Custom Engagement Rings Perth
Designing your own engagement ring sounds harder than it is. For most of the couples we work with, a bespoke ring is the first serious piece of fine jewellery they have ever commissioned, and the idea of starting from a blank page can stop people before they begin.
Since Stelios Palioudakis opened the studio in 2007, the team has walked thousands of Perth couples through custom engagement ring builds, from a first sketch on the back of a napkin through to the final polish in our Mt Hawthorn workshop.
On this page you will find the custom ring builder itself, an outline of how a bespoke ring gets made, what you can customise, how long the process takes, and the answers to the questions we are asked most often before a first consultation.
Start with the tool, start with the reading, whatever feels more useful.
How The Ring Builder Works
The builder is a visual starting point, not the final word. It is there to give you a feel for how different shapes, settings and metals work together, so you can walk into your first consultation with a clearer picture of what you like and what you do not.
Here is what you can do inside the builder:
- Start with a base style from our collection of engagement rings.
- Choose a metal, including platinum, yellow gold, rose gold and white gold.
- Work through ring settings, diamond shapes and carat weight, and see how each choice changes the overall look.
- Select a centre stone, or build around a diamond or gemstone you already own.
- Preview your ring in a full 3D render.
- Arrange a silver model to try on in person before final production.
Everything you do in the builder is a draft. Nothing is locked in until you sign off on the final design with one of our jewellers in person or on video. Couples who arrive in the showroom after playing with the builder usually have stronger opinions than those who walk in cold, which makes our job easier and gets you to a ring that feels like yours sooner.
Why Choose A Custom Engagement Ring
A ring that has been built from scratch fits the person wearing it in a way a display piece often cannot. You choose the metal, the shape of the stone, the height of the claws, the width of the band, the finish, and anything else that matters. If your partner wears silver jewellery every day, the ring can be designed in white gold or platinum so it does not clash. If they work with their hands, the setting can be lowered so the stone is not constantly catching. If they have inherited a diamond from a grandparent and want to bring it forward into something modern, that is a starting point we welcome.
Beyond the fit, a custom ring is usually the better choice when:
- You have a specific budget in mind and want to see it put toward the parts of the ring your partner will notice most.
- Your partner has a very particular style that is difficult to find off the shelf.
- You are combining two or more stones, whether inherited, newly sourced, or brought back from travel.
- You want full visibility into where the diamond came from, what grade it is, and how the ring was made.
A custom build is not always the right path. If you want a ring quickly and do not have strong preferences, a ready-to-wear piece from our Diamond Engagement Rings collection may suit you better. We will tell you honestly which option fits your timeline and your situation before any design work begins.
Our Custom Ring Making Process
Every commission looks a little different, but most move through the same four stages. Here is how a custom engagement ring usually goes from an idea in your head to a finished piece on the finger.
Step 1: Start With The Builder
Spend an hour or two with the builder on this page. There is no pressure to finalise anything. The aim is to get familiar with what is possible, what you find yourself drawn to, and what you can rule out. Some couples arrive in the showroom with a saved build they want to refine. Others use the builder only to figure out that they do not know what they want yet, which is just as useful. Either is a good outcome.
Step 2: Personal Consultation
Come to our Mt Hawthorn studio with your sketches, saved images, screenshots, your partner’s ring size if you have it, and any stones you want to use. Our team will walk through diamond and gemstone selection, explain the differences between metals and settings, talk honestly about what each choice does to the price, and point out the details that will matter in five years of daily wear. If you cannot make it to the studio in person, we run the same consultation over video and post out physical reference pieces.
Step 3: 3D Visualisation And Silver Try-On
After the consultation, our designer produces a full 3D CAD render of your ring. You will see it from every angle, including a render on a hand at scale so the proportions are clear. Once the CAD looks right, we mill a silver or resin prototype. Your partner, or whoever the ring is for, can try it on and live with it for a day or two before we commit to casting. Small adjustments at this point cost nothing. Adjustments after casting cost considerably more, so we take our time here.
Step 4: Final Creation
Once you sign off on the design, the ring goes to casting, setting, polishing and hallmarking. Every diamond we set is GIA certified, or certified by an equivalent independent laboratory, and the paperwork is handed to you at pickup. Most bespoke pieces take four to six weeks from final sign-off to collection. If you have a proposal date, we can often work faster, though we will always tell you honestly if a deadline is tight rather than rush a piece you will wear forever.
