Custom Engagement Ring Process — Step by Step from Design to Delivery

A custom engagement ring is the only ring made for a single person, a single hand, a single story. No catalog. No size 7 standard. No assumption that what looked good on a model will look good on you. The process takes 4–8 weeks from first sketch to final polish, costs between $480 and $4,200 in sterling silver depending on stones and weight, and ends with a ring that exists nowhere else in the world.

This is the full process. Step by step. With real timelines, real prices, and the questions you should be asking before you commit.

What "custom" actually means

The word custom gets stretched until it means almost nothing. A retailer who lets you pick a stone size from a dropdown is selling configurable, not custom. A workshop that adjusts an existing CAD file is selling personalization. A studio that starts with a blank page and your story is selling custom.

At STRUGA's custom jewelry studio in Bali, custom means three things stack together:

• The form is yours. We sketch it from your references, your hand, your relationship.
• The metal is yours. 925 sterling silver is the default — but recycled gold, palladium-white, or oxidized blackened silver are all on the table.
• The story is yours. Hidden inscriptions, a stone from a meaningful trip, a finish that mimics the texture of a place — these are the details that make a ring un-replicable.

If a workshop cannot do all three, you are buying personalization with custom branding.

Step 1 — The brief (week 0, 30–60 minutes)

The first conversation is the most important hour in the entire process. It is not about ring shapes. It is about you.

We ask:

• Who will wear this ring? Hand size, finger length, what they wear daily, what jewelry they have already broken or lost.
• How will they live in it? Surgeon hands need bezel-set stones. Climbers need low profiles. Office hands can carry a halo or a tall solitaire.
• What is the budget — honestly? A custom 925 silver ring with a 0.5ct lab diamond starts at $720. The same ring in 18k gold is $2,800. We do not pretend either is the other.
• What references do you love and why? Send 5–8 images. Pinterest screenshots, photos of a grandmother's ring, a piece of architecture. The "why" matters more than the picture.
• What references do you hate? "Anti-references" save weeks of back-and-forth.

Plan to spend 30–60 minutes. If a studio offers a custom engagement ring without this conversation, they are about to upsell you a template.

Step 2 — Sketches and direction (week 1, 3–5 working days)

From the brief we produce 2–3 hand-drawn sketches, each exploring a different direction. One usually leans classic. One leans toward the brutalist or sculptural side STRUGA is known for. One is the wildcard.

The sketches are intentionally rough. The point is not to commit — it is to react. You will know within seconds which one is closer to right. We mark up that one with arrows: lower the gallery, widen the band, drop the prongs, change the stone shape.

Two rounds of sketch revision are included in the price. A third round adds 5–7 days but is rare — by round two, the form is usually locked.

Step 3 — 3D model and renders (weeks 2–3, 5–7 working days)

The chosen sketch becomes a CAD model. You receive 4–6 high-resolution renders from different angles, including a hand mockup at your exact ring size. The renders show:

• Top, side, and gallery views at 1:1 scale
• The stone setting in detail (prong tips, bezel walls, gallery cutouts)
• The inside of the band (where engraving lives)
• A rendered photograph of the ring on a hand of similar size

This is your last chance to change form. After CAD approval, structural changes mean restarting from sketches. Take your time. Compare against the references. Ask for a second angle if anything feels off.

Step 4 — Wax model (weeks 3–4, 4–6 working days)

After CAD approval, we 3D-print a high-resolution wax model. The wax is the physical ring at full scale, before it ever touches metal.

If you are within delivery distance, we ship the wax. You wear it for 24–48 hours. You feel the weight, the gallery height, whether the stone catches on shirt cuffs. You photograph it on the wearer's hand if possible.

This step costs nothing extra and saves the most expensive mistake in jewelry: casting a ring that is the wrong size or shape for the actual hand. Roughly 1 in 6 wax fittings results in a small revision (band width up 0.3 mm, gallery down 1 mm). That is exactly why this step exists.

Step 5 — Casting (week 4–5, 5–8 working days)

The approved wax is cast in 925 sterling silver, 18k yellow gold, 18k white gold, or palladium-white gold, depending on the brief. STRUGA casts in Bali at our partner foundry — the same foundry that has produced our collection rings for the last five years.

What casting looks like in practice:

1. The wax is embedded in a plaster mold and burned out in a kiln at 750°C.
2. Molten metal is forced into the resulting cavity under vacuum or centrifugal pressure.
3. The plaster is broken away. The raw casting emerges.
4. The casting is cleaned, the sprue removed, the surfaces smoothed.

This is investment casting — the same technique used for 5,000 years, refined with vacuum chambers and digital temperature control. The raw casting is rough. It does not look like a ring yet. That is normal.

