Designing a Custom Engagement Ring

How to Create and Design Your Own Custom Engagement Ring Your engagement ring shouldn’t only sparkle, but also shimmer with hints of your personality and the uniqueness of your relationship. After all, a ring is something you’ll wear single every day and it should be something you truly love and adore for years to come. Here's everything you need to know about designing custom engagement rings, with expert advice from a diamond specialist at Malak Jewelers. Meet The Expert: Assad Malak is a jewelry and diamond importer. He has become one of the most acclaimed jewelers in the Southeast. A graduate of GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and the owner of Malak Jewelers in Charlotte, North Carolina. A member of the Forevermark Carat Club, National Association of Jewelry Apprasiers, Jewelers of America, and the American Gem Society. 1. Start Early Customized engagement rings take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months; be sure to begin the process early so you can be confident in your design choices and don’t have to worry about being in a time crunch. Afterall, this should be a process you enjoy, not stress over. 2. Find a Highly Recommended Jeweler Whose Aesthetic Mirrors Your Own Ask family and friends if they have any recommendations when it comes to jewelers. You want to go through the custom ring process with a jeweler that's reputable and has done this before. In addition to their reputation, you also want to look for a jeweler who is already creating rings that mirror the design you're looking to create. Working with a designer whose style appeals to your own will ensure you end up with a ring you adore. "Most clients choose a piece from my collection and use it as a base but put their own special touches on it," Malak explains. Custom Ring Design From Malak Jewelers 3. Have Your Inspo On Hand "I think the most important thing to have is visual inspiration," Malak advises. The creative designer references anything from your screenshots, pinterest boards, and saved Instagram posts to use as a starting point for creating a custom ring. Maybe you like the band on this ring, the setting on that ring, and the cut of the stone on yet another ring; when you're working to create your very own design, you can borrow ideas from as many styles as it takes to create a ring that checks all of the boxes. 4. Choose Your Metal Traditionally, engagement rings are made from yellow gold, white gold, silver, or platinum. But when you're creating your own engagement ring, you can really choose any metal you prefer. In addition to those classic choices, rose gold, palladium, titanium, and recycled metals (which are made from a blend of metals) should also be considered. 5. Select a Special Stone Malak advises brides to let logic fall by the wayside and allow instinct to lead the way in selecting a stone. All diamonds sparkle in their own unique way. The best thing to do is hide what it says on the piece of paper, the GIA rating, and how much it costs. Choosing a stone without clouded judgement is the best way to ensure you pick a stone that you love for its uniqueness, not market value. 6. Choose a Cut In addition to choosing a stone, you'll also need to choose a cut. Traditional ring cuts include round, cushion, princess, oval, emerald, pear, radiant, asscher, marquise, or heart. 7. Decide on a Setting There are even more settings to choose from than there are diamond cuts, including halo, cathedral, prong, tiffany, bezel, bar, flush, suspension, tension style, channel, pavé, vintage, cluster, shank, and three-stone settings. Different Engagement Ring Setting Types 8. Don't Forget Your Wedding Band It can save a lot of time and money if you design a wedding band at the same time as you're designing a custom engagement ring. Not only will it ensure they are seamlessly paired, but jewelers can often work out a deal when you create both together. 9. Collaborate on a Sketch and Wax Model Brides will first be presented with a sketch of the ring from their jeweler to ensure that the ring visually satisfies their requirements. Once the sketch is approved by the bride, the jeweler will fashion a wax model of the ring. Malak notes that some jewelers will provide a computerized rendering of the ring for detailed designs. 10. Allow Time for Casting and Further Customization Once clients have approved the sketches of their custom-made engagement rings, jewelers will move into casting. The ring will be cast and cleaned, and then the stones are set. Customizations such as micropavé, Gandia elaborates, are created by hand by the jeweler in this stage. After being set and polished, the one-of-a-kind ring is ready to slip onto the finger of the lucky bride-to-be! Our team of design consultants can guide you through each step of designing the perfect ring. Get expert advice and guidance to customize your perfect engagement ring online at https://www.malakjewelers.com/pages/custom-designs