ring you design with me is not a static object. It is a record.

How my process for custom rings works

The path is direct, and I am the only person you talk to. No design team handoffs, no template sales script.

Step 1 — Conversation

You write to me, send me references (photos of my pieces you respond to, or pieces from anywhere that capture a feeling), and tell me what the ring is for. I ask questions until the brief is concrete. If you do not know exactly what you want, that is normal — most people do not, and that is the part I am good at extracting.

Step 2 — Sketches and direction

I send hand-drawn sketches and reference images from my own archive. We narrow the design language. You will know if the direction is right within minutes. I would rather discard the first idea than build a ring on a shaky foundation.

Step 3 — 3D model

Once the language is set, I build a 3D model. You see the ring from every angle — top view, profile, three-quarter. We adjust mass, taper, finish, edge geometry. Most clients ask for two or three rounds. Every round is included.

Step 4 — Production at my workshop in Bali

Once you approve the model, the piece moves to my Bali workshop. I work with a small team I trained personally. Every ring is hand-finished — files, burrs, sandpaper progressions, hand-applied oxidation, hand-buffed highlights. No CNC polishing, no chemical patina baths. The result is a ring with the marks of the human who made it, on purpose.

Step 5 — Delivery

I ship worldwide. Two to four weeks from approval to delivery for most rings. Engagement-grade pieces with stones can run longer. You get a tracking number, a video of the finished ring before it leaves the workshop, and direct contact with me if anything is off when it arrives.

Materials and families to choose from

Every custom ring at STRUGA lives in one of three families. The family decides the structural grammar of the ring — the visual logic that holds it together.

Brutalism family

Heavy planes, raw edges, architectural mass. These rings reference concrete buildings, Soviet monuments, bunker geometry. If you want a ring that registers as a wearable object — sculpture you carry — start here. Average weight 18-32 grams. Price band $280-$680.

Blade family

Linear, edged, kinetic. The Blade language is about a single dominant axis — a ridge, a chamfer, a planar cut that runs the length of the ring. These are quieter than Brutalism but read as deliberate. Average weight 12-22 grams. Price band $220-$520.

Thorn family

Pointed silhouettes, biomorphic, organic-aggressive. Thorn rings reference nature at its sharper edge — claws, talons, ritual objects. Worn by clients who want a piece that reads as primal rather than minimalist. Average weight 14-28 grams. Price band $260-$640.

Signature Asymmetric and Heart sublines

For clients who want something more sculptural or commemorative. Asymmetric pieces lean into deliberate imbalance — left side does not match right. Heart sublines use the heart as a structural device, not a decorative one. Price band $300-$1,550 depending on stones and complexity.

Pricing — what to expect

I am direct about pricing because I do not want to waste your time or mine. A custom ring with me starts at $280 for a clean Blade or simple Brutalism piece in solid silver. Most commissioned rings land between $400 and $850. Engagement-grade pieces with diamonds or coloured stones run $900 to $1,550. Anything beyond — meteorite inlays, hand-carved details, multi-stone compositions — quoted individually.

What is included in every quote: 3D model with revisions, hand finishing, oxidation, presentation box, worldwide shipping with tracking, a 90-day adjustment window for sizing or minor tweaks. What is not included: tax in your country, insurance during transit (offered as add-on), resizing past the first 90 days.

How to start

Two paths.

Path A — you have a clear idea. Email me directly with your reference images, the family you respond to, your ring size if you know it, and a deadline if there is one. I respond within 24 hours with a first proposal and a price band.

Path B — you do not know exactly what you want. This is more common than people admit. Browse my oxidised silver mens rings catalogue and bookmark the pieces that catch you. Look at my proposal rings page if it is for an engagement, or my dark union page if it is for a non-traditional commitment. Send me three to five references and one sentence about the person who will wear it. We start from there.

For commercial custom commissions — corporate gifts, multi-piece orders, wholesale — see my custom jewellery Bali page. That route handles batch production, brand partnerships, and bespoke runs.

FAQ — designing your own ring

How long does a custom ring take?

Two to four weeks from your approval of the 3D model. Add one to two weeks if there are stones to source. Engagement-grade pieces with custom-cut diamonds run six to ten weeks total.

Can I see the ring before I commit?

You see it twice before production — first as sketches, then as a 3D model rendered from every angle. After production, I send a video of the finished piece before shipping. If something is wrong, we fix it before the box leaves my workshop.

Can I use my own gemstones?

Yes. You can ship me stones (heirlooms, recycled engagement diamonds, cut stones you own), and I will set them. I match the design language to the stone, not the other way around.

Do you do gold instead of silver?

My core language is heavy oxidised silver. I work in 18k yellow gold, 14k rose gold, and 14k white gold on commission, but the design vocabulary is silver-first. If your piece needs gold, I tell you upfront whether the family translates well or whether we should adjust the design.

What if my ring size is uncertain?

I send a free sizing kit before production. You wear the test ring for 48 hours including sleep and exercise, take measurements at three points in the day, and report back. Sizing accuracy is non-negotiable — a ring that does not fit is not a ring.

Can I see other custom work you have done?

Yes. Most of my custom work is private — clients prefer it that way — but I keep a portfolio of pieces I am authorised to share. Ask in your first email and I will send the relevant ones based on your direction.

Why oxidised silver and not white gold or platinum?

Silver behaves differently than gold. It moves with the wearer. It records contact, oxidation, the salt of skin. Gold is static — it looks the same in year one and year ten. My work is about the opposite: a piece that becomes more itself the longer you wear it. If you want platinum-style permanence, I am probably not your jeweller, and I will tell you that directly.

What if I want something that is not in your three families?

Rare. Most of what people imagine as "outside the families" actually fits one of them once we talk through the brief. If your idea is genuinely outside my language, I tell you, and either we extend the language together or I refer you to someone whose work fits the brief better.

Start the conversation

Email dmitry@strugadesign.com with the subject line "Custom ring — [your name]". Include references, your ring size if known, the family you respond to, and a sentence about the wearer. I respond within 24 hours.

If you want to read more about what I make and why before you write, start with my sterling silver guide for 2026, the oxidised silver care guide, the everyday silver layering system, the buy silver jewellery overview, or the STRUGA origin story.