Custom Engagement Ring and Necklace

April 21, 2012 8:00 PM

Please recommend a Los Angeles jeweler to design my engagement ring! General questions about custom jewelry as well.

I am very very happily newly engaged, and I have a very specific idea of what I would like in an engagement ring. My ideal ring is white gold, with a small (4-5mm) oval sapphire in the center, and a half-moon shaped moissanite stone on either side. So, sort of like a combination between this ring and this ring.

Our budget is $1000 for the ring, which seems very doable based on our research, but please let me know if you think we're being unrealistic. Less expensive is better, of course. A little bit more expensive is okay too.

Are jewelers willing to work with moissanite? I would really prefer not to have diamonds, but would consider diamonds in order to have a ring I love.

My girlfriend (both female) is planning to get an engagement necklace with a pendant that is the same as my ring, so we'd like it if the jeweler could design both. Will most jewelers be able to do this?

The linked ring is the only ring with the half moon shaped stones I have seen - is this unusual/difficult/expensive?

We're willing to go anywhere in the LA area or order online.

Thanks for any help you can give us!

posted by insectosaurus to Shopping (8 answers total)

Maytal Hannah does amazing work. I worked with her entirely via email, but would love to be able to do so in person. I highly recommend her.
posted by Addlepated at 8:28 PM on April 21, 2012

For information on custom jewelry, and jewelry in general, peruse the amazing answers of Peagood.

And....Congratulations!
posted by SLC Mom at 9:32 PM on April 21, 2012

Best answer: As I mentioned in another thread, David Klass has done excellent work in Moissanite for me. He is a true class act. Menial me or contact info. He's based in LA. Congratulations on your new engagement! Yay!
posted by anonnymoose at 10:58 PM on April 21, 2012

P.S. David also has great prices and gives zero attitude about working with Moissanite or alternative stones, which was frankly refreshing.
posted by anonnymoose at 11:00 PM on April 21, 2012

While probably not the service you'd want to directly purchase from given the choice between a quality local jeweler, I highly recommend Gemvara for experimenting around with designs, then possibly take that design to a jeweler for a more exact match of what you had in mind, or order it off Gemvara. It's a nicely put together catalog. (Just for reference, my experience with Gemvara itself was also fairly positive and the prices were decent for a mail-order jewelry manufacturer)
posted by samsara at 5:02 AM on April 22, 2012

I had Phillip Press do some work years ago. They did a fantastic job.
posted by bongo_x at 12:12 PM on April 22, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks to all for your advice and congratulations, and thank you especially to anonnymoose - we ended up working with David Klass, and we LOVE our jewelry. I have a sapphire ring with moissanite on either side, and my fiancee has a matching necklace. She'll also be wearing a band after the wedding.

Pictures!

My ring. The ring and necklace together.
posted by insectosaurus at 12:54 PM on May 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Oops, the links aren't working - trying again:

Ring, both together.
posted by insectosaurus at 2:45 PM on May 20, 2012 [1 favorite]