My daughter was looking for a college ring, other than the generic college rings that are found at the jewelers, but one with unique characteristics that conveys some elements of her college experience. After a terrible lesson I learned with a popular online company I was cautious to move forward with another online company but I truly wanted a ring created for my daughter that she would wear and love. I came across Custom Made, based in Cambridge Massachusetts, and after reading numerous positive reviews I decided to take another chance on an online site to create her ring. What a genuinely fantastic journey! From the initial design concept to the final execution of my daughter's college ring, everyone at Custom Made was professional, knowledgeable and above all patient with our numerous alterations regarding this piece. I never had the impression that I made one too many changes in our design as we were treated with respect and contacted promptly through email and their portal. The process does take some time, approximately two months due to our revisions, but the end result is a unique custom ring that is exactly what my daughter was looking for. I wish I had more knowledge regarding this company while I was agonizing over where to decide, and who to trust my funds with, as this process is not an inexpensive one depending on your budget, which they will work with you on. Because of this I would like to give a background of this custom process for those who are unsure. You begin with an assigned Personal Jewelry Consultant who will discuss your project with you and guide you through the process as well as assist with decisions such as raised or engraved details, metal materials, face size, production timeline and overall design. You can send him/her your ideas of how you picture the finished product of your item to look, ring band images if you like, we used climbing ivy to represent her campus buildings that were covered in this perennial but you could use carvings, flowers, or nothing and any logo or family crest etc. The ideal scenario is if you can send examples of details similar to what you would like to create or even a sketch for the designers and production team to review as there’s less room for interpretation on their end, although their visual, creative minds will translate your verbal ideas perfectly. Also, if designing a ring you will receive a ring size tool by mail to be sure you are choosing the correct size to prevent any room for error. After this part of the process is finalized you are passed to the Design Lead who will explain the 3D model steps and discuss your item details; whether these will fit on your piece and what might need tweaking. There were details I would have liked on the ring face but because I was looking at the ring in large 3D scale, it wasn’t until I received our item in person that trying to fit every detail on something the size of a dime is literally impossible. The Design Lead discusses pricing, any inscriptions you might like to add on the band, the addition of stones etc. The next step brings you to the Production Lead who turns your finalized design into a finished piece. They will translate your 3D model into a wax mold that helps Custom Made get a sense if the mold captures each design detail before moving on to the metals. If this is successful (your Production Lead will let you know) then your item is created with the metal of your choosing and sent to the Bench Jeweler where your item is examined and fine tuned for perfection. It’s a truly fascinating process and you are right there with them through this entire journey asking questions, receiving updates promptly, seeing images of the models, molds, metal process and finished product before shipping to be certain your item is perfect. The end result is a weighty, solid, detailed and unique piece of jewelry that you, or your recipient, will cherish for a lifetime. Finally, you will have your ring delivered in a lovely wooden box that results in a piece of jewelry with an heirloom quality appearance. FYI… our ring is a raised (not engraved) design, in 14k gold with band details that are solid (not a hollowed out design) and with a 15mm ring face. My daughter wears her ring everyday and everywhere! When I see her ring on her hand I am 100% positive that I made the best decision to proceed with this process through Custom Made. Please see my attached photos as they are a true representation of what to expect through the Custom Made process! Enjoy the journey!