When you commission a custom line, you are buying a production process, not a design. The process is what decides whether the tenth thousand piece looks like the sample you approved. Here is ours, end to end.
The seven stages
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief & feasibility | You send a sketch, CAD file, photograph or physical sample plus target retail price and quantity. We confirm stone availability, metal options and MOQ. | 1–2 days |
| 2. Quotation | Per-piece pricing at your target quantity, with tooling or mould cost shown separately and amortisation stated. | 1–2 days |
| 3. CAD modelling | 3D model developed from the brief, supplied as renders and, on request, a printable file. | 48 hours |
| 4. Render approval | You approve proportions, stone sizes, setting style and finish. Changes are cheapest at this stage. | 1–3 revision rounds |
| 5. Physical sample | Resin or wax prototype, then a metal sample with the specified stones set. | 7–12 days |
| 6. Approval sheet | A signed document fixing stone grade, metal, gram weight tolerance, plating thickness, dimensions and packing. This becomes the production contract. | 1 day |
| 7. Tooling & production | Moulds or masters cut, then the run is scheduled and executed with in-line QC. | 12–20 days |
What you can customise
- Stone: moissanite, lab grown diamond, lab grown emerald, ruby, sapphire, paraiba, padparadscha, zircon — or a mix in the same piece.
- Stone grade: D–H colour with VVS–SI clarity, confirmed on the approval sheet.
- Metal: 925 sterling silver, 10K, 14K, 18K gold in yellow, white or rose, and platinum.
- Finishing: high polish, satin, matte, rhodium or coloured plating to a stated thickness.
- Sizing: ring sizes to US, EU, UK or JP standards; chain and bracelet lengths to specification.
- Branding: laser engraving on the piece, logo tags, branded boxes, pouches, care cards and certificate wallets.
MOQ tiers
| Order type | MOQ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Existing catalogue design | 10 pcs | No tooling cost; fastest route to market |
| Custom from your CAD/3D file | 30 pcs | Mould cost applies, amortisable |
| Custom from sketch or photo | 50 pcs | Includes development and revision rounds |
| Fully bespoke componentry | 100 pcs | New findings, clasps or mechanisms |
File formats we accept
3DM, STL or OBJ files import directly and give the most accurate result. Vector drawings (AI, CDR) or dimensioned DWG/DXF files work well if every dimension is stated. High-resolution photographs are workable but expect more revision rounds because proportions must be inferred.
Protecting your design
We sign mutual non-disclosure agreements before development begins, restrict access to your files to the development team, and confirm in writing that tooling produced for your designs is not reused for other customers. If a design is central to your brand, register the design right in your own market before committing to a large production run — that protection is yours to hold, not ours.
How we keep a custom line consistent over time
The approval sheet is the mechanism. It records stone grade, metal, target gram weight with tolerance, plating thickness, dimensions, finish and packing. Once signed, it is filed against your account and becomes the reference for every subsequent production run. When you reorder eight months later, production works from that sheet — not from a new interpretation of your original sketch. This is why we ask buyers to spend time on the sheet rather than treating it as paperwork.
Costs beyond the unit price
Three costs sit outside the per-piece quotation. Tooling or mould cost is a one-off, sometimes amortised across the first run. Sample cost is typically charged at a multiple of unit cost and credited against your first bulk order above 200 pieces. Packaging tooling — logo-printed boxes or pouches — carries its own set-up cost independent of the jewellery. We itemise all three on the quotation so there is no surprise at invoice stage.
A development workflow that avoids rework
Send us everything you have: sketch, CAD file, reference photograph, and any existing sample. Buyers who supply a dimensioned vector drawing or a 3DM/STL file typically need one revision round; buyers who supply a photograph alone should expect two to three, because proportions have to be inferred and jewellery proportions are exactly what the eye notices. Where a design is intended for a specific retail price, tell us that price up front — we will propose the stone size and metal weight that fit it rather than quoting a design you cannot sell.