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BESPOKE DESIGN
Customers tell us that they love our straightforward, no-nonsense approach to jewellery design, and are often surprised at how affordable it can be. We know that most customers have no idea of the costs involved in having jewellery made, and many are too nervous to ask. We understand what a daunting prospect it can be, especially as many 'designer jewellers' insist on a formal consultation before sharing their prices, or make the process seem overly complicated. Instead of buying something completely unique, customers end up visiting a chain store and paying over the odds for a mass-produced item, or buying something online and being disappointed with the quality.
Our aim is to make jewellery design accessible to everyone, so we offer a no-nonsense service with free advice and reasonable pricing. You won't find any pushy sales consultants or intimidating 'creative directors' when you visit us, just friendly service and an informal chat. ​
Scroll down to read some frequently asked questions about our bespoke design service, including information about incorporating your existing gemstones or metal into the new design.
If you have any queries that aren't covered here, please get in touch.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I start?​​
To enquire about a bespoke design, please email sales@loganthejewellers.co.uk so we can discuss your requirements and the next steps. If you know exactly what you're looking for, a lot of the design process can be done by email. But don't worry if you're not sure where to start! We'll arrange an appointment for you to visit us for a friendly chat, where we can show you different setting styles, stone sizes, and examples of our past designs.
What designs can you offer?​​
The best thing about bespoke jewellery is creating something completely unique. We can make anything you like, no matter how quirky! You might already have a clear design in mind but if not, we recommend looking online to get a feel of what you like and dislike. Google, Pinterest and Instagram are all great places to start. You can share photos with us along with notes about what you like/dislike about each one, so we can bear this in mind for your design. It doesn't even need to be photos of jewellery. Send us anything that you'd like to be incorporated, even if it's just a pattern, texture or colour. If you can't find pictures of what you're looking for, a quick sketch can give us an idea of where to start.  If you send us photos of designs that aren't compatible for your chosen stone, or wouldn’t be robust enough for daily wear, we’ll let you know and suggest some modifications that would make the finished design more practical, but retain the same sense of style.
What gemstones can you supply?
As diamond and coloured gemstone specialists, all of our stones are the highest quality with GIA and IGI-certified options available. We can supply any type of gemstone, including rare examples such an Indicolite and Tzavorite. We offer traditionally-mined natural diamonds alongside their lab-grown equivalents, and can provide a quote for both types if your budget allows. We can supply natural and lab-grown diamonds in almost any quality, shape and carat weight, including coloured diamonds. When you visit us, we'll show you our diamond sample sets which have the most popular shapes and weights so you can see exactly how they compare to each other.  Many customers choose lab-grown diamonds due to the low price and high quality, and also for ethical and environmental reasons. We use the highest quality lab-grown diamonds available on the market, with the finest being 'Green Grown' diamonds from Green Rocks. The Green Grown process creates exceptional quality diamonds which are cut and polished by some of the finest stone cutters in the world. Every Green Rocks diamond is a 'Sustainability Rated Diamond', certifying that it adheres to the highest social and ethical performance, with unsurpassed traceability back to the source. Green Rocks diamonds do tend to be priced slightly higher than other lab-grown diamonds, but the quality is truly unrivalled and we believe they are well worth the additional cost.  For an even more affordable option than lab-grown diamonds, we offer two ranges of premium moissanite in our bespoke jewellery: Forever One from Charles & Colvard, and Starlight Moissanite. These are far superior to the generic moissanite offered by most jewellers. Starlight Mossanite is relatively new to the market, having been introduced to rival the quality of Forever One at a lower price. It is excellent quality, and the only moissanite to come with an independent Anchorcert Gem Lab report from Birmingham Assay Office.
Can I reuse my existing gemstones?
We complete dozens of bespoke designs each year using a customer's own gemstones, often arranging for them to be repolished to look like new. If you want to add extra gemstones, our stone-matching service ensures a perfect match to the originals. However, we must stress that using your own stones is not without risk. While we will visually inspect each stone to determine whether it is suitable for reuse, we cannot guarantee the integrity of gemstones we have not supplied. Gemstones can often have hidden faults and weaknesses not visible to the eye, especially if they are being reused from existing jewellery. When subjected to repolishing, or to the heat and pressure of the setting process, these hidden faults can cause a stone to crack, chip or shatter (even diamonds). This is due to the inherently fragile nature of gemstones and is outside of our control. Stone failure is extremely rare - we have only experienced this a handful of times in several decades of jewellery design. But unfortunately it can happen, even with brand-new stones. Gemstones supplied by us are fully guaranteed and will be replaced without charge if they fail, but customer-supplied gemstones are used at your own risk, and replacement stones will be chargeable. We won't be able to cancel your bespoke design in the event of stone failure during setting, as the mount will already be finished by that stage. But if your stone does fail, we will supply a replacement at trade price with no additional charges added.
Can I resuse my existing metal?
