How Much Does Custom Jewellery Cost?

On Average, Custom-made jewellery in Australia can cost anywhere from $500 to $5000. If you’re buying from smaller sellers, you might get what you want below $500, but if you’re buying from established high-end sellers, you might have to pay up to $50,000 to get the custom jewellery of your dreams.

Along with brands, several other factors affect the price of custom jewellery. In this post, we will explore these factors in detail and share some tips for first-time custom-jewellery buyers.

What Is Custom Jewellery?

In the jewellery world, custom jewellery can refer to any of the following:

• Minor modifications to a massively produced jewellery piece
• Major modifications to a massively produced jewellery piece
• Manufacturing a unique piece as per your design and choices

Let’s say your favourite diamond ring brand introduces a new engagement ring design. It’s a classic solitaire diamond ring with a thin gold band–if you request a platinum band, you’ll be making a minor modification. The jeweller will charge you the original cost of the ring plus the charges for the requested modification.

If you request the jeweller to replace the single solitaire diamond with three smaller diamonds, you’ll be requesting a major modification. Again, you’ll have to pay the initial cost of the ring itself plus these modifications.

Now, let’s say you have a ring design of your own in mind, and you sketch the design for your jeweller and place your order. The ring manufactured will be one of a kind and a truly custom-made piece of jewellery.

With that said, it’s important to know that the term ‘custom jewellery’ usually refers to a ring, necklace, bracelet, or any other piece of jewellery that’s designed solely for you. Modifications are customisations, but they do not count as custom jewellery.

Factors Affecting the Price of Custom Jewellery 

Ready-made jewellery costs much less than custom jewellery, but you can work with a jeweller to make custom jewellery fit into your budget. To do so, you’ll have to pick a good, feasible combination of the following factors:

Design

Jewellery design significantly affects the pricing; as a general rule, pricing increases with the complexity of the design. If a jewellery piece uses several gemstones, metals, clasps, layers, or difficult jewellery-making techniques like Mokume Gane, there’s a high chance it’ll cost you thousands. However, if you’re opting for something similar to what you’ve already seen in a jeweller’s showroom, you may get it for a bit cheaper.

Material

The material you choose also affects the price of jewellery. Diamonds cost more than emeralds; similarly, gold costs more than silver.

So, if you’re opting for high-end materials, you should expect to pay more. But if you’re on a budget, it’s a good idea to seek more affordable alternatives for your dream design. For example, if you have a diamond bracelet you no longer wear, you can repurpose its diamonds in the new jewellery piece you want.

Expertise

Manufacturing custom jewellery is a four-step process. It includes:

• Phase 1: Consultation
• Phase 2: CAD modelling (software-based construction)
• Phase 3: Wax model creation
• Phase 4: Finishing with molten metal and stone placement

The complex process demands experience and expertise. Therefore, established professionals can deliver a better product compared to new names, but they’ll also usually charge more than new companies. 

How to Buy Custom Jewellery

For anyone who’s buying custom jewellery for the first time, there are two ways to make a safe purchase. You can either trust a big name or order a smaller, low-budget piece of jewellery to see if the results are what you want them to be. In both cases, it’s best to have a sketch of the final product you desire–this will help you comprehensively convey your visualisation of the jewellery piece you want. It is also a good idea to research the material costs beforehand. 

Finally, be sure to request a consultation before you place your order and ask the jeweller to guide you regarding your goals. Additionally, you should check out their previous work and clientele reviews to assess their reliability.

Reliable jewellers like Holloway Diamonds will make the custom jewellery-making process as transparent as possible so that you’re sure to get a beautiful, unique piece of jewellery to suit your desire and budget. 

Wondering how long it takes to make custom jewellery or if luxury jewellery is even worth it? Take a look at our latest posts!