Why Bali for casting

The Bali casting tradition runs through every workshop on the island. Generations of metalworkers, modern equipment, and a working day that overlaps with three time zones we ship to. Practical reality: a wax model approved in San Francisco at 17:00 PST is being cast in Bali by the time the client wakes up the next morning. That single time-zone advantage shaves 7–10 days off a typical custom timeline compared to a New York or London workshop.

The foundry temperature, vacuum pressure, and mold investment formulas are tuned per metal — silver at one temperature, white gold at another, yellow gold at a third. STRUGA does not use shared production runs. Each custom casting is its own pour, its own vacuum cycle, its own cooling curve. This costs more in time and consumables. It is the only way to keep a ring's grain structure tight enough that prongs do not fail under stone pressure five years later.

Step 6 — Stone setting (week 5–6, 2–4 working days)

If your ring includes stones, they are set after casting and before final polish. We work with:

• Lab-grown diamonds — IGI-graded, identical optical properties to mined, $200–$1,800/ct
• Natural diamonds — GIA-graded, available on request
• Sapphires — Sri Lankan, Madagascar, Australian; $80–$1,200/ct depending on color and clarity
• Spinel, tourmaline, tsavorite — for clients who want something the mainstream market cannot match
• Heritage stones — yours, supplied by you, reset

Setting types include prong (4-prong, 6-prong, V-prong, claw), bezel (full, half, partial), channel, pavé, and flush. The choice was made at sketch stage; the setter executes it now.

Step 7 — Finishing and polish (week 6, 2–3 working days)

The final step is finish. STRUGA offers four standard finishes on custom rings:

• High polish — mirror surface, classic, shows fingerprints
• Satin — brushed, matte, hides daily wear better than polish
• Hammered — texture from a polished hammer, each ring is unique
• Oxidized — blackened recesses, polished highs, a STRUGA signature

Finish is the last thing applied and the first thing seen. We do not lock it until you have approved the renders and seen the wax. A finish that looks great in an oxidized ring may flatten a delicate solitaire.

Step 8 — Quality control, photos, delivery (week 7–8, 3–5 working days)

Before the ring leaves the workshop:

• The size is measured on a calibrated mandrel — accurate to 0.1 mm
• The stone setting is checked under 10x magnification — every prong tip, every bezel seat
• The metal is tested for stamp accuracy (925, 750, etc.)
• The ring is photographed on white and black backgrounds, hand mockups, and macro detail shots
• You receive a quality certificate and care card

Shipping is fully insured via DHL Express, FedEx, or EMS depending on destination. Bali to USA: 4–6 business days. Bali to EU: 3–5 business days. Bali to Asia-Pacific: 3–5 business days.

Total timeline at a glance

Stage	Working days	Cumulative
Brief and references	1	Week 0
Sketch round 1	3–5	Week 1
CAD model and renders	5–7	Weeks 2–3
Wax model and fitting	4–6	Weeks 3–4
Casting	5–8	Weeks 4–5
Stone setting	2–4	Weeks 5–6
Finish and polish	2–3	Week 6
QC, photo, ship	3–5	Weeks 7–8

Total: 4–8 weeks. Six weeks is typical. Eight weeks happens when the wax fitting reveals a meaningful change. Four weeks is possible only when the brief is unusually tight and the design is approved on the first sketch round.

Pricing transparency

A custom 925 sterling silver engagement ring at STRUGA starts at $480 for a simple band with a single 0.3ct lab diamond. The same ring with a 0.5ct lab diamond is around $720. With a 1ct lab diamond, $1,200–$1,500. With sapphires or tourmalines, $600–$2,000 depending on stone size and origin.

Move to 18k gold and prices roughly triple — gold metal cost is the biggest variable in custom jewelry. Move to recycled palladium-white gold and prices fall between silver and gold.

STRUGA does not quote a "from $" and then tack on fees. The first written quote covers metal, stones, casting, setting, finishing, certification, and shipping. The only thing that changes the quote mid-process is a structural design change after CAD approval.

Sample price table — 925 sterling silver

Configuration	Stone	Approx. price (USD)
Solitaire band, 2 mm	0.3ct lab diamond	$480
Solitaire band, 2.5 mm	0.5ct lab diamond	$720
Solitaire band, 3 mm	1.0ct lab diamond	$1,400
Halo setting, 2.5 mm band	0.5ct lab + 0.3ct accents	$1,100
Bezel setting, 3 mm	1.0ct sapphire (Sri Lanka)	$1,650
Brutalist sculptural	0.7ct rough or salt-and-pepper diamond	$1,200

Sample price table — 18k gold

Configuration	Stone	Approx. price (USD)
Solitaire band, 2 mm	0.5ct lab diamond	$2,200
Solitaire band, 2.5 mm	1.0ct lab diamond	$3,400
Halo setting, 2.5 mm band	1.0ct lab + 0.4ct accents	$3,900
Bezel setting, 3 mm	1.5ct natural sapphire	$4,200

Prices update with global metal markets. STRUGA locks the quote on the day of brief approval, then carries that price through delivery — even if metal markets move during the casting window. Clients are not exposed to spot-price volatility once the project is underway.

