Here at Kiefer Jewelers, more than 50% of our engagement rings today are semi or fully custom made. That's because no two relationships are the same and your ring should be as unique as your love. With today's technology, it's easy, fun and affordable to design a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry at Kiefer Jewelers. But don't just take it from us, in this blog post we turn the mic over to the new Kiefer Couple, Jenn Thai & Palmer Holmes, giving you all the details of their engagement ring shopping process and why they decided to go custom with her engagement ring.
How To Design A Custom Engagement Ring by Jenn Thai
When you’ve been in a seven-year relationship that includes both living and having a dog together, the conversation about marriage is less about if and more about when, which is why it felt so natural to go ring shopping with my then-boyfriend Palmer. In choosing a jeweler to go to, we knew we wanted to go to a locally-owned spot, and our first experience at Kiefer Jewelers really solidified that decision for us.
Upon stepping through the front door, we didn’t have a throng of sales associates surrounding us in an effort to nab our attention first. It was a welcoming environment without the pressure of choosing something immediately, which is what we loved so much about our experience. We met Alex, one of the owners of Kiefer Jewelers, and told her that we were shopping around for engagement rings and for a jeweler to call our own. She asked us if we were already familiar with what we were looking for, or if we were open-minded and wanted some guidance. We knew we both wanted engagement rings and, relatively, the styles we had in mind for them.
We started browsing engagement rings for me, first. I had this vision in mind that I wanted a solitaire—a thin, yellow gold band with a diamond on top, either round, oval or marquise, and maybe, maybe, a cluster of diamonds on each side. This slightly differed from what Palmer envisioned for me—while he agreed with the diamond cut, he imagined me wearing a band that was a little more ornate, something that appeared more on the vintage side. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, which is why I’m so glad that we ended up going ring shopping together.
I took the lead and shared my thoughts with Alex, and she brought us to a jewelry case at the end of the row, where most of the solitaire rings were located. I tried on so many different bands, but nothing really stood out to me. There was a couple to my left also looking at rings, and I just so happened to lean over and look at the jewelry case in front of them, when one band in particular caught my eye. Setting-wise, it wasn’t perfect, the ring was rose gold and it came with a wedding band flocked with diamonds all around it, but the band of the engagement ring was unique looking and beautiful. I asked to try it on and immediately fell in love. I remember seeing a sly smile come over Palmer’s face, and he mentioned that the style of the band was exactly what he had in mind for me, that he thought it went with my personal style and personality.
When I mentioned I didn’t love the cluster of diamonds in the center, the setting’s pear shape or the rose gold color, Palmer started asking Alex about customization options. She said it could be fully customized to my preference and asked how I wanted to make it my own. I really wanted the ring to be yellow gold and for the setting to feature a marquise diamond, which I thought would pair nicely with the intricacies of the band. Alex said it was no problem at all, and told Palmer she was happy to work with him on a customized ring if he chose to go with Kiefer Jewelers.
In regards to the center diamond, Alex asked us what our wants were in regards to the four Cs—carat, cut, clarity and color. She recommended selecting three of the Cs and focusing on those characteristics, and we both agreed that cut, clarity and color were most important to us. I have small hands and little fingers, so I wasn’t too concerned with the size of the diamond—anything would look relatively large on me.
Feeling incredibly more confident about my dream engagement ring, we went on to look at engagement rings for Palmer, which pretty much consisted of looking at wedding bands. I feel like we have only just reached the stage in society where an engagement ring for a man is becoming an option. But, why the heck not—aren’t men just as deserving of a token of love and commitment? I would hope that the answer is a resounding yes, and not that donning that token takes away any ounce of masculinity!
Palmer has always had an obsession with a copper and black jewelry look, and that’s exactly what he ended up gravitating toward, a sleek rose gold band with an equally sleek black titanium band that featured a thin rose gold trim. We talked about how he would wear the engagement ring and transition to a wedding band, and he decided that he’d stack them exactly how I would after we get married. He tried them both on and the pair looked great alongside one another!
Alex said she would make note of the two bands he loved, in case I wanted to pursue them. I genuinely loved how little pressure there was to make a decision of whether we would make a purchase then and there. It was such a stress-free experience, and we left Kiefer Jewelers with clarity on what we wanted.
After we drove out of the parking lot, we decided to check out a big box chain store, just to get a feel for their selection and to see if there were other options I might fall in love with. There isn’t a whole lot to say, except that it was incredibly overwhelming. A sales associate pounced on us immediately, she kept talking about herself in the third person, and when she went to show us the available styles they could order on her computer, the search with my filters applied yielded thousands of pages. Thousands. When we left the store, I had to sit in silence in the car to decompress. After that experience, we were both equally committed to going with Kiefer Jewelers—we didn’t want another disappointing encounter from any jewelry store, locally-owned or chain.
