Built around one stone.
Most custom jewelry starts with a design and finds a stone to fill it. I work the other way: the stone comes first, and the piece is designed to show it.
That matters most with color. A setting can concentrate a stone’s hue or drain it, through metal choice, how much light reaches the pavilion, and what sits beside it. A Fancy Intense Yellow in white metal with white-diamond accents reads differently than the same stone in yellow gold. These are not taste decisions. They are technical ones with a taste outcome.
The process
The finished piece is the last stage of a long one. Depending on the project it runs through consultation, sourcing, design development, measurement and technical planning, CAD and revisions, metal selection, casting or fabrication, setting, hand finishing, polishing and final inspection. Some designs add steps, or go through several iterations before anything is cast.
- Sketch. The direction is settled on paper before anything is committed.
- CAD and render. You see the piece accurately before it exists.
- Approval. Nothing goes to the bench until you are certain.
- The bench. Executed by master setters.
- Final review. Inspected against the render and photographed before it reaches you.
What a custom project costs
Custom projects begin at $2,500.
That is a starting point for one-of-a-kind work, not a minimum spend. There is finished jewelry below it, and I will point you there if that is the better answer for what you want. The figure reflects what it takes to run a project properly: design time, technical planning, sourcing, and bench work by people who do not rush.
Final pricing follows the design. What moves it:
- The stone. Diamond or gemstone selection, and how hard it is to find.
- The metal. Type and weight.
- Complexity. How much design and engineering the piece asks for.
- Stone count. How many stones are set, and of what kind.
- The setting work. Specialized setting or fabrication requirements.
These are worked through before production starts. You should know the anticipated investment going in, not discover it late.
How long it takes
Two weeks is the floor for production. Plan on four from design approval to a finished piece. Intricate work, an unusual stone to source, or a busy stretch can push it to six or beyond.
The production clock starts at approval, not at the first conversation. A custom project has a design phase and then a production phase, and the design, materials, stone, sizing and price are settled before anything is made. Changes during design move the whole schedule. Changes after a piece is in production cost time and money, and some are no longer possible at all.
If the piece is for a proposal, a wedding, an anniversary or any fixed date, come early. I would rather set a real timeline at the start than cut craftsmanship to hit one that was never realistic. Rush work is sometimes possible depending on the schedule. It is not something I promise in advance.
Estimates and deposits
Before you commit to production you get the proposed design and the anticipated cost, based on what is known at that stage. Where a stone has to be specially sourced, price and availability can move until that stone is actually secured.
A deposit is required before design work, stone acquisition or production begins, with the balance due on terms set for the project. Because the piece is made for one person, the cancellation, modification and return terms are put in writing before work starts.
Your own stones
Inherited pieces, stones from rings that ended, jewelry you love the stone in and not the setting. I am glad to look at working what you already own into something new.
The piece needs inspecting first, to see whether the stones and mounting will survive removal and resetting. Vintage, antique and long-worn stones carry real risk at that stage, and closed settings can hide damage until the stone is out. I will tell you what I find before anything is touched. Resetting done well honors what the piece was. Done badly, it destroys it. I will tell you honestly which one yours is a candidate for.
Why this is on the page
Custom work runs on trust. You should know what is being made, what you are paying for, how the process runs and roughly how long it takes before you say yes to any of it.
The starting point is not there to make custom work exclusive. It is there so a project gets the attention it actually requires. If custom is not the right answer for what you want, or for what you want to spend, say so and we will look at finished pieces instead.
Start a design
Consultations are by appointment, in person or by secure video, anywhere in the country. There is no cost and no obligation. Bring a stone, an idea, or just a feeling.
Kevin Kutz, Founder and Private Jeweler · contact@kkdiamondsllc.com · (860) 996-4045