Why Custom?
The collection at Jewelry by Johan covers a wide range of designs — but a wedding ring is not a standard purchase. It is the one piece of jewelry most people will wear every day for the rest of their lives. If the collection does not contain exactly what you have in mind, the custom design process exists for exactly this reason.
Custom at Jewelry by Johan means a direct collaboration between you and skilled bench jewelers who have been working with meteorite and other specialty materials for years. It is not an upcharge on a standard ring; it is a genuinely different process that produces a genuinely different result.
What "Custom" Can Mean
Custom meteorite ring design covers a wide range of involvement, from minor modifications to entirely original designs:
Modifications to existing designs: A slightly wider version of an existing style. A different carrier metal on a design typically available in one metal. A design that combines meteorite with a wood type not in the standard collection. These are straightforward modifications that the workshop accommodates readily.
Material combinations not in the standard collection: You have a specific wood, gemstone, or secondary material in mind that is not part of the standard collection. The workshop can work with customer-provided materials or source specific materials on request.
Original designs from concept: You have a sketch, a reference image, or a detailed description of a design that does not exist anywhere. Working from your concept, the workshop produces technical drawings and then the ring itself.
The Custom Design Process
Step 1: Initial consultation Describe your vision — the materials, the proportions, the aesthetic you are working toward. Share reference images if you have them. The workshop team will ask clarifying questions and advise on what is technically possible, what combinations work well in practice, and what you should know before committing to specific choices.
Step 2: Material specification Confirm the carrier metal (titanium, gold, platinum), the meteorite coverage and position, and any additional inlay materials. At this stage, the workshop may share samples or photos of the specific materials that would be used — particularly for wood or other organic inlays where visual variation is significant.
Step 3: Size confirmation Before any fabrication begins, size must be confirmed accurately. The $10 custom ring sizer from Jewelry by Johan is recommended for any ring order, and is essential for custom work where the inlay is designed specifically to the ring's dimensions.
Step 4: Technical drawing or mock-up For significantly original designs, the workshop may produce a drawing or physical mock-up before cutting irreplaceable meteorite material. This gives you a chance to confirm that the proportions and design translate from concept to physical object as intended.
Step 5: Fabrication The ring is built in sequence: carrier metal machined to spec, meteorite and other inlays cut and fitted, bonding, etching, sealing, final finishing, and quality control. Custom work typically has longer lead times than standard collection pieces — plan accordingly if the ring is needed by a specific date.
Step 6: Engraving and delivery Free laser engraving (up to 25 characters) is available on custom rings as on standard pieces. Final confirmation of the engraving text happens just before the ring is completed.
What the Workshop Brings That You Cannot Design Alone
The craft knowledge of the workshop is as important as your design input. The bench jewelers know which meteorite orientation will produce the most dramatic pattern for your specific design. They know which carrier metal thickness is structurally appropriate for the inlay configuration you want. They know how the acid etch will interact with the specific meteorite piece being used.
This knowledge is not documentable in a style guide. It comes from years of working with the material. Trusting the workshop's input on technical decisions — while maintaining creative control over aesthetic choices — produces the best results.
Pricing for Custom Work
Custom designs are priced based on the specific materials, complexity, and labor involved. Because custom work is inherently variable, pricing is provided after the initial consultation when the scope of the project is clear. Some pieces displaying "Contact for price" in the collection are examples of this — they require direct consultation before accurate pricing is possible.
Custom work is typically priced at a premium over standard collection pieces, reflecting the additional design consultation, longer lead time, and higher per-piece labor investment.
Your ring exists nowhere yet. The workshop will help you bring it into the world.