Straight answers about custom engagement rings.

No. Ring Mint makes every type of jewelry: engagement rings, wedding and anniversary bands, necklaces and pendants, earrings, bracelets, men’s pieces, and redesigns of jewelry you already own.

Engagement rings are the most common request, which is why much of this site talks about them, but the process is identical for any piece.

No. We source lab created and natural diamonds, colored gemstones such as sapphire, emerald, ruby, spinel, tourmaline, opal and garnet, and ultra-rare high-end stones that are never publicly listed.

Those last ones come down to relationships rather than search filters. Ring Mint has more than fifty years of family relationships in the trade to draw on.

No. We work at every price point, from a modest pair of earrings to a six-figure stone. Tell us the number you have in mind and we will show you the best possible piece at that number.

A smaller budget is arguably where expert sourcing matters most, because the trade-offs are tighter and a good choice makes a larger relative difference.

Often, yes. Beyond the global network of more than two million listed stones, there is a tier of material that never reaches a public list: exceptional colored gemstones, unusual sizes and cuts, and stones held privately.

Reaching those is entirely a matter of who you know, and five decades of family trade relationships is what makes it possible. Tell us what you are looking for and we will tell you honestly whether we can find it.

Yes. Resetting an inherited stone, rebuilding a piece into something you will actually wear, and repair and restoration work are all routine.

Send photographs and any grading paperwork you have, and we will confirm what is possible before designing around it.

A custom engagement ring generally costs the same or less than a comparable ring from a retail case, because nothing is marked up as held inventory.

The center stone drives most of the total. We quote the stone and the setting separately so you can see where the money is going and move it between the two.

Whatever you are comfortable spending. The old rule about two or three months’ salary was a marketing campaign, not guidance.

Tell us a number and we will show you the best possible ring at that number, and say so plainly if what you have described is not achievable within it.

Usually not. A store has to recover the cost of rent, sales staff, and stones that sit unsold, and that cost lands in the price of the pieces that do sell.

Ring Mint holds no inventory and has no storefront. The ring is made after you approve it, and the stone is sourced after you ask for it. More on that in how custom pricing works.

Payment is split into two stages. We generally take a 50% deposit on the center stone, and a 50% deposit on production of the final ring.

The remaining balance is due once the finished ring has been completed and reviewed, before it ships. Exact terms are confirmed in writing before you order.

Diamonds and deposits are refundable for up to 25 days, or until production begins on the final ring, whichever comes first.

Once production has started the piece is being made to your specification, so that window closes. If you are unsure about anything, say so before you approve the design. That is exactly what the CAD and wax stages are for.

Not once production has started. A ring built to your exact specification cannot simply be put back into stock, which is the trade-off that comes with getting precisely what you asked for.

That said, we do not walk away from a piece you are unhappy with. We will re-work or refine the ring, or liquidate it and apply the credit toward something else, as close to cost as we can get it.

We guarantee our work against defects and manufacturing problems. If something is wrong with how the ring was made, tell us and we will put it right.

Because every ring is approved by you at the CAD stage and reviewed and photographed before it ships, genuine surprises are rare.

Yes. A lab created diamond is pure crystallized carbon with the same crystal structure, the same hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, and the same optical properties as a mined diamond.

It is not a simulant like cubic zirconia or moissanite, and it cannot be distinguished by eye or with a loupe. Full detail on the lab created diamond page.

It depends on what you value. A lab created diamond buys a noticeably larger or higher-quality stone for the same budget. A natural diamond carries geological rarity and holds value somewhat better, though both resell well below retail.

We show you comparable options in both at your budget, with certificates. We hold no stones, so we have no reason to push either.

Substantially. A lab created diamond typically costs a fraction of a comparable natural stone, and the gap has widened as growing capacity increased.

Prices move quickly enough that a live quote on both at your budget is more useful than any fixed percentage on a web page.

Generally no. Lab created diamond prices have fallen steadily as production scaled, so resale value is poor.

In fairness, natural diamonds also resell far below their retail purchase price. Neither should be bought as an investment.

Seven steps. You get in touch, meet your concierge on a call, and set the budget and timeline. We design the ring in CAD and source stones against your brief. You review renderings and can try a wax model at home.

Once you approve, the ring is made to order in about two weeks and ships insured with an appraisal.

Yes. You review CAD renderings of the exact ring before anything is manufactured, and you can request a wax model to try on at home. Nothing goes into production until you approve it.

A wax model is a physical replica of your ring, produced from the same CAD file, that we mail to you before production.

It lets you judge the scale, height, and proportions on the actual hand, things a rendering on a screen cannot reliably convey.

Yes, and it is one of the most common starting points. Send the images.

We can reproduce the look, adjust the proportions to the hand and the budget, or use it as a departure point and change the parts you are unsure about.

Often, yes. It is a common request. Send photographs and any grading paperwork you have.

Older stones sometimes have chips or wear along the girdle that affect whether they can be reset safely, so we confirm that before designing around them.

Manufacturing takes about two weeks once you approve the design.

The design phase before it depends on how quickly decisions get made. Some clients approve a CAD within days, others refine for several weeks.

Usually, if you tell us the date at the start. We build the schedule backwards from it and flag immediately if it is not realistic, rather than discovering the problem late.

If the date is tight, say so in your first message.

Every finished ring ships fully insured, with tracking, and arrives with an independent appraisal and final photographs of the piece.

Yes. We have made rings for clients outside the United States.

Import duties and taxes vary by country and are the recipient’s responsibility, so tell us where the ring is going early and we will confirm what to expect before you commit.

That is normal for a surprise proposal and it is not a problem. There are several ways to estimate discreetly: borrowing a ring she already wears, checking with a family member, or working from photographs of the hand.

We can also build to a best estimate and size it properly after the proposal.

Most designs can be resized, but how easily depends on the setting. A plain or partially set band resizes simply. A band with stones set all the way around, or an unusual profile, is more involved and sometimes cannot move more than a fraction of a size.

We will tell you which category your design falls into while it is still a design, so it can be a factor in the decision.

Yes. Every ring is delivered with an independent appraisal for insurance purposes, along with the diamond’s grading report from IGI or GIA.

No. Many clients start with only a budget range and a rough deadline. Working out what you want is the first part of the job, not a prerequisite for starting.

However suits you. Most of it happens over text, WhatsApp, and email, with calls when a decision needs a conversation.

There are no showroom appointments and no need to be in a particular city.

No. There is no separate fee for the concierge service; it is simply how Ring Mint operates. You pay for the stone and the ring. More on what the concierge does.