You came here because the ring you want does not exist on a shelf. I built STRUGA on the same realisation. Below is how a commission works — what we decide together, what the catalogue can already show you, what the price is built from, and how long it takes.
- A custom STRUGA ring is a commission, not a configurator: brief → hand-drawn sketches → 3D model with included revisions → hand finishing in Bali by the silversmiths who make every STRUGA piece.
- The metal is 925 silver with no rhodium and no lacquer — Living Silver, which arrives light and darkens as you wear it. Blackening a piece at the bench on day one is the opposite choice, and a deliberate one: 17 of the 134 pieces in the catalogue carry it.
- Price is three named lines and nothing else: design from $700, material $50 per gram of the finished object, and a $250 consultation deposit credited against the final quote. The quote is fixed once the sketch direction and the 3D model settle the weight.
- Timeline: 3–6 weeks from approved sketch and quote to dispatch, plus about a week in transit. Worldwide shipping with tracking and a video of the finished ring before it leaves.
- Size is set as inner diameter in millimetres — the catalogue runs 15–22 mm. Send US, EU, UK, JP or RU and the conversion is on our side; the ring size guidance shows how to measure at home.
- Client-owned stones are accepted for setting. The brief starts at Custom Order — the form, the three price lines, and a reply within 24 hours.
What "design your own ring" actually means at STRUGA
A commission is a new object designed for one person, not a set of options picked from a menu. 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.
The catalogue is a starting point rather than a limit: it holds 7 rings across 5 families right now, from 2.1 to 24 g over sizes 15–22 mm. A commission begins where that range ends, and the first decision is weight — it moves both the fit and the price.
The metal is heavy 925 silver, uncoated — no rhodium, no lacquer, no plating. That is what I call Living Silver: it arrives light and darkens as you wear it. Edges soften, recessed surfaces go dark, polished planes pick up the micro-history of how you actually live. Blackening a ring at the bench is the other route entirely: the darkness is there from the first day instead of earned, and it belongs to the RITUAL register. In the catalogue 17 objects out of 134 are blackened that way. A commission chooses one of the two openly, and I say plainly which one the form is asking for.
How my process for custom rings works
Five steps — conversation, sketches, 3D model, production, delivery — and only the $250 deposit is paid before the estimate is approved. 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, and every round is included. Size is settled here too, as inner diameter in millimetres, before anything is cast.
Step 4 — Production in Bali
Once you approve the model, the piece moves to the bench. STRUGA has no workshop of its own: the ring is made in Bali by a small, constant team of silversmiths who have worked this metal far longer than I have. Every ring is hand-finished — files, burrs, sandpaper progressions, hand-applied darkening where the design calls for it, 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
Production runs 3–6 weeks from the approved sketch and quote, and transit adds about a week on top. Pieces waiting on a sourced stone sit at the upper end of that band; when a date matters, say so in the first message and the estimate carries it. 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. I ship worldwide.
Which design family should the ring start from?
Choose the family whose structural logic matches what the ring has to do; if none of the five fits, the piece starts from a reference or a stone instead. A commission usually starts inside one of the five design families: BRUTALISM, BLADE, THORN, SIGNATURE ASYMMETRIC and SIGNATURE HEART. The family decides the structural grammar of the ring — the visual logic that holds it together. It is a starting point rather than a fence: a piece can also begin from a reference, a stone, or an idea that has no family yet. The catalogue is the honest reference for what each language weighs on a hand.
| Family | Structural logic | Rings in the catalogue now |
|---|---|---|
| BRUTALISM | Heavy planes, raw edges, architectural mass — concrete buildings and bunker geometry | 2 — Brutalism V.1 and V.3, 9.6–24 g across sizes 15–22 mm |
| BLADE | One dominant axis — a ridge, a chamfer, a planar cut running the length | none — the language currently lives in cuffs, bracelets, chains and earrings, so a Blade ring exists only as a commission |
| THORN | Pointed silhouettes, biomorphic, organic-aggressive | 1 — Thorn Ring, 4.7–12.7 g |
| SIGNATURE ASYMMETRIC | Deliberate imbalance; the left side does not match the right | 3 — from 2.1 g (Links V.2) to 13 g (Double Line) |
| SIGNATURE HEART | The heart as a structural device, not a decorative one | 1 — Heart Lock, 11 g |
Weight is the variable we control most directly, and it is the one that moves the price, because material is counted per gram of the finished object. A commission can sit lighter or heavier than anything in the table above — the numbers are there so the conversation starts from something real rather than from an adjective. Every ring in the list is in the ring catalogue, where you can see the sizes and the finishes side by side.
