The Bespoke Process: How to Commission Bespoke Jewellery in the UK

Bespoke doesn't just mean an engagement ring. A pendant carrying a particular memory, a charm marking a milestone, a signet ring redesigned from a family piece — if you can describe what you want, it can be commissioned from scratch. Here's exactly what that process looks like, start to finish.

The Seven-Week Process

Every commission follows the same seven stages, whatever the piece. Rare stones can occasionally extend the timeline, but this is the real shape of it.

1. Consultation

This is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We talk through what you're picturing, your budget, and who the piece is for — in person, or remotely if that's easier. There's no obligation and no cost to this step; it exists so neither of us is guessing.

2. Design & CAD (around two weeks)

Your idea becomes a real, viewable design. Initial sketches turn into a precise CAD (computer-aided design) model, so you can see and refine exactly how the finished piece will look — proportions, setting style, band profile — before any metal is touched. This stage usually takes the longest of the seven, because it's where most of the actual design decisions get made.

3. Gemstone Selection

If the piece involves a stone, we choose it together — diamond or coloured gemstone, lab-grown or natural. Stones are selected for quality and character, not just a certificate number.

4. Casting

The approved design is cast in solid gold — 9ct or 18ct, whichever you've chosen. This is where the piece takes physical form for the first time, moving from a digital model to solid metal.

5. Stone Setting

Each stone is set entirely by hand. This step can't be rushed — it's where precision and a steady hand matter more than anywhere else in the process.

6. Polishing

Every surface is hand-finished until it catches the light correctly. No shortcuts, no machine buffing alone.

7. Delivery

Seven weeks from confirmed design and deposit, your piece is ready. Occasionally a rare or hard-to-source stone extends this slightly — if that happens, you'll know early, not at the end.

What to Bring to Your Consultation

You don't need a finished design in mind. It helps to bring:

• Any reference images, even rough ones — a style you like is more useful than you'd think, even if the final piece ends up nothing like it
• A rough budget — this shapes the conversation far more usefully than a vague "surprise me"
• The story behind the piece, if there is one — who it's for, what it marks. The best bespoke pieces usually start here, not with a sketch

Why the Timeline Is What It Is

Seven weeks sounds long next to a shelf-bought piece, but almost none of that time is waiting — it's design revisions, hand-casting, hand-setting, and hand-finishing, each stage depending on the one before it. It's the same reason a bespoke piece costs what it does: read our guide to bespoke engagement ring pricing for how that breaks down.

Ready to Start?

If it's an engagement ring, see our bespoke engagement ring page. For anything else — a pendant, a charm, a redesign — book a free consultation and we'll talk through what you're picturing.