Hi, I'm Rachel. I design custom engagement rings and wedding bands here in San Francisco, often working with heirloom gems along the way.

Most of my clients come to me wanting something nobody else has - a stone I've sourced specifically for them, a design built entirely around their story, or an old piece from a family member reimagined into something they'll wear again. Some people show up knowing exactly what they want. Others just have a feeling and a Pinterest board. Either way, my job is to take that and turn it into a ring you'll actually wear, and be obsessed with.

My process looks a little different depending on the piece. Most of the time I'm the one working through your CAD design and helping you track down and narrow down the right gemstones, and depending on what we're making, I bring in a small group of local San Francisco artisans I trust completely for the parts of the process that call for different hands. Either way you'll always know exactly who's working on your piece and why. No mystery supply chain, no "somewhere overseas."

A lot of my clients land here after months of scrolling big retailers and feeling nothing. Or after buying something and realizing they have zero idea who actually made it. I get it - I'm picky about who I work with too, and it shows.

So wherever you're at - even if "I have a vague idea and a Pinterest board" is the whole plan - I'd love to hear about it. :)

The Design Process: Step-by-Step

Every custom ring is different, so every process looks a little different too. But here's the general journey you can expect working with me.

Step 1 - The Initial Consultation

Your custom ring journey usually starts with an email, or by scheduling a call right on my website. From there, you'll share a bit about what you're picturing, or tell me about an heirloom piece you're hoping to work with. I get back to people fast, and we set up a call, a video chat, or if you're local, coffee somewhere with good natural light so we can actually look at gems together in person.

In that first conversation my real goal is just to understand you - your style, your values, your budget, your timeline, what you're drawn to, what you aren't into. Send me your Pinterest board, screenshots, anything that gives me a feel for where you're at. There's no wrong answer here. I don't have a case of stones I'm trying to move, so I'm not steering you toward anything - I'm listening, and I genuinely love when you give me something real to work with.

Some people show up knowing exactly what they want. Others are still figuring it out. Both are completely fine - that's genuinely my job: taking all those different ideas and feelings and turning them into a direction we can actually move forward with together.

A few things that help a lot early on: a general sense of your budget, a vibe (modern, vintage, bold, minimal), and any early instincts on stones - a color or shape you're drawn to, whether you're picturing one main gem or a piece with a lot of sparkle. If you've already got a sense of any of that, it gives us something concrete to build around right away. And if you don't, that's exactly what I'm here for, we'll figure it out together.

After we talk I'll usually ask you to send inspiration images over text or email and we just keep the conversation going naturally from there - no formal meetings required, just real back and forth until we've got a clear picture together.

Once we've landed on a solid direction I'll ask for a $250 design deposit to move into the next phase. That's where the real work starts - think of me as your personal shopper for gemstones, sourcing options, comparing prices, and putting together recommendations specific to your piece. If we move forward together, that $250 goes toward the total cost of your piece, starting with your stone. And on the rare chance custom isn't the right fit after all, that deposit simply covers my time and the work that went into finding your options, so you're never paying for nothing, even if you decide not to continue. I hold a Graduate Diamond and Colored Stone Diploma from GIA, so I know exactly what I'm looking for when I'm sourcing for you.

What's helpful to think about before we chat: you really don't need it all figured out ahead of time. But if you've got a sense of your budget, a general style direction, and whether you're leaning diamond or colored stone, it speeds things up quite a bit. Also worth thinking about early on: do you want a wedding band that stacks with your engagement ring? It sounds like a small detail but it can actually change how we design the ring, so good to know sooner rather than later.

The first consultation usually runs 30 minutes. After that it's casual - texts, emails, calls, whatever feels easiest - until you're ready to move forward with the deposit and we get into the fun part!

Step 2 - Gathering Inspiration & Refining Your Vision

A little exploring before we meet helps, but don't stress if you haven't done it. If you've got a Pinterest board, a folder of screenshots, or even just three or four rings you keep coming back to, that gives me a real head start on your aesthetic before we sit down.

I'm not just looking at "pretty ring" - I'm looking at what's pulling you toward it. Minimal and bold? Vintage and decorative? Side stones and sparkle, or a clean solitaire? Geometric lines or something more organic? Those details tell me a lot more than the ring itself does.

