Custom-Made Jewelry At Alara

Ahhh, yes…the special feeling that comes from having something made especially for us. There’s nothing like it.

Our custom design service is a bespoke, one-of-a-kind experience, whether for an engagement ring, a daily-wear piece, or a special occasion sparkler. It is ideal for customers with individualistic style who know exactly what they want. Or for customers who simply need help creating something truly memorable. Or for customers who want to experience the very best Bozeman custom jewelry designs for themselves.

Regardless of the intended occasion, custom designed jewelry from Alara is about uniqueness. Our process is your way to gain access to skilled artisan creations that bring your vision to life. Discover creations that stun through a personalized process that makes it all possible.

Initial custom jewelry design consultation with Alara Jewelry is the first step.

Alara Jewelry custom design and pricing meeting details.

Alara Jewelry custom design meeting details.

Alara Jewelry custom design timeline details.

BESPOKE. UNIQUE. ENDURING.

Our customized jewelry pieces become family heirlooms, cherished pieces with a story, and more. We work with only the best metals and gemstones to craft your pieces. And our artisans are second to none.

Below are the four steps to our process of designing custom and personalized jewelry:

Several custom rings with empty settings beside lines of various gemstones.

Step 1

Exploration & Schedule Initial Appointment

• Check your calendar; since the actual crafting process takes 4 to 12 weeks (8 to 10 weeks in most cases). However, this starts after the design has been finalized.

• Gather up several photos that would be useful to communicate some aspects of the piece we will be designing with you. Also think of a few adjectives to describe the project, either specific or general in nature.

• Schedule your free 15-minute custom consultation. We will ask you to provide the above photos and words during the scheduling process.

SCHEDULE YOUR INITIAL 15-MINUTE CONSULTATION

Step 2

Initial Appointment: Talking & Pricing

• Gather up any stones or metal you might want to use in the new project or trade in towards it. You can also share any additional visual materials you haven’t yet shared with us.

• This is all about you giving us a brief overview of your jewelry vision. We will also assess if a bespoke experience is not what is required. For instance, we have a way to make contoured wedding bands to fit engagement rings without true custom work. We’ll shoot straight with you, and set you on the right path.

• We have 15 minutes together to discuss your ideas. This consultation covers enough about a personalized design to give you a pretty-darn accurate price. Sometimes, if the project is super straight-forward, another design appointment is not needed (but that's not typical).

Silver ring with diamonds and a sapphire.

Custom jewelry client trying on bespoke jewelry with Alara designer.

Step 3

60-minute Full Custom Design Appointment

• When you’re ready to get down to the “big show,” schedule your one-hour custom design appointment. Your $150 deposit is applicable to any design we craft for you.

• Hi again! We get down to the nitty-gritty for an hour. Sometimes the final, photo-realistic renders can be created whilst you watch. Other times, we contact you back for another 15-minute appointment to look at the final design proposal. This can be done via webchat for convenience as well.

SCHEDULE YOUR 1-HOUR CUSTOM DESIGN CONSULTATION

Step 4

Final Design Approval | Deposit | Crafting & Completion

• You love your one-of-a-kind piece! (Or sometimes you have us do some minor adjustments...) Woo-hoo! You pay a deposit, we credit your $150 consultation fee, and we get started! Most custom pieces are ready in 6 to 12 weeks from this day.

• We may have you come in to try on your rough metal casting before we set gems (usually only with rings).

• After we've performed or provided your appraisal, and completed any applicable warranty applications...

• We text, email, or phone you--whichever you like--to let you know your new bespoke piece is ready!

• Prepare to be mightily pleased as we bring your ideas to life.

START YOUR CUSTOM PROCESS

Unique custom ring settings in gold and silver.

Success In Custom Jewelry Design Is All About Communication

This is an intimate interaction in many cases. It involves a tremendous amount of communication and coordination between you and Alara’s team. But we find this process really does yield the best results. When you see our Bozeman custom jewelry for yourself, you’ll understand why.