Over the next five months, Palmer worked closely with Alex to custom design the perfect engagement ring—being the creative that he is, he took the photos that we snapped on our phones of the nearly-perfect ring during our first visit and imported them into Photoshop to create mock-ups of the ideal engagement ring, with variations of the wedding band.
Alex took the mock-ups and created a rendering of what the final version could look like, but Palmer had a few sentimental additions to throw in. First, he wanted something on the ring to symbolize our love for our dog, Sadie. Secondly, his mother had given him some gold heirloom jewelry that he wanted to incorporate as a “something old.” Together, they worked to create a new rendering that featured a hidden paw print under the diamond, and Alex said they could easily melt down the yellow gold from the heirlooms and use it for both the engagement ring and the wedding band.
From there, they took the time to look at marquise diamonds—when we looked at rings together, I thought that around a carat was the perfect size for my slim fingers without the ring appearing too ostentatious, so Alex brought a variety for Palmer to look at, all around 1 carat or just under. There were slender and long ones, as well as plump and wide ones, so he took the time to inspect their shapes, color and clarities. After taking into consideration the halo that would surround the diamond and its width, he ended up choosing a spectacular 0.77 carat lab-grown marquise diamond with an F color and VVS2 clarity.
In addition to providing a rendering of the engagement ring and wedding band with specs, Alex also offered to create a wax mold of the ring so that Palmer could get an exact idea of its size and look. It was after spending some time with the 3D-printed version of the ring that he decided to move forward with the production of the engagement ring.
It took about one month for the custom engagement ring and wedding band to be completed, and Palmer proposed to me in January of 2022 after sending me on a scavenger hunt that incorporated memories of the beginning of our relationship. We first met in 2014 while working at a creative advertising agency in downtown Tampa, and a friendship grew out of daily coffee walks to the Kahwa Coffee at the Element before we realized that we had feelings for one another. After seven years of dating, I woke up one morning to a puzzle box next to me in bed, its contents sending me on a journey to our former place of work, where I found a small treasure chest. Inside the chest was a pair of headphones and a QR code that led me to an audio recording of him, narrating our daily, four-block walks to Kahwa and reflecting on the last seven years of our relationship. When I arrived at the coffee shop, he was waiting for me, ring box in hand.
After we called all of our family and close friends to tell them the wonderful news, we went back home to Sadie and I presented him with his engagement ring, the rose gold band he had tried on and loved during our visit with Kiefer Jewelers. Of course, we had a brief moment where all we did was sit on the couch and admire our tokens of love. I cried upon seeing the puppy paw that was included in the ring, and showed it to Sadie, who had no idea what she was looking at, but I’m sure she appreciated being included.
We cannot thank Alex and Kiefer Jewelers enough for being a part of our journey and providing us with an experience that was nothing short of warm, insightful and accommodating. We are so lucky to have found an amazing, locally-owned jeweler to call our own, and we can’t wait to work with them again for our wedding!
Custom Design FAQs
How much does it cost to have custom jewelry made?
The cost to make a custom piece of jewelry depends on several factors such as the karat gold, the weight of the piece, the gemstones or diamonds used in the design, and the labor to produce the piece. There is no additional charge to make a custom piece of jewelry and there are no design fees. It's free to start the process and we don't require you to make a deposit until you are 100% satisfied with the design and are ready for us to produce your design. You can also see a wax mold of your design before making a deposit to start the production.
Can I design my own piece of jewelry?
Yes! We can make anything you can dream of whether you want to sketch a design on a piece of paper, or use inspiration pictures from the internet, or share your ideas with us and let us sketch out your design.
Is custom made jewelry more expensive?
No! Your design will not cost anymore than a "mass-produced" item of equivalent quality and features. There's no design fees and no up charge to go custom.
What is considered customized jewelry?
Customized jewelry can be anything from changing or modifying a stock item to creating a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry from scratch. At Kiefer Jewelers, we can do everything from adding engraving or gemstones to an in-stock item to helping you design a piece of jewelry from beginning to end.
How long does it take to design a piece of custom jewelry?
The design process just takes a few days at most and the production process takes 3-5 weeks depending on the intricacy of your design. But we always do our best to meet your specified deadline so make sure to let us know when you need the item by. We can sometimes speed up the process if needed but it's best to allow yourself 6-8 weeks for the entire process to allow for design revisions and wax mold fittings.
Can I use my existing jewelry to make something new?
Absolutely! We do this all the time actually. We can remove diamonds or gemstones and melt down your gold to use in the new design. Or we can simply trade-in your unwanted jewelry to help pay for the new piece if the stones don't work into the new design.
How do I start designing a custom piece of jewelry?
You can start you custom design by either coming in-store to either of our locations or submitting an project request through our website. We are happy to assist you in-person or 100% remote with your custom project. Click here to start your custom project.