During the consultation we'll go through your inspiration together, and I'll ask questions to figure out what actually matters most to you - the size and quality of your center stone, the overall vibe, how it'll sit next to a future wedding band, your budget, your timeline. All of that shapes where we go from here.

With CAD, you get to see your ring with exact dimensions before committing to anything. I'll show you options, and we'll tweak details together - the band, the setting height, a metal accent - until it feels exactly right. Just keep in mind the render is only a guide - real metal and real gemstones always look even better in person. However you should have a great idea of what you're getting, down to the measurements, before anything is actually made.

If you're not sure where to start, spend a little time saving images of rings you love and rings you don't. Notice what's catching your eye - a stone shape, a band detail, how something sits on the hand. It saves us both time and helps me build something you'll genuinely love wearing.

A few good places to look: my custom gallery, my alternative engagement rings - which you can also shop directly if a full custom piece isn't what you're after - or Pinterest, search "alternative engagement rings" or "colored stone engagement rings" and you'll find plenty to pull from. You can also check out my instagram for a mix of finished pieces and behind-the-scenes process shots.

And don't hesitate to reach out with questions along the way - I love bouncing ideas around with clients.

Timeline: usually 1-3 weeks from our first conversation to having a solid direction.

Step 3 - Choosing Your Gemstone

This is the big one - the most important decision in the whole process, because the stone sets the tone for everything after it.

I'll be upfront, I'm a little biased toward natural stones. There's something about a gem that formed slowly in the earth over millions or billions of years, long before we existed, that I find genuinely amazing every time. No two are exactly alike, and I love that. A gorgeous, perfectly clean stone is magical, but so is one with quirky little characteristics, and those characteristics often bring the price down rather than up. I'm always drawn to natural stones with a little personality - some color, inclusions that read as nature's fingerprint rather than a flaw - and I love that they can make a natural stone more accessible without asking you to give up what makes it feel real.

Lab-created diamonds are chemically identical to natural diamonds, just grown in a controlled environment instead of underground. If what you're after is that traditional look, really clean and colorless, sitting at the top of the 4Cs, lab diamonds get you there for 40-70% less than a comparable natural stone, with no visual difference, just a price difference. They're a great option if precision and that classic flawless sparkle matter more to you than natural origin, and I'm always happy to work with them.

Sapphires are a personal favorite of mine, and part of why is exactly this: nature made them in nearly every color imaginable - cornflower blues, peachy pinks, moody teals, even padparadscha sapphires, that rare pink-orange blend that looks like a sunset caught in a stone. I'm especially drawn to Montana sapphires lately, mined right here in the U.S. with a beautiful earthy, muted palette all their own. They're a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale (diamond is a 10), so they hold up beautifully to everyday wear. I especially love sapphires with a bit of character to them - bicolor stones, funky inclusions - since they feel more like something the earth actually made rather than something manufactured to look perfect.

Moissanite is a lab-created diamond alternative, nearly as hard as a diamond, with a lot of sparkle, and it's very affordable. I usually steer people toward lab diamonds instead, since they mimic a natural diamond more closely, but if you've got a specific budget and look in mind, moissanite can get you there.

A few other gems worth knowing about, all born from that same kind of geological luck: spinel, tourmaline, and garnet. 

Spinel is rare and stunning, with even more sparkle and a gorgeous range of natural color, and tourmaline offers rich, saturated hues you don't find anywhere else. Garnet is often overlooked, but it comes in some genuinely striking natural colors too, a vivid green called tsavorite, a warm orange-red called spessartine, and it's durable enough for daily wear. All three tend to run less expensive than a comparable sapphire, and often, the color is even more vibrant for the price. Spinel and tourmaline are a little softer than sapphire though, so they suit people who aren't wearing their ring every single day, or who don't mind being a little careful with it. I always talk through durability against your actual lifestyle before recommending anything.

A few I'd steer you away from for an engagement ring specifically - opals, moonstone, and turquoise are gorgeous, genuinely some of my favorite stones nature makes, but too soft for daily wear on a ring. That said, if you've got a real connection to one of these, we have options. A necklace or a pair of earrings sees a lot less daily impact than a ring does, so these stones can really shine there without the same durability concerns. And if it's the ring itself you're set on, we can still work with it - we'd just plan for it being easily replaceable if it gets damaged, and thankfully they're affordable enough that replacing one isn't a big deal.

