Frequently Asked Questions
Creating a bespoke piece starts with a conversation. You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what you want, bring along inspiration, ideas, a rough budget, or even an existing stone or piece of jewellery.
From there, our designers and jewellers work with you to develop the design, select the right materials and stones, and create a piece specifically for you. Our custom engagement ring process takes you from the initial idea through design and into the final piece made in our Mt Hawthorn workshop.
A typical bespoke engagement ring takes around four to six weeks from the first consultation through to completion. Simpler designs or resets can sometimes be completed sooner, while more complex pieces may take longer.
Have a proposal date in mind? Tell us at your first consultation and we can work backwards from that date when planning your piece.
Not at all. In fact, many clients come to us with only a rough idea, a photograph they like, a particular stone in mind, or simply a budget.
Our job is to help guide you through the options. Bring whatever inspiration you have and we can work through the rest together. The Ring Builder on our website is also a great starting point if you’d like to explore different styles before your consultation.
Absolutely. Jewellery remodelling is a big part of what we do.
You may have an inherited ring, jewellery you no longer wear, or a sentimental piece that doesn’t quite suit your style anymore. We can work with you to redesign it while preserving the stones, materials or elements that are important to you.
The process starts with an obligation-free consultation where we assess the piece and talk through what may be possible. Most remodelling projects take approximately four to six weeks, depending on the piece and complexity of the design.
Yes. We regularly reset heirloom diamonds and gemstones into new designs.
We’ll first assess the stones and existing jewellery and then discuss how they could be incorporated into your new piece.
Both are real diamonds. Lab-grown and natural diamonds have the same chemical composition and crystal structure; the main difference is their origin.
Natural diamonds formed beneath the earth over an immense period of time, while lab-grown diamonds are created using technology that replicates the conditions in which diamonds form.
Lab-grown diamonds can offer significantly more size for the same budget, while natural diamonds have different rarity and secondary-market characteristics. We work with both and can talk you through the options based on what matters most to you.
Yes, and your engagement ring doesn’t need to have been made by Stelios.
Bring it into the studio and we can assess its size, profile and shape and design a wedding band to sit beautifully alongside it. This may mean creating a contoured band specifically around the engagement ring rather than choosing a standard straight band.
For custom wedding bands, we recommend allowing around eight weeks before your wedding. For a ready-to-wear ring requiring resizing, around six weeks is recommended.
If you have a firm wedding date, tell us when you come in so we can plan accordingly. Most bespoke wedding-band commissions take around four to six weeks, but allowing extra time before the wedding takes the pressure off.
Yes. We repair jewellery regardless of where it was originally purchased.
Our Mt Hawthorn workshop handles ring resizing, rhodium plating, chain repairs, polishing, claw and prong repairs, gemstone resetting, antique restoration, pearl restringing and more.
We assess the jewellery before beginning the work and explain the recommended repair and cost. Standard repairs generally take around one to two weeks, while complex restoration work can take longer.
Most rings can be resized, although it depends on the design and material.
Stelios currently offers free resizing within the first 12 months on every ring we make. Some designs have limitations — full eternity bands cannot be resized conventionally, while materials such as tantalum and titanium cannot be resized, making correct sizing particularly important when ordering.
Yes. Having a budget in mind is actually very helpful when creating a bespoke piece. It allows us to guide you through the options for stones, metals and design and show you what is achievable within that budget. We’ll be upfront about your options before any design work begins.