Because the piece of bespoke jewelry you are dreaming of doesn't exist...we have to find ways to "crawl inside your head." We need to "see" what you see, in your mind's eye. Details matter, and we keep asking questions until we believe we have a handle on them. Then we confirm with you that we really do have a handle on them.

When the finished piece is revealed upon completion, you should have exactly what you expect. And nothing less. And we find our custom jewelry customers love the results!

Custom jewelry client and Alara jeweler communicating about the design process.

What Does That Communication Look Like?

Often, we start with photos. There's the two you send us when you initially schedule. However, we welcome as many as are needed to make our meetings productive:

Photos or Links You Email or Text to Us

Pinterest Boards

Printed Materials You Bring to Your Appointment

Any and all of the above helps us in determining the best approach to craft your custom designed jewelry. It also helps with our online consultations for customers who can’t meet us in person.

If you’d like to schedule time with a custom jewelry maker online, we’re happy to oblige you. Simply let us know when you reach out for your initial consultation.

During the clarification stage, we rely on a mix of:

Two women looking at a glass jewelry case

Q & A

Have questions about our custom jewelry design process? We ask, you answer, we confirm. We will be asking some straightforward questions and then others that might seem odd at first, but will make sense in the long run. All the insights we glean during this phase will be invaluable to your custom jewelry team.

Show & Tell

We show you pieces of jewelry we have in the showcases. We can also sometimes rely on photos in our archives or printed library. These will show differences and similarities that clarify specific features. The key to this step is to better understand what you like (and what you don’t).

Drawings & Renders

Whether casual hand-sketches, real-time CAD renders, or actual-size computer line drawings. These drawings and renders of different jewelry styles. Each will help you envision the finished piece before it’s even been crafted.

Optional button

We Won't Let The Custom Jewelry Process Become Your Enemy

We do not proceed with crafting a piece of custom jewelry until you feel confident in us. Once you know that we have reached full understanding of what is about to be custom-made for you, we begin.

Because this type of communication relies heavily on visual information, there are folks that can't quite reach 100% confidence. Because of that, it is important to state here that this process is simply not for everyone.

People who say, "I just can't know if it's what I want until it's finished" are in good hands. They are respectfully guided towards alternative methods. We are not afraid to put on our collective "thinking cap" for your benefit.

We are also professional enough to know different customer needs. When the custom jewelry design process just isn't quite right for your perception style, we will tell you. Let us be your trusted guide in your custom jewelry journey.

Close up of a jeweler adding a center stone to a ring

Can The Same Result Be Achieved Using Different Methods?

Yes, there are several different "pathways" to Bozeman custom jewelry design. Often, you can choose between a couple of different ones for your particular piece, sometimes there's really only one right way to make it.

Sometimes a specific pathway will limit your control over small details. It can provide a different amount of longevity. Or it can require less metal but cost more. So, let's get started with a little bit about the various pathways to custom jewelry design we offer.

Each of our three in-house custom jewelry designers has different specialties and strengths. Once the full scope of your project is determined in your Initial Custom Consultation, the fun begins. We will pair you up with a designer whose strengths work with your design.

Hand in hand with your custom jewelry maker, we’re confident you’ll love the results.

SCHEDULE YOUR CUSTOM APPOINTMENT

Complete Custom: The Bespoke Experience

Bespoke jewelry, made especially for you. It simply makes more sense. Made for your body, your gems, your taste, and your lifestyle. This is a taste of luxury you’re sure to cherish.

A bespoke piece of jewelry from Alara is a keepsake. It is imbued with greater meaning and finer quality than any McJewelry could ever deliver. It’s like comparing a fine meal to fast food. Bespoke means yours, and yours for many years to come.

Complete custom is necessary for those more intricate, complicated, period-inspired, or specific requests. The custom jewelry design process is recommended for pieces that are wholly unique and unlike previous designs we have created—including a change in gemstone number, size, or shape. And be forewarned: some designs that might be considered "simple" by you ("there's only one stone!") might not ultimately be simple from a structural aspect. Sometimes, the only right way to do something is the most expensive way... But the end result is a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry you’re sure to love.

