Frequently Asked Questions

Unlike other jewelers and jewelry stores, each piece of jewelry we produce starts off as a brand new idea.

Because of that, it’s difficult to know how much a piece is going to cost without knowing a bit more about the idea you have in mind.

The easiest way to get an estimate on your piece is to start a consultation with us. With just a bit of information, we can usually provide you with an estimate very quickly. Once we have the finer details, we can offer you a proposal with an exact price.

Click here to learn more about how much a custom engagement ring costs.

We believe the experience of getting something made just for you should be accessible to everyone. While our jewelry is all custom designed and crafted to exceptionally high standards, we're able to keep our costs much lower than traditional jewelers who do custom work - not by cutting corners or settling for lower quality, but by finding better ways to do things.

Keeping our costs low means we're able to produce heirloom-quality custom jewelry for prices that are comparable to what you'd pay for similar quality pieces off the shelf. If you're purchasing a piece of jewelry that you want to last a lifetime (like an engagement ring or wedding band, for instance), then we offer the opportunity to have something made just for you for roughly the cost of something that's been mass-produced.

However, custom designing and making every piece one-of-a-kind at such high quality means we can’t offer jewelry at the prices of fast fashion brands.

We have a team of jewelry designers and 3D artists, as well as a team of design consultants. When you start a consultation with us, you’ll be paired up with one of our design consultants who will help you flesh out the details of your design, as well as weigh various options.

Once your design consultant has the information they need, they’ll work with our team of artists to produce sketches and renderings of your piece based on the information you’ve given us. You’ll have a chance to review the design and offer feedback - and we’ll keep designing until you’re happy.

There's no charge to discuss your design, and price out options with our team. In many cases, our jewelry designers will also create artistic sketches of our design concepts for your piece. We request a deposit prior to producing 3D models and renderings of your design and that deposit goes toward the final cost of producing your piece.

Typically, your custom piece will be in your hands 2-4 weeks after we've finalized your design. However, because each project is different, the time it takes to complete your project may vary. Here's a rough breakdown of how long each part of our process takes:

Design: As long as it takes for you to tell us it's perfect

When it comes to creating your design, we'll work at your pace. Some customers only need to exchange a few messages with us - we'll often be ready to make their piece within a few days. Others may prefer to design and iterate with us over many weeks, or even months.

Production: Approximately 2-4 weeks

Once you've approved a design, we'll manufacture your piece, finishing all the details by hand. When it's ready, we'll send you photographs of your finished piece so you can give us your seal of approval before we ship it to you.

Shipping: 1-3 days (domestic), Approximately 1 week (international)

We offer free shipping within the US via FedEx or USPS, and we ship international packages via DHL Worldwide Express, one of the fastest services available. Depending on location, international shipments can sometimes be delayed by local customs for inspection, which can extend the delivery time.

Our headquarters is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each piece of jewelry is made in one of our US-based workshops.

Currently, we ship to 50+ countries worldwide. There are a handful of countries we don’t ship to, either due to restrictions from our shipping providers or customs regulations at the shipping destination. To see if your country qualifies, start a consultation and ask us!

Note that all pricing is displayed in US dollars, and additional shipping charges may apply. Shipping within the United States is free.

Every piece of jewelry we create is 100% custom, and most of our diamonds and gemstones are purchased specifically for each piece on our customers' behalf, which means we can’t take items back and put them in stock for another customer. Because of that, we don't accept returns, or offer refunds or cancellations, after you've paid to secure your stone(s), or after you've accepted your final proposal to begin production, whichever comes first.

Don’t worry, we know that when it comes to the fine jewelry you design with us, pretty close doesn’t cut it! If you aren’t thrilled with your CustomMade jewelry, we’ll modify or remake it at no additional charge. Review our CustomMade Satisfaction Guarantee for full details.

If the size on your ring isn’t quite right, just let us know within 365 days of purchase and we’ll do one resizing for free. We’ll even handle insured shipping both ways!

We still recommend doing the best you can to get the ring size right the first time around and to help, we offer free ring sizing kits for all US-based customers. Not all rings can be resized and size changes of more than 1.5 sizes aren’t always possible without remaking the ring from scratch. We’ll remake the ring if that’s what’s required, but it does mean you’ll be without your ring during that time, which we know can be hard!

We stand behind our jewelry 100% and we offer a comprehensive set of warranties so that you can purchase with confidence.

Lifetime Manufacturer Warranty

We guarantee our workmanship and take responsibility for any structural defects.

Certificate of Authenticity

All the materials (metals, diamonds, and gemstones) we sell are authentic and properly specified in your proposal agreement.

Accent Stone Loss Warranty

If any small accent gems (<$100 value) break or fall out of their settings in the first year after we create the ring or within a year of us performing maintenance on the ring, we’ll replace them free of charge.

Read more about our warranties.

To protect your investment, we recommend making sure your jewelry is insured under a homeowners, renters, or individual jewelry insurance policy. This is a common service that your insurer will be happy to provide. Insurance is particularly important for engagement rings with valuable center stones.

We don’t offer insurance ourselves, but we give you all the information you need to make getting coverage straightforward. We send the CustomMade Detailed Receipt for Insurance Purposes with every purchase, which contains the product and retail price information your insurance company will need to set up your policy.

All of our jewelry is presented in white jewelry boxes fit for a proposal. We also include gift-ready boxes with all warranties and documentation. Don’t worry about us blowing your surprise – this is all safely hidden inside an inconspicuous shipping box!

Unlike most jewelers, we don't keep a huge inventory of gems. Since every piece we make is custom, we prefer to source each stone individually, to suit the design and the specific needs of each customer.

As with the rest of our design process, our team will guide you through the center stone selection process. We start by figuring out what's important to you in a diamond or gemstone, whether it's budget, origin, size, or simply the overall look. With that in mind, we research and prepare a set of options that we think would work for you.

Our primary goal with gems and diamonds is transparency. The center stone is an essential part of the look of your piece and it can be a big financial decision. Trust is built on honest communication, so we work hard to give you all the information you need to make a confident choice. And we encourage you to ask us questions!

In short: yes! All diamonds that we source and sell comply with the Kimberley Process, set up in 2003 to prevent diamond purchases from financing civil wars in Africa and across the globe. This process requires each actor in the diamond supply chain to guarantee that the diamond is conflict-free based on written guarantees from their supplier. Further, international exports must be transported in a tamper-resistant container with a government-validated Kimberly Process Certificate. Not all applicant countries are permitted to participate, and countries found to be in violation (e.g. Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Venezuela) are barred from participation until reforms are enacted.

The process has been effective, but it is not all-encompassing. Some customers are looking for additional peace of mind on issues like wages and working conditions. If that is the case for you, we recommend either lab-created diamonds (genuine diamonds created in a lab instead of mined) or CanadaMark diamonds, which have 3rd party verified Canadian origin.

Absolutely! A lab-created gem can be a great choice, both as a budget choice and for those who prefer a ring with no connection to the mining process. We're happy to talk you through the trade-offs, and to show you both mined and lab-created center stone options.

If you’re shipping to a location within the United States, we may collect sales tax on your purchase. Currently, we collect sales tax on purchases shipped to locations within the following states:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Because sales tax laws are changing rapidly, this list may change during the course of your project. If you’re shipping to a state where we collect sales tax, the amount of tax you owe will be determined by the shipping destination’s local sales tax laws at the time your purchase is finalized and paid for in full.

Please note that we're unable to determine the exact amount of tax you may owe until your project details and shipping address are finalized.