Once I know your budget, your vision, and your lifestyle, I start digging in - and I mean really digging in. That means personal calls to gem dealers and businesses I've worked with for years, tracking down the best real options I can find for you specifically. This part can take a while, and I'm genuinely happy to put in that time, since finding the right stone matters more than almost anything else in this whole process. As we narrow in, I'll send you videos and photos of the actual stones I've found - not stock images - so you know exactly what you're looking at.

As we go, I put together a spreadsheet comparing everything side by side - shape and cut, exact weight, color, clarity, precise measurements, and price - so you can see your real options laid out clearly instead of trying to keep it all in your head. I'll also flag anything worth knowing, like if a stone might run a little big or small for what you pictured, or if the photos from one source are better quality than another, so you're comparing accurately and not just going off how good a photo happens to look. We go back and forth as much as you need, and once we've narrowed it down to a top pick or two, I'll show them to you in person if you're local, or over video if you're not, so you're seeing exactly how they look in real light, not just how they photograph.

Once you've chosen your stone, that becomes the anchor for everything else - the setting, the metal, the whole design. The gem leads, and we build around it.

Timeline: usually 2+ weeks, depending on how quickly we narrow things down and how long it takes to track down the right stone.

Step 4 - Selecting Your Setting & Metal

Your setting is what brings your stone to life - it's the frame that shows off the gem and reflects your style, so this is where we get really specific about what you actually want to wear every day.

Setting style usually comes down to personal preference more than anything else. Some clients already know they want a classic solitaire - just the stone, clean and simple. Others want a halo, with smaller stones surrounding the center for extra sparkle, or a three-stone setting with a center stone flanked by two accents, which a lot of people love for the sentimental angle of past, present, future. Some are drawn to vintage or antique-inspired details, others want something sleek and modern, and some just want a setting nobody else has - which is where custom design gets the most fun. We talk through all of this during our 30-minute call, and I get a feel for whether you're drawn to symmetry or something more asymmetrical, whether you want a lot of sparkle or you actually love the look of metal as much as the gem itself.

Personally, I'm a big fan of solitaires, especially for clients who think their style might shift over the years. There's something timeless about starting simple - you can always add dimension later by stacking more rings alongside your wedding band, and since styles genuinely do change over time, having something classic as your foundation gives you a lot of room to grow into it.

One thing I bring up early if I think it matters: if you already know you're the type who wants everything to match perfectly, it's smart to plan your wedding band alongside your engagement ring, even if we don't design it in full detail yet. I see this go wrong a lot - someone gets a beautiful engagement ring, and then the wedding band they actually want doesn't sit well with it. Since we're building yours from scratch, we can avoid that entirely, but only if we think about it upfront. For example, a lot of people want their stone sitting low so it doesn't get in the way of everyday life, but if you're picturing a traditional straight eternity band sitting right up against it with no gap, we need to design the engagement ring differently to make room for that. Better to know now than to run into it later.

I also hear a lot of clients say they want something really delicate, and I love that look, but we do have to weigh it against durability. A pear-shaped stone with just a single small prong might look beautiful, but adding a subtle cap over the point makes it dramatically more secure, and since we're designing from scratch, we can find ways to use a little more metal without it reading as heavy or clunky. It's really about being thoughtful with prong placement and angles rather than obviously reinforcing the piece.

Small details change the whole look of a setting too. Some clients want a strong bevel around each flush-set gem for extra emphasis and sparkle, others want something more organic, where the metal pushes over the stone with less of a border and a softer, quieter effect. Depending on the stones and where they're placed, we might even set them differently from each other within the same piece. I like talking through all of this with you rather than defaulting to one approach, since it really does depend on what you're drawn to.

Once we've got the design direction settled, we talk metal. Gold comes in yellow, white, and rose, and each has its own look, durability profile, and price point, and platinum is the most durable option but comes at a higher cost. With gold prices as high as they are right now, purity and weight become real factors in your budget - so if you love a substantial, heavy feel but want to keep costs down, going with 14k instead of 18k while keeping the piece solid is a common way to balance that. There are also more affordable alternatives if budget is the main driver, and we can talk through what kind of care and maintenance each metal actually needs long-term, since that's worth knowing before you commit to something you'll wear daily.

