Creating a Custom Engagement Ring: Lead Times

"How long will it take?" This is almost always the first question, asked before the budget, even before the design itself.

The honest answer is one sentence: allow ten weeks for a project carried out without rushing. The longest part is honestly choosing the design. But this average covers very different situations, and it's better to know what happens during these ten weeks to understand what can shorten or lengthen them.

The Real Calendar, Week by Week

Weeks 1 and 2: The Interview

A meeting of about an hour. We talk about the person the ring is for, what they already wear, what they would never wear. About the budget, frankly, because it guides everything else. And about an aesthetic direction, based on images rather than words.

Two or three leads come out of this interview, no more. Suggesting fifteen variations does no one any favors.

Weeks 2 to 4: Design and Modeling

The chosen lead is drawn, then modeled in three dimensions. You see the ring from all angles, with its real proportions, before a gram of metal is committed.

This is the stage where modifications cost nothing. Once validated, the modeling becomes the reference document for manufacturing.

Weeks 3 to 6: The Stone

The search begins in parallel with the design, as soon as the budget and desired characteristics are determined. We work with partner diamantaires and present you with a selection of stones corresponding to the specifications.

Weeks 6 to 9: Manufacturing

Metal casting, mounting formation, housing preparation, setting, then finishing. The setting is the most delicate step and one that cannot be rushed: it is what will hold the stone for the next decades.

Week 10: Control and Delivery

Setting control, final polishing, internal engraving if you wish. The ring is delivered to you with its case and the stone's certificate.

What Lengthens Delays

Particular Stones

A white diamond with common characteristics can be found quickly. A colored diamond, an unheated sapphire or ruby, an antique cut, or a stone beyond a certain weight requires a longer search, sometimes several weeks, with a laboratory certificate to obtain.

Modifications After Validation

Changing your mind about the design after manufacturing has started is not a tragedy, but it adds two to three weeks. This is why we insist on modeling: that's where everything is decided.

Busy Periods

November and December, on the one hand, and April to June, on the other, account for the majority of requests. A project launched in September for Christmas proceeds comfortably; the same project launched at the end of November becomes a race.

You Are Late: The Options

This often happens, and there are real solutions, provided they are considered early rather than hoping for a miracle.

Present the Project Rather Than the Ring

Propose with the drawing and the chosen stone, in a box, then create the ring together. Many couples prefer this option for good reasons, regardless of any time constraints: the future wearer participates in the design of the ring she will wear for a lifetime.

For this, we prepare a careful presentation of the project, delivered under the conditions of a jewelry handover.

Start With a Family Stone

If a stone already exists in the family, the longest part disappears. What remains is the design and manufacturing, about six weeks. However, the stone must be examined before being dismantled, which we detail in our article on inherited jewelry.

What Varies the Budget

Three items, of very unequal importance.

The main stone almost always represents the essential. Its characteristics, weight, color, purity, cut, make its price vary considerably for a comparable appearance.

The metal weighs relatively little on an engagement ring, the quantity involved being small. The choice between white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum is therefore more about taste and use than budget.

The work depends on the complexity of the mounting and the type of setting. A minimalist solitaire and an openwork pave mounting do not require the same hours.

We give you a range during the first interview, and a firm quote after concept validation.

What We Ask to Get Started

Not much. An idea of the budget, even approximate. Some images of jewelry that are liked and jewelry that are disliked, the latter often being more instructive than the former.

And Finger Size, Without Arousing Suspicion

The question comes up with every project. Three methods work: discreetly borrowing a ring already worn on the ring finger and bringing it to us for a measurement, getting a close friend's complicity, or agreeing to adjust it after the proposal.

This last option is the simplest and we systematically include it in the quote. A resizing is done quickly and without consequence to the ring, provided it was planned from the design stage.

Make an Appointment

We receive for private consultation, by appointment, on Monday or Saturday, outside our opening hours. These projects are rarely prepared during a quick shop visit.

The first interview is without obligation, and it will tell you in an hour if the project is feasible within your timeframe and budget. See also our custom creations.

Atelier Ulmann. Route de Thonon 52, 1222 Vésenaz. Make an appointment.