The Pros and Cons of Custom Engagement Rings

For many, getting engaged is one of the bigger milestones in one’s romantic relationship – it symbolizes your love and promise of commitment to your partner, and often comes about with sweet, sentimental words and promises. When most people envision this moment, a few key aspects come to mind: a meaningful setting, someone down on bended knee, and the presentation of a ring. However, there isn’t one cookie-cutter formula that all proposals follow, which is an incredible thing. Each one is special and deserves personalization to make it the couple’s own. To exemplify this, some pairs elect to completely customize their own rings – engagement rings and/or wedding bands.

If you’re considering going through this process, see our list of pros and cons below before you make your final decision.

Pros

- You can be involved in the entire creative process. You will wield a significant amount of power over the finished product. Working with a professional, you can approve and disapprove of nearly every aspect of the ring, which is perfect if one or both of you have a very specific idea in mind of the desired aesthetic. Pair certain aspects together to form the perfect reminder of your love.

- The end result will truly be one-of-a-kind. With all of the additional detailing available nowadays, such as engravements, no two custom rings will be exactly the same. There are many details you may not know you can control, add, or subtract: the number of prongs, thickness of the band, even the size of the stone down to a few decimal points. In the end, you or your beloved will be wearing something that no one else has!

- It’s another opportunity to add personal sentimentality. As mentioned, personalization, especially with engravements, is a relatively new and special practice for wedding bands. On top of embossing or engraving a few important words on the ring, you can use the diamond from your grandmother’s ring, repurpose a meaningful necklace to create the band, and more to give the piece a significance unmatched by any other piece of jewelry alone.

Cons

-  The process can typically come out at a higher price point. With great power comes great financial responsibility. Although this is not always the case, adding custom features and designing something unique will typically cost you more than the purchase of a ready-made ring from most jewelers. You have to be ready to invest some extra cash in the ring in order to create it yourself.

-  It can take much longer to get the final product. Due to all of the add-ons and changes, making this kind of band will likely take longer than the usual process. With a standard ring, it’s mostly a matter of ordering and receiving, but with all of the legwork being done with a custom ring, don’t expect the turnover to be all that hasty.

-  If you aren’t collaborating, mistakes can be made. If you decide to create a ring for your future spouse without their input, there is always a chance that they might not be thrilled about every decision you made. Miscommunication can occur, and even if they’ve described their vision perfectly, wires can get crossed and instructions can be misconstrued.

See gorgeous engagement rings, learn how to shop for your own wedding ring, and view 15 stylish bands for your groom! To see more wedding jewelry, view these gorgeous styles worn by real brides and grooms!

Opening photo by Shaun Menary Photography