What Styles Can You Customise
Almost anything a traditional jeweller would make, we can make. The builder and our team handle:
- Classic solitaires, with single-stone settings in any common diamond shape.
- Halo rings, three-stone rings, and vintage-inspired clusters.
- Coloured gemstone rings using sapphire, emerald, tsavorite and spinel, with or without diamond accents.
- Custom wedding rings shaped to sit flush against a bespoke engagement ring.
- Mixed-metal builds, where the band and setting use different colours or finishes.
- Rings built around heirloom stones, loose diamonds sourced from overseas, or pearls from our Australian South Sea pearl collection.
We work with natural diamonds, laboratory grown diamonds and moissanite, and we are happy to talk through the differences before you choose. If you want to read about that decision in detail before your visit, our Lab Grown Diamonds page covers how lab grown stones are made, graded and priced.
Why Stelios?
Stelios Palioudakis has led the studio since 2007. He was named a finalist in the Australian Jewellery Awards in 2006 while still training. On the bench with him, master jeweller Paul holds two Jewellery Association of Australia Awards, and between the full team sit roughly two centuries of combined experience at the tools.
Our work outside the engagement ring room shows up in places you might recognise. We handcraft the brooches worn by members of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, a commission that calls for fine detail at the millimetre level. We also produce one-off pieces for Perth private collectors and interstate clients, and we have been contracted over the years to create crowns, tiaras and presentation pieces for Australian pageantry and civic events.
On the consumer side, we are a listed partner of Q Report Jewellery Insurance, which means every ring we sell can be insured on independent replacement-value terms from day one. We supply GIA certification or equivalent on every diamond we set, and we work with recycled and mine-to-market refiners for our gold, platinum and palladium. When you buy a stone from us, the documentation comes with it, and we are happy to sit with you and walk through what each line on the certificate means.
One recent commission that captures how this works in practice: a client brought us a sapphire he had bought on a trip overseas, unset and without a clear plan. Over three sessions and two CAD iterations, we built a ring around it that also incorporated a small diamond inherited from his partner’s grandmother. Neither stone was bought from us, and that was the point. What he paid for was the design, the setting and the workshop time, not the inventory. The ring that left our studio meant something on both sides of the family, which is a good reason for a ring to exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few of the things couples usually want to know before starting a custom build.
How Do I Determine The Right Ring Size?
We size fingers in the studio using standard Australian ring sizes. If you are planning a surprise proposal and cannot measure directly, we can send out a printable sizer, or talk you through ways to borrow a ring from your partner’s collection for a quiet measurement. The silver prototype in Step 3 is also a safety net, since any size adjustment happens before final casting.
Can I Design A Ring Entirely Online?
Yes. Interstate and international couples go through our full design process by video and post. Use the builder on this page, have the consultation on a video call, see the 3D CAD on screen, and receive the silver prototype in the mail for sizing and feel before anything is cast in gold or platinum.
Do You Offer Lab Grown Diamonds?
Yes. Lab grown diamonds give you more size or clarity at the same budget, and are chemically identical to mined stones. Natural diamonds tend to hold their value better over the long term. Neither is inherently the better choice. We will walk through what matters most for your ring, and support either decision.
Can I Use My Own Diamond Or Gemstone?
Absolutely. Heirloom stones, loose diamonds bought online, stones brought back from travel, old rings you want broken down for the metal and the centre stone, we work with all of them. The only requirement is independent certification for any diamond being set.
Is Every Ring Made In Australia?
Yes. Every ring we sell is designed, cast, set and polished in our Mt Hawthorn workshop by our own jewellers. Nothing is outsourced offshore.
Do You Design Wedding Bands Too?
Yes. We design custom wedding rings regularly, usually shaped to sit flush against the engagement ring and share its design language. Some couples commission both at once as a matched set. Others come back after the proposal to design the band together with their partner. Both approaches work.
How Long Does The Process Take?
From first consultation to collection, most custom engagement rings are completed in four to six weeks. Resets of existing stones are sometimes faster. Complex multi-stone or mixed-metal builds occasionally take longer. If you have a fixed proposal date, tell us on day one and we plan the timeline backwards from it.
Book Your Design Consultation
When you are ready, we would love to start the conversation. Visit our Mt Hawthorn studio, a short drive from the Perth CBD with parking out the front, or book a virtual design consultation from anywhere in Australia. Bring any inherited stones, saved inspiration images, a rough budget, and your partner’s ring size if you have it. We will handle the rest.
