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What It’s Like Getting A Custom Engagement Ring Made At Made You Look

By Victoria StaceyView Author PostsApr 12th 2019

Log into to your Pinterest account and you’ll instantly be flooded with dozens of stunning engagement rings, no matter what your relationship status may be. For years I’ve been saving or “pinning” beautiful rings, with a desire to one day own something similar!

I’ve been with my partner for almost eight years and around this time last year we decided that getting engaged was a serious possibility. It was also around this time that my paternal grandmother’s health was failing quickly.

Many years ago she had promised me a ring of hers, but we were having trouble finding a jeweller who could make the ring big enough for my fingers.

made you look custom engagement ring — Photo via Made You Look

I had heard of Made You Look from a variety of radio shows. I had also passed by the store on Queen West in Parkdale many times before. My partner and I popped in to look at rings and there were a few I liked.

I knew deep down I wanted to work with a designer to create something custom.

We showed them some of the designs I liked, then we were paired with a designer and we setup a meeting.

The Design

We were paired with Kathryn Rebecca, one of Made You Look’s jewellers. One of the rings she had on display stuck with me for weeks after initially seeing it. Kathryn’s work is heavily inspired by nature, and as a lover of plants myself, I was immediately drawn to her wood carvings, leaf accents, and stunning attention to detail.

We combined the ring from my paternal grandmother, as well as my maternal grandmother for this design. Not every stone was worth keeping, but we did end up using most of the stones and some of the gold from both rings. This made it all the more special.

In the end, we chose a design that was close to the original ring I saw in-store, but something unique based on the stones, my preferences, and our budget.

The Process

Step 1: Find A Designer

As I mentioned above, we were matched with a designer based off of the designs we liked in-store. One of the best ways to find someone you jive with is it go into their storefronts and try on some of their current designs.

Once we were matched with our designer, we met her in-person to confirm everything felt right. We also chatted a little more about our inspiration, our story, what we were hoping to see, and spend.

Step 2: Put Down A Deposit

Once we had decided to move ahead with our designer, we put down a deposit of about $250. We were able to pay for it right at the store, which made things super easy.

Step 3: See Your Sketches

Kathryn sent us four sketches, but she said usually she does between 2-4 depending on the design. Each design had a slightly different price range from $1,800-$2,400. Keep in mind that we were using the stones and some of the gold from my rings when comparing this price to what you might encounter. We put down a 50% deposit, and she got to work.

Step 4: Wait. Wait. Wait

made-you-look-custom-engagement-ring-styledemocracy

After we chose the design, it took about 10 business days for us to see the wax carving of my ring. Trust me, it felt like an eternity! I was so excited to see it, so it was hard to sit around and wait. But in the end, it was well worth it.

We went into the store to meet with Kathryn once again to try on the wax carving of the ring. This is when it started to feel really real. We also decided that my partner would take over communication from there.

Step 5: Pick Up The Ring!

After I passed on all communication to my partner, the store called him to let him know it was ready for pickup. They will hold it for however long you need. Just simply pay the final balance when you do come to pick it up.

The Reveal

Even though I had a pretty good idea of what the ring looked like, I was still in shock when I finally saw it in person. It was everything I could have ever wanted and more. Honestly, it looks a lot like the rings I first started pinning on Pinterest many years ago.