Band width, profile (how high your stone sits), and texture - whether you want it smooth, hammered, engraved, or left minimal - all get decided here too, and small shifts in any of these can change the entire feel of the ring.

This is also where CAD becomes especially useful. I can show you exactly how different settings will actually look with your specific stone - full 3D renderings - before we've committed to anything or started crafting a single piece. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of a decision that can otherwise feel really abstract.

I'm helping you figure out what's actually going to work for your lifestyle and your taste, not just building whatever you first describe. Once I know what matters most to you, there's very little we can't solve for.

Timeline: usually 1-2 weeks once we've locked in your gemstone and overall direction. Metal choice is typically the last decision before we move into CAD design and approval.

Step 5 - CAD Design & Visualization

CAD stands for computer-aided design - it's similar to what an architect uses when designing a house. Because the renders are three-dimensional and genuinely detailed, we get a real sense of exactly how something will look in metal and gemstones long before anything is finalized.

If you're a visual person, this part is a game changer. You can actually see how different sizes, proportions, and details work together instead of trying to imagine it. And it's funny how a tiny, tiny change - adjusting a prong angle by a fraction, shifting a setting height just slightly - can end up making a huge visual difference. This is also exactly the stage to nail down things like prong style and stone layout, since those changes are easy and cheap to make now, and a lot more expensive once we're working in actual metal.

I also use CAD a lot during the stone sourcing process itself. I can show you the exact dimensions of a stone you're considering next to design details you're drawn to, or even paired against jewelry you already wear regularly, so you get a real sense of scale rather than guessing. It's a great way to work through options remotely and with a lot less pressure than standing in front of a case trying to decide on the spot. We can compare your favorites side by side this way, or group a few stone options together to see how they'd actually look in context.

From there, I'll build out your first design based on everything we've talked through - your gemstone, your setting, your metal choice - and show it to you from multiple angles. I'm happy to go back and forth as many times as it takes until you're genuinely excited about it - that's really the whole point of this stage. Some details can even be finalized a little later if you're still weighing a couple of options, this process is collaborative enough to allow for that.

Once you're happy with the design, we're ready to move forward. If you want extra peace of mind before we commit to metal, that's where a 3D-printed prototype comes in, more on that in the next step.

How long this whole phase takes really depends on you and how many rounds of revisions we go through. On the faster end, it's possible to get your first CAD design within a week of getting in touch, have it approved right away, and send it straight to production. On the other end, some designs take a lot of back and forth and can stretch into a couple of months, and that's fine too.

If you're working with a specific deadline, tell me upfront and it'll shape the pace. If you need the piece in a month, for example, we'll aim to finalize your stone and CAD design within the first week to leave enough time for production. I try to stay really available during this phase and can usually turn revisions around quickly when you need me to.

Step 6 - 3D Printing & Prototyping

Once your CAD design is approved, most pieces move straight into production, we 3D print a wax directly from the design and use that wax to produce your actual piece. But if you want that extra layer of security first, actually seeing how a ring will fit, how it sits between the fingers, how it actually looks on your hand, before committing to the final details, that's where a resin prototype comes in.

I really love offering this option because it gives us a chance to get everything exactly right before we're locked into metal and gemstones. The 3D print prototype is made of a durable nylon material, and while it can technically be produced in different colors, we generally go with white since it gives the clearest sense of the actual design. It's especially useful if you're trying to picture how a future wedding band will sit next to your engagement ring - something that's genuinely hard to judge from a screen alone.

The trade-off is time. Getting you a resin prototype usually takes up to three weeks, since there are only a limited number of people equipped to produce them, and I'm always looking for ways to speed that up. If you're on a tighter timeline, we can talk about using a different material to expedite things, sometimes getting a version to you within a week instead. And if you're not local, I can ship the prototype to you so you can try it on in your own space - no pressure, no rush - before we finalize sizing or any last details.

If you want more detail on how this works and what it costs, I've got a full breakdown on my try before you buy page.

In cases where a prototype isn't necessary or the timeline doesn't allow for one, we skip straight to the wax and move into production from there.

Either way, this whole stage only works because of CAD, and it's especially valuable when we're working with unique or unusually shaped stones, since exact placement matters so much. Working directly in wax or metal without that digital step first usually means you only get one shot at getting the placement right. With CAD, we can make as many adjustments as needed digitally, for a fraction of the cost and risk, before anything irreversible happens.