What does a custom ring cost?
Design from $700, material $50 per gram of the finished object, and a $250 consultation deposit credited against the quote — three lines, named before any work starts. I am direct about pricing because I do not want to waste your time or mine. A commission is built from three named lines — the same three published on the Custom Order page, named before any work starts.
| Line | What it covers | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Work on form, drawing, 3D model, sign-off | from $700 |
| Material | 925 silver, stone, meteorite and adjoining metals, counted by grams of the finished object | $50 / g |
| Consultation deposit | Paid before sketch work begins, credited against the final quote | $250 |
A lighter build brings the material line down, a massive one raises it — weight is the lever, and it is yours as much as mine. Engagement pieces with diamonds or coloured stones add the stone on top of the same formula. Meteorite inlays, hand-carved detail and multi-stone compositions are quoted individually. Before the sketch direction is approved you pay the deposit and nothing else.
What every quote covers, and what it does not:
- Included: the 3D model with its revisions, hand finishing, the chosen finish, and the presentation box.
- Not included: shipping, quoted at the actual DHL rate; tax in your country; transit insurance, offered as an add-on.
How do I start a commission?
Send the brief through the Custom Order form and a first proposal with a price band comes back within 24 hours. Two paths, and both end at the same brief.
- Path A — you have a clear idea. Open Custom Order and send the 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 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.
Start the conversation
The fastest route is the Custom Order form: it asks for exactly what I need and reaches me directly. If you would rather write, 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.
A commission at a glance
| What | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Format | A commission: brief, hand-drawn sketches, 3D model with revisions, hand finishing. Not a configurator |
| Metal | 925 silver, no rhodium and no lacquer — light on arrival, darkening as you wear it |
| Design | from $700 |
| Material | $50 per gram of the finished object |
| Consultation deposit | $250, credited against the final quote |
| Timeline | 3–6 weeks from approved sketch and quote, plus about a week in transit |
| Size | Inner diameter in millimetres; the catalogue runs 15–22 mm, and US, EU, UK, JP and RU convert on our side |
| Starting point | One of 5 families — BRUTALISM, BLADE, THORN, SIGNATURE ASYMMETRIC, SIGNATURE HEART — or a reference or a stone |
| Your own stone | Accepted for setting; the design is matched to the stone |
| Reply to a brief | Within 24 hours, with a first proposal and a price band |
Frequently asked questions
Didn’t find the answer — write to us, we reply personally.
Ask a question →01How long does a custom ring take?+–
Production runs 3–6 weeks from the approved sketch and quote, and transit adds about a week. Pieces waiting on a sourced stone sit at the upper end of that band, and the exact date is written into your estimate before you pay anything beyond the deposit.
02Can 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 the workshop.
03Can 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.
04Can the ring be made in a metal other than silver?+–
My language is 925 silver, and every piece in the catalogue is silver. A commission can carry stone, meteorite and adjoining metals alongside it, agreed case by case in the estimate. Ask in the first message and I will tell you upfront whether the family translates into what you have in mind or whether the design should change.
05What if my ring size is uncertain?+–
Size is settled at the 3D-model stage, before anything is cast. We work in inner diameter in millimetres — the catalogue runs 15–22 mm — and we convert from US, EU, UK, JP and RU on our side. To measure at home: wrap a thin strip of paper around the base of the finger and mark the overlap, or lay a ring that already fits on a ruler and read the inner diameter. The ring size guidance walks through all three methods. A wide band needs a slightly larger size than a thin one, so tell me the width you are heading for.
06Can 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.
07Why silver rather than 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.
08What if I want something that is not in your families?+–
Common enough, and welcome. Much of what people imagine as "outside the families" fits one of them once we talk the brief through, and the rest starts from a reference or a stone instead. 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.
