Custom Wedding Rings: Make Your Own At These Places

There are several jewelry workshops that offer couples the opportunity to make their own wedding rings. These workshops are led by experienced instructors who teach traditional jewelry techniques such as wax carving and goldsmithing. Couples can create classic, minimal, and timeless ring designs with textured surfaces and personalized stamped inscriptions. The cost of these workshops varies and typically includes private instruction, practice rings, refreshments, and a ring box. Workshops are offered in different locations, including Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, and can last between 6 to 8 hours.

Wedding ring workshops

The cost of these workshops varies, but generally includes the instruction fee and a ring fee, which depends on the choice of materials. For example, the Wedding Band Workshop at The Smithery in Columbus, Ohio, charges a booking fee of $725 plus the cost of materials, which can range from $1500 to $2400 for a pair of rings. Similarly, Walker Jewelry in Nashville offers a Make Your Own Wedding Rings Workshop for $790, excluding the cost of materials.

Most workshops cater to all skill levels and offer a range of custom finishes for the rings, including brushed, polished, hammered, and sandblasted. Couples can also expect to receive additional perks such as complimentary refreshments, ring boxes, and digital photos documenting their experience. It is worth noting that diamond or stone setting is usually not included in the workshop and is offered as an additional service.

Wax carving

The process begins with a series of sketches to outline the design and measurements for the final piece. The couple then saws off a slice of wax to the right thickness, ensuring the sides are flat and parallel. The hole is then enlarged to the appropriate finger size, and the couple uses calipers to mark the measurements around the wax for the profile of the ring. Using these markings as a guide, they trim away excess wax with a cylinder bur, which takes just a few minutes.

With the wax beginning to take on a ring-like shape, the couple switches to hand tools to carve into it from all sides. They use a bur to remove a few millimetres on either side, and the top of the ring is trimmed into a rough hexagon. They then switch to finer hand tools and carve more slowly to refine the final shape. These wax carving tools come in a variety of shapes to fit into different spaces and are very sharp, allowing the couple to dig into the surface or remove tiny shavings of wax.

The couple then smooths out the surface of the wax model, rounding the edges and chipping away at the design until it is perfect. They also pay special attention to the inside of the ring, using a round bur to contour the underside. If the design includes a stone, the top of the ring is chiselled with facets. Finally, beads are added to the wax model to hold the stone in place, and the model is ready for casting.

The wax carving process allows couples to create a unique, memorable experience as they make their own wedding rings.

Custom finishes

At Fitzgerald Jewelry, couples can create a lasting memory by crafting their wedding bands by hand with the help of an experienced instructor. The instructor will teach the couple traditional jewelry techniques, such as wax carving, and help them clean up and polish their rings. The rings can be cast in any precious metal of the couple's choice, including yellow, white, and rose gold. The cost of the workshop covers the instruction and casting, while the couple is responsible for the wholesale price of the materials used.

There are many different types of finishes that can be used to customise a wedding ring and give it a distinct look and character. These finishes can change both the appearance and texture of the ring. Some common finishes include:

• Shiny: A glossy, reflective finish that takes advantage of the capacity of precious metals to be polished to a mirror-like finish.
• Weathered: Created by melting the surface of the metal to create a textured and irregular, pot-marked surface.
• High Polish: Similar to a shiny finish, creating a reflective surface using fine abrasives to remove scratches and buffing to a final polished look.
• Satin: Smooth but not reflective, creating a fogged-up mirror effect.
• Oxidised Milled: Picking up texture from metal rolling mills and natural oxidization, this finish is as close as gold will get to a patina and contrasts beautifully with a highly polished interior.
• Brush: Similar to a satin finish but with a texture that leaves tiny brush-like marks. Scratches will blend in with the finish.
• Wire Brushed: Similar to the brush finish but with deeper, more noticeable brush marks that resemble fine hairs.
• Stippled: A matte finish created using tiny pins to make an all-over, even texture.
• Sandblast: Coarse in appearance and texture with a slightly grainy feel, perfect for a more textured and non-reflective finish.
• Hammered: A non-shiny finish created by hammering the ring, leaving a dimpled texture. Each hammered ring is unique.
• Vertical Hammered: Uses a long, thin hammer to create a striped pattern that resembles tree bark.
• Carved Textures: Highly unique and detailed carvings created using metal files, drill bits, and other tools, or sculpted into wax before casting.
• Ribbed: A pattern created by alternating bands of different finishes or dips in the metal.
• Florentine: A crosshatched technique engraved into the surface of the metal, usually applied by hand.
• Glass Blast: Creates a grainy texture by releasing fine glass beads at high pressure.
• Ice: A textured surface with a series of scores made in no particular order, resembling a scored slab of ice.
• Semi-Polished: Similar to a high-polished ring but with a slightly less reflective surface and a lower shine.

Diamond setting

There are several options for couples looking to make their own wedding rings. These include workshops at The Smithery in Columbus, Ohio, Walker Jewelry in Nashville, and Fitzgerald Jewelry.

While diamond settings aren't taught at these workshops, stones can be set into the rings after they are made. Diamond settings are one of the most important features of an engagement ring. They not only highlight the beauty of the selected diamond but also help secure it in place.

There are several types of diamond settings, including:

• Solitaire: This is one of the most popular settings for engagement rings due to its timeless beauty. The center stone is the highlight of the ring.
• Halo: This setting style gives a halo effect to the ring, making it look magnificent and ethereal.
• Pave: Small diamonds are set close together in two or more rows, with tiny metal beads or dots holding them in place.
• Bezel: A modern setting style where a metal rim secures the diamond in place.
• Cathedral: A setting that lifts the diamond above the band, making it appear larger and more brilliant.
• Three-stone: This setting features three diamonds that represent the past, present, and future of the relationship.
• Channel: Diamonds are set into the band of the ring, with no metal separating them, creating a continuous row of diamonds.
• Prong: The diamond is held in place by several metal prongs, usually four or six, which can be rounded or flat.

Costs and materials

The cost of making your own wedding rings varies depending on the jeweller and materials used. The total cost typically includes a workshop fee and a ring fee.

The workshop fee ranges from $725 to $790 for a full day of private instruction for two people. This fee usually includes complimentary refreshments, a ring box, and digital photos documenting the experience. Some jewellers also offer lunch and flowers as part of the package.

The ring fee depends on the metal choice, finger size, width and thickness of the band, shape of the ring stock, and the current gold market price. On average, the ring fee for a pair of rings ranges from $1500 to $2400, but it can be more or less depending on the chosen options. For example, 14K or 18K Yellow/Rose Gold will have a lower ring fee than 18K Palladium White Gold.

The materials available to create the rings vary depending on the jeweller. Common options include different karats of Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, and Palladium White Gold. Some jewellers also offer custom diamond, moissanite, or sapphire settings for an additional charge.

It is important to note that the cost of the workshop and ring fees do not always include the materials used to make the rings. In some cases, the materials may need to be purchased separately, and the final cost may depend on the fluctuating market price of the chosen metal.

Frequently asked questions