What does a bespoke ring cost in Geneva?

Most bespoke and transformation projects I make fall between CHF 1,200 and CHF 4,000. The stone sets the scale — there is no upper limit.

There's no starting price, because there's no starting design. Here's what moves the figure, in the order it matters.

1. The centre stone — the first line by a distance

Everything else is secondary. Two rings of identical design can vary fivefold on the stone alone.

What counts, in order: the weight, then the quality, then the origin — natural or lab-grown. And the gap between those last two is the largest single lever in the whole project: at equivalent size, colour and clarity, a lab-grown stone costs a fraction of its natural equivalent. I don't print a percentage, because the figure has moved every year I've been quoting it — I'll show you both prices side by side for your stone, when we choose it.

Weight doesn't read linearly either: prices step up around the round weights. A stone just under a threshold gives almost the same presence on the hand for noticeably less.

2. The work, not the metal

This is what surprises people most.

A pavé running the length of a band is dozens of stones set one at a time. A rub-over setting has to be fitted to a hundredth of a millimetre. An asymmetric piece can't be duplicated: each side is worked separately.

A simple, well-proportioned setting costs a fraction of a loaded one, and often wears better. If the budget is tight, this is where to look before touching the stone.

3. The metal — less decisive than people think

Metal is a smaller share of the total than most people imagine.

18ct contains twice as much fine gold as 9ct, so it costs more for the same volume. But on a fine ring the difference in francs stays modest next to the difference a stone makes.

Dropping from 18ct to 9ct to save money therefore has a real but limited effect — it is a fine adjustment, not a transformation. And it should be decided on the design and how the ring will be worn, not on price alone.

4. Your own gold, if you have any

If you own gold that isn't worn any more, it only ever moves the figure one way: down.

It's reused where it's structurally suitable; where it isn't, it's valued at the day's price and credited against the project. That's why remodelling often costs less than the same design made entirely from new materials. The detail is here: can the gold from an old piece be reused?

What the price includes

The quote covers the whole project, not just the materials: the design, the 3D view where the project warrants one, the making, the setting, the polishing, the hallmarking, the engraving if you want one, and one complimentary resizing after collection.

You'll have that quote before anything begins. 50% on ordering, 50% on collection. Consultations are complimentary and commit you to nothing.

Why it isn't more expensive than a ring from a display case

It's the question nobody asks, so I'll ask it.

A ring in a display case carries the cost of stock, of a shop on a busy street, of a distribution margin and of a campaign. A ring made to order has none of that to fund: what you pay goes into the stone, the material and the work.

At the same budget, that usually means a larger stone, or a better finish, on a piece that exists once.

If the budget and the design don't meet

It happens often, and it's the start of a conversation rather than the end of one.

Nobody is sent away because a first idea is over budget. There is almost always a way, and often several: a lab-grown diamond instead of a natural one; a smaller centre stone in a design built to carry it; a sapphire instead of a diamond; a simpler setting; 9ct where the design suits it.

What I won't do is quietly cut a corner to reach a number and hand you a piece that won't last.

Common questions

Can you work to a fixed budget?

Yes, and it's simpler for everyone. Say so at the first meeting: the design is built around it.

Can the quote change along the way?

Only if you change the project. The approved quote is the price.

Can I pay in instalments?

Payment is in two parts: 50% on ordering, 50% on collection.

How long does it take?

The design and 3D view in about a week; the finished piece four to six weeks after you approve it.

Can you estimate by email?

A range, yes. A firm quote means seeing the stones — yours, or the ones I'd show you.

The figure for your project

The only way to get it is half an hour's conversation. Come to the boutique-atelier, Rue Ancienne 3 in Carouge, with an idea, a date and a budget — even a rough one. The full process is on the engagement rings page, and the stones and metals in the engagement ring guide.