What is the cost of designing my own engagement ring?

“Can you tell me how much it will cost to design my own engagement ring, especially if I have my own diamond? I recently inherited the diamond from my grandmother’s wedding set, and I would like to design an engagement ring to showcase the diamond. I was originally looking for a vintage style engagement ring, but I also really like the look of the Marcela split shank halo setting by Brian Gavin.

I am interested in possibly ordering it in 18k rose gold because my grandmother’s diamond is warmer in color. According to my local jeweler, the diamond is L-M-N color, and I’ve heard that diamonds that color might look good set in rose gold. Will Brian Gavin sell me a setting for a diamond that was not purchased from them? And if so, will Brian Gavin set the diamond, or do I have to find a local jeweler to do it?”

How much does it cost to design an engagement ring?

It might surprise you to discover that 95% of the engagement rings featured in our online catalog were custom designed on behalf of our clients. The names for each of the ring styles are inspired by the name of the person who they were first designed for. Brian Gavin has more than 30 years of experience designing custom jewelry, and is one of the first jewelers to offer custom design services online. You can get the full story on how to design an engagement ring here.

You can use the ring designs featured in our online catalog to get an idea of what it costs to create a custom designed engagement ring, because the price represented does not include the center stone. The prices are based upon the value of the metal and diamonds set in the ring, as well as the time that it takes to create the design, cut the mold, cast the ring, polish the setting, set the stones and finish the ring by hand. The design costs are already included in the final price.

We use state-of-the-art computer aided design (CAD) software to create a three-dimensional model of our custom jewelry designs. The software enables us to provide you with images of the ring design from a variety of vantage points. Making it possible for you to see the ring design and verify that it is exactly what you have in mind. For more details you can read about the steps of the Custom Design process here.

How much does it cost to design a ring if I have my own diamond?

Let’s step back for a moment and address your first question, which was how much does it cost to design an engagement ring if you already have the center stone. The answer is that it does not cost any more to design a ring if you purchase the diamond from Brian Gavin, or if you already have the diamond.

The price of the setting, or custom designing a setting, is the same because it is based upon the characteristics of the ring, the time spent designing the ring, and the costs related to producing the ring.

In this particular instance, it isn’t really necessary to custom design a ring, because you’ve already indicated that you like the Marcela split halo setting by Brian Gavin in 18k rose gold. Thus the price of the setting is going to be the amount indicated on the product details page for the ring size and metal type selected from the drop down menu.

In the event that you actually wanted to custom design an engagement ring for a diamond which you were either buying from Brian Gavin, or which you already own, you would simply contact our customer service department for a quote here.

The cost to custom design a ring to accommodate your diamond will be based upon the time allotted to design the ring; the cost of materials which will be based upon the alloy type and the amount of metal used; any accent diamonds which may be part of the design, production costs, etcetera. We would then name the design after you, or the person for whom the ring is being designed if you’d like.

Vintage style rose gold engagement ring:

Since you indicated that you were originally looking for a vintage style ring to set your grandmother’s diamond into, I thought you might also like to consider the Elle by Sholdt Designs. I’m confident that your grandmother’s L-M-N color diamond will look exceptional set in this rose gold setting.

This ring offers the visual appeal of a vintage style setting, with the stability of modern structure, and the uniform design that can only be obtained using state-of-the-art jewelry design technology. This ring is made-to-order which means that each one is made to fit the dimensions of the center stone.

As opposed to many settings which are built to accommodate different ranges of carat weight. That design concept has never really worked for Brian Gavin, since the only way to ensure a proper fit and maintain the overall balance of the setting, is to make each ring specifically to fit the diamond provided.

What color diamonds look best set in rose gold?

Diamonds that are warmer in tone, such as those in the L-M-N color range, definitely look wonderful set in 14k or 18k rose gold. It happens to be one of my favorite metals to use for engagement rings containing diamonds that are in the faint yellow to yellow color spectrum, because the warmth of the rose gold seems to blend perfectly with the warm, sunny hues of diamonds in the L-M-N color range.

However, diamonds that are D-E-F colorless to G-H-I-J near colorless, also look exceptional set in rose gold. It is one of those metals that seems to accentuate whatever color diamond is set into it. Thus it doesn’t seem to matter what color diamond you set in rose gold, it’s going to look fantastic!

Will Brian Gavin set a diamond sourced elsewhere?

Brian Gavin will sell a setting or custom design a setting, for diamonds that were not purchased by Brian Gavin. However, we will only sell the ring in the event that Brian Gavin is setting the diamond.

We will not send out blank versions of our settings, that means that a center stone has to be set in the ring. The reality is that we think it is best for us set the diamond in settings that we design, because we understand the structure of the design best. Since we designed the setting, we know the best way to set the diamond. This is something that can vary from one setting design to another, which is why practically every custom jewelry designer that we know of, insists on setting the center stone themselves. Doing so ensures your complete satisfaction and maintains our warranty.

Of course, you may rely upon your local jeweler to have the ring inspected, cleaned, and polished. We recommend having your ring checked by a qualified local jeweler at least two times per year, such as when you change your clocks to adjust for daylight savings time. However please send your ring back to Brian Gavin for any repairs that might be necessary over the course of time, to maintain the validity of the warranty.