Step 7 - Final Approval & Crafting

Once you're excited about the design and ready to move forward, I'll put together your final quote and send over a contract. Half of the total cost, including tax, is due before production begins, and that includes the $250 deposit you already paid, so I'll bill you for the difference. The remaining half is due when your piece is ready for delivery.

The contract itself is pretty straightforward: your deposit represents half of the estimated total cost and confirms your commitment to move forward, and once it's made, it's nonrefundable. The final payment is due upon delivery, and returns aren't accepted on custom pieces, simply because they're made specifically for you. That said, I offer repairs and maintenance for as long as you own the piece, and I'll do my best to take care of you well beyond the day it's finished. Your jewelry is guaranteed against manufacturing defects for the first year, though that doesn't cover normal wear and tear - jewelry is delicate, and proper care matters. I'm always happy to clean and check your pieces down the road, and I recommend having them looked at regularly.

Once you've signed and emailed the contract back and I've received the payment, production begins.

We usually start with a 3D-printed wax based on your finalized CAD design, which takes about a week to produce. From there, it goes to casting, using what's called the lost-wax process - the wax gets melted away inside a mold, and molten metal is poured in to take its place. When I can, I love sending clients photos of their piece in wax, and again once it's freshly cast, before any of the cleanup work has happened. There's something fun about seeing it in that rawer, in-between stage.

Once the piece comes back from casting, it goes through cleanup - getting the raw cast piece ready for stone setting. This part takes many hours and is genuinely meticulous work. I'm filing, sanding, and getting into every small detail of the piece by hand, using magnification, to smooth everything out as precisely as possible. It takes a lot of patience, but it's what gets the piece to a high mirror shine before we're ready to move on.

From there, we set your gemstones and add any final details, like engraving. Everyone who works on your piece is trained to check the work along the way and make sure it's meeting our standards, and if we catch anything - porosity in the metal, a stone that isn't sitting quite right - we fix it before moving forward.

Timing varies depending on the complexity of your design. Engraving usually adds about a week, and certain gemstones take more care and time to set than others. If you've chosen white gold, we wait until the stones are set and then apply a rhodium plating at the end, which gives the metal that bright, crisp white finish.

Timeline: production can move as quickly as two weeks for simpler pieces, but I generally plan for 3-5 weeks to account for the level of detail most custom pieces involve.

Step 8 - Final Inspection & Delivery

If you want to see your piece before it's actually in your hands, I love sending a video or photos once it's finished. I'm usually just as excited as you are at this point - there's something about seeing the ring in real light, catching all the little nuances in the stones and the way the metal shines, that always makes it feel even better than it did in the CAD renders. I go over every detail carefully before it ships out or we meet up in person, and take some photos and videos to capture your beautiful new piece.

If you're local to San Francisco, I'm happy to hand-deliver your piece - we just find a time and place that works. If you're not local, it ships out fully insured with tracking, arriving in one of our wooden boxes with the logo etched into the lid, or occasionally a beautiful velvet ring box depending on the piece. The unboxing moment matters to me too - it's part of the experience.

Once you've got it in hand, I genuinely want to hear how it feels - does it fit right, are you excited, is it everything you pictured? If anything's off, we'll get it fixed right away, though that's rare at this point since we've worked so closely together the whole way through.

Your piece comes with a one-year guarantee against manufacturing defects, but that's really just the start. Long after that year is up, I'm still here for cleanings, resizing, prong tightening, or engraving added down the road, whatever your piece needs to keep looking and fitting the way it should. My goal has never just been getting a ring into your hands - it's making sure you're excited to wear it and show it off for years to come.

Ready to Create Something Together?

Getting a custom engagement ring doesn't have to be stressful or overwhelming. It's actually really fun, and I promise I'll make it feel that way. :)

You bring the inspo photos, the Pinterest board, the vague feeling you can't quite describe - and I'll take it from there. We'll find your perfect stone, design something that actually feels like you, and I'll keep you in the loop every step of the way.

I'm based in San Francisco and I genuinely love what I do. If you're ready to start - or even just curious - book a free 30 minute consultation and let's chat. No pressure, no commitment, just a fun conversation about your dream ring.

I can't wait to hear about it. :)