What a custom ring is not

It is not faster than buying a ring off a shelf. It is not cheaper than a comparable mass-market ring. It is not the right call if you have less than 6 weeks before a proposal date.

What it is: a ring whose form was decided by you and your jeweler, whose stone you saw before it was set, whose finish you chose with your hands, whose engraving no one else will ever know is there. That kind of ring does not exist on a shelf — by definition.

Common mistakes — and how the process prevents them

After hundreds of custom briefs, a short list of mistakes recurs. Most are preventable if you know they exist.

• Choosing a ring shape based only on Pinterest images. A ring photographed at 30 cm by a stylist looks different on a real hand at arm's length. The wax fitting catches this gap. Never approve a CAD without seeing the wax.
• Underestimating gallery height. A 12 mm tall solitaire looks elegant in a render, then snags every shirt cuff and oven mitt for the next decade. We default to galleries under 8 mm unless the wearer specifically wants the height.
• Picking a stone before knowing the budget. A 1ct natural diamond and a 1ct lab diamond cost an order of magnitude apart. We discuss stone strategy before we discuss stone preferences — it saves a painful conversation later.
• Trying to surprise a partner who has strong opinions. If your partner has a Pinterest board labeled "rings," that is a roadmap, not a violation of surprise. Use the wax-then-finalize approach: propose with the model, refine the final ring together.
• Skipping the wax fitting. Saves a week, costs the entire ring if the size is wrong. We never ship a custom ring without a confirmed wax fitting unless the client signs a written waiver.

Custom for second engagements and re-commitment rings

Roughly one in five custom briefs is a second engagement, a 10-year re-commitment, or a ring redesigned after divorce. The process is identical, but the brief is richer. Past rings — kept, given away, or melted down — inform the new one. We have remelted gold from a previous wedding band and used it as a hidden inscription bead inside a new ring. We have reset stones from a grandmother's brooch into the gallery of a daughter's engagement ring. Custom is the only path that allows this kind of continuity. For couples designing engagement and wedding bands together as a pair, our DARK WEDDING concept offers a unified aesthetic across both rings.

Ready to start a custom engagement ring?

Read more about the process and submit a brief at our custom jewelry studio page. For wedding-band pairings designed alongside the engagement ring, see the DARK UNION wedding rings collection. For oxidized, brutalist alternative directions, see the DARK UNION concept page. Submit a custom brief through the custom order form. Curious who you are working with? Read about the founder at Dmitry Strugovshchikov's bio. For broader background on the materials, see the Bali silver jewelry guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to design a custom engagement ring?

Four to eight weeks from first brief to delivery. Six weeks is typical. The variables are how quickly the sketches are approved, whether the wax fitting requires changes, and the destination shipping time.

How much does a custom engagement ring cost?

A custom 925 silver ring with a small lab diamond starts at $480. With a 0.5ct lab diamond, $720. In 18k gold with a 1ct lab diamond, $3,200–$4,000. The biggest variables are metal weight, stone carat, and stone origin (lab vs. natural).

Can I supply my own stones?

Yes. Heritage stones — a grandmother's diamond, a sapphire from a meaningful trip — can be reset into a new design. We require a stone certificate or independent appraisal before integrating into a casting plan.

What happens if I do not like the wax model?

You tell us, in detail, what does not work. Small revisions (band width, gallery height, prong angle) are reworked at no extra cost. Major form changes restart at sketch stage. This is exactly why we cast wax before metal — to catch these moments before they become expensive.

Can I propose with the wax model and finalize the ring after?

Yes — clients do this often. The proposal happens with a sized wax model. After "yes," the partner is brought into the sizing and design conversation, the design is refined, and casting begins. This adds 2–3 weeks but turns the process into a shared experience.

Is custom engagement ring shopping the same as designing your own engagement ring?

No. Designing your own engagement ring is the active version: you supply references, you choose direction, you sign off on the wax. Shopping for "custom" rings online usually means picking from a configurator that limits your options to existing molds. Real design starts blank.

What is included in the price quote?

Metal cost, stone cost, casting, sizing, setting, finishing, quality certificate, jewelry box, and insured international shipping. The quote does not include destination customs duties — those are paid by the client on delivery.