START THE CUSTOM JEWELRY DESIGN PROCESS

Image of a custom jewelry design of a ring and the final ring product

We Serve As Your Custom Jewelry Guides

Our process is about so much more than access to a custom jewelry designer.

Since we are "building something from the ground up" for you, we will serve as your guides through the intricacies of aesthetics. We'll start with the gems and diamonds of your dreams, or ones you already own. We’ll then work our way towards a design with those gems in mind. This is a process designed to help you learn about gems and diamonds, choose the right ones for your project, and give you a professional Design Proposal. This document outlines all the details of your job before we embark upon actually creating it.

"Massaging an Existing Model"

We have over 4,500 models already loaded into our CAD system. Even better, many of those models have settings that can be tweaked to suit many tastes or gemstones. This is a great thing to consider for savings and if you aren't trying to “reinvent the ring,” so to speak. We have 3 designers on staff that can assist you with such a project.

SCHEDULE YOUR 15-MINUTE INITIAL CONSULTATION

Image of gems from rings getting remounted into a necklace

Custom Remounts

Do you already have diamonds and gems, but need them remounted? Want to turn an heirloom into something more modern? We're here with a custom process to help you bring out the beauty in whatever you bring!

We have picture upon picture of "before" and "after" photos. And we have a litany of customers who have told us their original designer simply “missed the mark.”

With a Design Proposal in-hand before we start any actual crafting, you get a safety net. More specifically, you’ll know precisely what to expect. Nothing is ever forced on you that isn't exactly as it was promised as part of our custom-made jewelry process. Depending on the nitty gritty of the project, this can be either "full custom" or "massaged custom."

Image of a gem remounted into an existing ring design

Existing Remount Models

Along with our flexible CAD models, we also have a library of physical molds that might work with your gems. This means you can have a piece of jewelry that’s worlds better than McJewelry, but for a far lower price than full custom. This takes some luck, but can be worth exploring if you're very flexible about design (because these designs can't be modified).

yes, you can be the designer!

Are you an artist, engineer, or architect, or do you simply fancy yourself artistic? We can actually instruct you on the use of our CAD system to create a piece. We'll be with you every step of the way, to make sure a design isn't created that lacks proper structure or isn't advisable in any way.

This can be such a meaningful way to give a gift of bespoke jewelry--with you as the designer! (We just will do all the crafting once you've come up with your design.)

You'll need to set an Initial Custom Consultation. This will confirm that your design can be properly made using CAD techniques. [Hint: This is our most expensive option, because more of our designer's time is involved. But we are delighted to help you with this kind of "project of a lifetime!"]

Corporate Award Jewelry

When Home Depot wanted corporate jewelry designed, who did the Southwest regional manager turn to? Alara's founder, Babs Noelle.

When you want a branded piece that your team will actually wear, options abound. Our manufacturing capabilities are expansive, so don't be concerned we can't handle it. Custom made jewelry at scale is never a problem for us!

SCHEDULE A ONE-HOUR CUSTOM APPOINTMENT

Pricing

"How much does a vacation cost?" Well, it depends on if you're camping in Yellowstone, chartering a plane to a private island, or hitting up Disneyworld...right?

Well...much like vacations, there's no "standard price" to create custom jewelry. The very nature of custom work is that no two custom design pieces are alike, so therefore there is no “standard price.”

Similarly, the stone types, sizes, and styles we’ll work with on your piece have an effect on the price. For instance, complex cut diamond shapes or placements can be more involved than simple center stones. The devil truly is in the details.

To serve as a guideline for you, however, please note the price grid for custom jewelry below. The prices shown in the grid are indicative of a piece that is

Prong-set with one round, 5mm gem,
In a mounting that has no engraving or enamel), and
Not heavier than average.

But remember, if you ever have questions about our process or the pricing therein, reach out to us. Our custom design team is happy to guide and consult you through the process.

ONE-OF-A-KIND BEAUTY AWAITS

Your taste and sophistication deserve the perfect result. Alara’s custom designed jewelry process makes crafting such a piece possible. Get started with our design team today.