How to Design a Custom Ring Remotely - Bario Neal

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Book a Virtual or In-Store Appointment.

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Explore Custom Designs.

Book a Virtual or In-Store Appointment.

Shop Ready-To-Ship Rings.

Explore Custom Designs.

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Custom Design a Ring With Bario Neal From Anywhere in the World

Custom Design a Ring With Bario Neal From Anywhere in the World

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The Bario Neal team handcrafts our fine jewelry at our Philadelphia studio, but you don’t have to book a flight to create a custom designed ring with us. We’ve worked remotely with clients from California, Canada, France, Australia, Hong Kong, and beyond on postcard-worthy projects. They are drawn to our modern, delicate design aesthetic, our commitment to ethical sourcing of gemstones and metals, and our inclusive approach to wedding and engagement rings. Have you seen us on Instagram or been browsing the jewelry on our website and thinking about working with us long-distance? Here are answers to the questions we hear most frequently about remote custom design work, along with helpful tips from Bario Neal Sales Director Ariel Yaroslawitz.

1. If I can’t visit your Philadelphia showroom, what’s the best way to begin?

Filling out our Custom Design Questionnaire is a perfect place to start. Our sales team carefully reviews each one submitted and promptly responds with details, like timeline and price range. We’ll probably ask you a few follow-up questions. TMI is not a factor in remote custom design. Please, overshare, so we can get a true sense of you and your style. 

“We look to make sure your project is a fit for us, what sort of stones you want to use, and whether or not you have your own heirloom stones,” Ariel says. “Sometimes we have pieces in our collection already that fit what clients want, and we’ll let them know that too.” 

When you’re sure you want to go ahead, we’ll start to dig deeper into the design over email, phone, or Skype, whichever you prefer. 

2. Am I the only one nervous about not seeing my ring in person?

Not at all, but we’re confident we can put you at ease. Most of our remote clients are comfortable shopping online, but we still take care to guide everyone through the custom process with as much detail and accuracy as possible. We send photos and video, from different angles and in varying light, to show you gemstones we’re sourcing for you. We can shoot Bario Neal rings that you like on different hands too. Once we settle on a layout (remote clients can electronically sign our custom agreement) and receive a deposit, we’ll make a CAD (computer-aided design) rendering to more fully illustrate your ring from several angles. We’ll go over those with you and explain how they might be different (like coloring) than the final, handcrafted jewelry you’ll receive.

“We make clients feel comfortable by being very straightforward, communicative, and explaining everything step by step,” Ariel says. “We do a lot of remote custom designs, and we're really used to working this way. Of course, just as with any client, the clearer your vision of what you want, the better!”   

3. How long will it take?

If you are interested in a custom piece, once your stones have been selected, your layout is set, and a deposit has been received, our custom work has an 8 week lead time assuming that our team receives all the needed information from customers throughout the design process. This entails:

+A 2 week lead time to create custom CAD or wax with up to 2 revisions.

+A 6 week period to create the custom design in metal after the CAD or wax has been approved

We can also create variations on Bario Neal designs that use different stones as long as they are the same size and shape that we use in our collection.  Once the stones are sourced, variations have the same lead time as the design in our collection work. 

+We offer Rush Services for pieces needed on a tighter timeline. Once your stones have been sourced, the layout finalized, and the deposit placed we offer 1-week Custom Rush CAD Service for an additional $300 and 4-week Custom Rush Production Service for an additional $500. Enamel and Engraving services cannot be rushed.

4. How much do custom designed rings cost? 

Our custom work starts at $1,500. Custom gemstone cluster rings start at $2,500. Custom cluster designs with diamonds and gemstones start at $3,500. Once we have a solid understanding of what you want, we’ll be upfront about pricing. You can use a helpful feature on our website too: Click on any ring in our collection and select “Build Ring” to get a good idea of cost. 

5. How do you get my finished custom ring to me?

We’ll ship your ring securely to avoid damage and coordinate timing with you. Note that the package will have to go through customs of the country it’s being sent to, and clients must pay duties, fees, and taxes related to international shipping. 

6. Can I change my ring after I receive it?

We want you to love your custom designed ring. If you’ve changed your mind about a design, we’ll listen and do our best to find a resolution. “We've had clients change their mind on the design after they received a ring,” Ariel says. “Or a gemstone might not be the color they expected.” In some cases, one stone can be replaced or all stones can be taken from a ring and set into a brand-new design. 

7. How will you know my ring size?

You can measure a ring you have that you know fits well, or go to a jewelry store to get professionally sized.

8. Can I incorporate heirloom gemstones?

Yes, absolutely. No amount of distance between us and a client can stop our love of working with these storied stones. Plus, besides continuing to write a family legend, when you create a new ring with old jewelry that has been passed down to you, you up the ethical/sustainable factor. No new mining is required. 

We’ve created many custom rings for clients across the world adding new layers of history. This Custom Star Sapphire Ray Ring is a customer-inspired takeoff from a Bario Neal collection ring (the Ray Emerald Ring). And every stone in this cocktail Custom Heirloom 8.26mm Cushion Cut Spessartite Bouquet Cluster Ring is heirloom, including a cushion cut spessartite, several orange sapphires and peridots, and a princess cut garnet. 

Ariel recalls one remote client who used an heirloom opal in a custom cluster ring. “If the client is comfortable shipping their heirloom stone to us, we’ll happily work with it,” she says. 

We don't use pre-purchased diamonds or gemstones that don't meet our ethical st andards, but if you have a stone in your family -- even still in an old piece of jewelry -- we can work with you to incorporate it into a new ring. To get the stone to us, we’ll give you advice on insuring your package and can create a prepaid shipping label when you’re ready to send. You’ll need to get the stone or jewelry appraised for a shipping value.

The best proof, of course, that our remote custom design work leads to happy clients comes from our clients themselves. After looking at nearby ethical jewelers, one of our London clients found Bario Neal online. “The ethical jewelers I looked at in London weren’t a fit for my style,” she said. “But I absolutely loved all of Bario Neal’s rings, so I was really pleased that we were able to make it work from London.” According to another client, who designed an engagement ring using a family heirloom diamond from California, “It was fun, every time that we jumped on a call or sent emails back and forth to Bario Neal. It felt like a special time.” 

Wherever you live or work in the world — and even if you want to make a trip to meet us in our Philadelphia or New City showrooms and then continue a project remotely — contact us today to start custom designing jewelry of lasting value.