Your engagement ring should resemble your relationship and the deep love you share between each other. If our in-stock rings aren’t connecting with you, going the custom route may be the perfect option! 

We have compiled a list of everything that goes into custom designing a ring with Alexis Russell. If this is something that interests you, be sure to check out our previous journal about an Alexis Russell consultation to book an in-person or free virtual consultation!

AR Recommendation: Prior to making a consultation, review our website and make sure your ideas align with our designs. We of course will work with you on your dream design, but we do need to make sure it aligns with our company aesthetic, and ensure the end result will be a ring we can stand behind and feel confident in.

Timeline

You will want to make sure you are starting this process early, allowing enough time for the design process, production, as well as transit time. Our standard custom engagement ring production timeline is 3-5 weeks. We always highly recommend you provide us with your desired timeline at the beginning of your inquiry, to ensure we can accommodate.

Keep in mind that transit time is decided by you at time of purchase. You have the options from ground, to overnight. If you ever have questions on what service will be best for you please ask! We understand that plans can change, if your shipment method needs to be updated we can always accommodate that to help ensure an on time delivery.

Inspiration

For an easy and smooth design process, we highly encourage you to provide photos of rings you have used as your inspiration. Even if you have a few different designs where you call out what you like / don’t like, anything you can provide will be helpful. 

AR recommendation: Your lifestyle plays a major role in the kind of stone and setting that will best work for you. If you aren’t sure what would be best for you, don’t be afraid to ask questions! We will be able to give you guidance and information on different stones' hardness and positives or negatives of certain settings in regards to your lifestyle. 

Find Your Dream Stone

We have hundreds of hand-selected stones for you to choose from, for your dream ring. All of our stones are ethically-sourced and conflict-free and go through quality control to ensure all stones are ready for everyday wear. Our stones range from diamonds to gemstones, different sizes, colors, shapes and cuts. Our most popular listings typically get updated every 1-2 months, but can fluctuate depending on demand.

Let us know if you have something in mind that you are not seeing. We might have some stones that are unlisted or we may be able to source something specifically for you! Keep in mind that we only work with natural gemstones and diamonds. That being said, we have to work with what mother nature offers, so there can be limitations when sourcing. If you are interested in getting a stone sourced for you, please provide as much information as possible, including approximate size, carat weight, and any specific characteristics you may be looking for. Sourcing typically takes about 1-2 weeks, if the stone is available. 

AR Recommendation: While you are in the process of narrowing down your stone, make sure to keep in mind your desired setting and band style! Every stone does not work with every setting or band option. This is also a good time to review our stacking bands/wedding bands. If you already have one in mind, make sure to provide that information so that we can ensure your custom ring can accommodate that specific stacker!

Choose Your Metal

We work with recycled fine metals, specifically 14k yellow gold, 14k rose gold and 14k white gold. Keep in mind that if you have an allergy to nickel you will want to stay away from 14k white gold. Under special request we can handcraft your rings in platinum at an additional cost. 

To get a more custom experience we also offer polished or matte finishes on our metals. We do offer black rhodium plated gold but only on our pavé settings (pavé bands and pavé halos).

Decide On Your Ring Setting

You have so many options here prong, v-end, bezel, halos, attached sunbursts, side stones, and so many different variations of those. 

Keep in mind that not all settings are compatible with every stone. For instance, trillion side-stones don’t really work on a shield-cut stone. Instead, you may want to consider 3-round stones (our ivy setting) or tapered baguette side stones (our ash setting).

Part of your setting also includes the type of band!  We currently offer bands in these different styles: round, flat, pavé, knife-edge, and a double band setting. 

After Proposal

During this time you will want to confirm that the ring fits properly. We typically suggest sitting with it for a week or so to determine how the ring feels on. Your finger will fluctuate depending on time of day and temperature so you will want a couple days to really determine if your ring will need to be resized. 

For now though, enjoy this new journey and let it all soak in, soon you will want to start thinking about wedding and stacking bands to complete your AR stack! Stacking bands can get a little overwhelming with the countless variations, so stay tuned to our next piece. We will walk you through our top tricks in stacking!