We can incorporate existing metal into a bespoke design, but this is usually done for sentimental reasons rather than cost-saving. In most cases, it will increase the cost of your design rather than reduce it. This is due to the time involved in preparing the existing metal for reuse, and additional charges for casting your design. Reusing gold or platinum isn’t as simple as people often think. 9ct gold only contains 37.5% pure gold. 18ct gold is 75% pure, and 950 platinum is 95% pure. The rest of the metal is a mix of alloys such as zinc, copper, nickel, iron, aluminium and silver. There is no defined standard for the mix of alloys used, and different items of jewellery will use different types and quantities of alloys in their metal. Some jewellers will 'melt down' existing jewellery and mix it together in one batch to make something new. While this is often done cheaply, it is very poor practice, resulting in an unstable alloy mix and impurities in the metal. The resulting jewellery will be weak and have a poor finish. The correct method is to melt the metal and use a process called ‘refining’ to extract the pure gold or platinum, leaving behind the alloys and impurities. The extracted gold or platinum is mixed with a new batch of alloys in a process called 'alloying'. Pure gold can be used to make 9ct, 14ct or 18ct gold in yellow, white or rose. The only difference is the amount and type of alloys used. Refining and alloying metal is a complex process requiring specialist equipment and materials, and it takes many hours to complete. The time and materials need to be charged for accordingly. Additional charges will also apply to have your design cast using the metal produced. Jewellery casting is usually done in batches, with dozens of items being cast at once using the same metal. This means the cost of the casting process can be split between them. To cast a single piece of jewellery using your own metal, a separate casting would need to be done and your item would incur the full cost of it. The increased casting charges, combined with the charges for refining and alloying the metal in the first place, means that the cost of reusing metal usually outweighs the cost of buying new. If the existing metal has sentimental value, you might be happy to pay extra to have it incorporated into your new design. But if you have no sentimental attachment to the existing metal, we recommend that your bespoke design is made in new metal as this is the easiest and most cost-effective option. You can also trade-in your existing metal scrap to offset the cost.
What's the process?​​
Once we've confirmed your requirements and budget, we'll use CAD (Computer Aided Design) to create your unique design. If the design includes diamonds or other gemstones, these will usually be sourced first, so we can build the design around them. Your design will be sent to you by email, showing the piece from different angles. The design can be tweaked as many times as necessary until it's perfect. Once you're happy with the design, we'll produce a wax prototype of it. This allows us to check the design in exact detail before having it cast in gold or platinum. Once your design has been cast in your chosen metal and hallmarked, it will be polished and finished by hand, and we'll set the stones.
How long does it take?​​
As our bespoke service is very popular, we usually have a queue of designs waiting to be completed. We aim to complete new CAD designs within two weeks, and amendments within a few days. Â Once you've approved your CAD design, we'll aim to have your completed ring ready for collection in approximately seven weeks. Timescales are extended during the Christmas period. Our last order date for guaranteed Christmas delivery is the end of October.
How much does it cost?​​
Each bespoke piece of jewellery is individually priced based on the amount of precious metal used for the mount, the number and type of gemstones it contains, and the amount of finishing it will require. While we don't charge designer prices for our jewellery, having a bespoke piece made does cost more than choosing a mass-produced design 'off the shelf'. This is due to the additional costs involved in the designing, prototyping, casting and finishing of your unique piece as a one-off design.  As a general guide, a bespoke solitaire ring mount would start at approximately £1000 in 9ct gold and £1200 in platinum, assuming a simple design. These prices include design, manufacturing, hallmarking and 20% VAT, but exclude the cost of the stone itself. Choosing a heavier-weight, complex or diamond-set design would increase the cost, as would setting multiple stones. This is why we always discuss budget from the outset. If you have a specific style in mind but find that a bespoke design is over your budget, we can usually source a ready-made design in a similar style. We have a network of trusted UK suppliers offering thousands of designs to suit most budgets.
Why do you need to know my budget?​
The cost of bespoke jewellery can vary greatly depending on the size and quality of gemstones used, the type and amount of metal used, and the overall style chosen. Two designs can look very similar but one could cost three times more than the other. There's nothing worse than presenting a customer with a design they love, only to realise it's twice their budget! By asking for your budget at the outset, we can determine whether your chosen design is achievable for that amount. If not, we can suggest tweaks that could bring the cost down, for example choosing a different metal or gemstone. Customers often tell us they don't have a budget, but we know from experience that they usually do - they just don't want to tell us in case we bump up the price! But you don’t need to worry, we won't charge you more for a design just because you gave us a higher budget at the outset. If we can make the design for less, we will. ​ As a general guide, bespoke jewellery starts at £1000 for simple 9ct designs and £1200 for platinum. If your budget won't stretch to a bespoke design, we might be able to suggest a ready-made mount that will give a similar look at a lower cost.
What are the payment terms?​
Once you are happy with your design, we will take a 30% initial payment to confirm your order. The balance will be payable on collection of your finished piece. We accept cash, bank transfer, and credit/debit cards including American Express. Please note: payments for bespoke work are non-refundable. Orders cannot be cancelled once they are confirmed, and bespoke items are excluded from our returns policy. This does not affect your statutory rights.
Can I spread the cost?​
Our free layaway service allows you to split the cost into an agreed number of instalments and collect your item once the balance has been paid in full. There are no additional charges and no credit check. Please ask for details. We also offer interest-free instalments from PayItMonthly. Please let us know in advance if you'd like to apply for this, as it is not available for all orders.