Materials
There’s a lot to consider when creating your forever ring — including which metal to use, what stone to choose, and whether to repurpose heirloom jewelry or make something brand new to you.
Metals
Choosing a metal is about more than just the look — different metals have differences in durability, cost, and hypoallergenic properties, among other qualities.
Golds
Gold is a traditional choice for wedding and engagement jewelry, and with good reason — it’s beautiful, durable, and tarnish-resistant.
Yellow Gold is gold in its purest form — a warm, vibrant, and classic choice for wedding jewelry. It’s hypoallergenic, and great for anyone with sensitive skin.
White Gold White gold is a popular and modern alternative to yellow gold. It’s made by alloying gold with other metals like nickel, palladium, or silver, giving it a bright and silvery appearance.
Rose Gold has a romantic and vintage feel, perfect for those who want a unique look. Its pink hue comes from alloying gold with a small amount of copper.
Other Metals
Want to look beyond the traditional? There are a wide variety of beautiful alternative metals to choose from to create your perfect custom piece.
(Please note that we are unable to accommodate all designs in these additional metals.)
Platinum is a rare and luxurious metal, known for its durability and timeless look. Platinum is quite heavy, and typically more expensive than gold.
Palladium is related to platinum, similarly durable and white in color — though often more affordable.
Platinum & diamond ring
Harder metals such as titanium*, tungsten carbide, cobalt, and stainless steel* are very durable and stay vibrant for a long time. They’re best for less intricate jewelry such as wedding bands. (* = hypoallergenic)
Titanium band with crushed stone inlay
Sterling silver: While silver is generally a less expensive metal, it’s also less durable than most options listed here and can tarnish over time. We don’t recommend using sterling or fine silver for high-end custom jewelry. To capture a similar look, we instead suggest using another silver-hued metal such as white gold, platinum, or palladium.
Additional metals: If there is a material/metal not listed that you are interested in working in, feel free to suggest it anyway! We’re happy to consider and help you figure out what’s possible.
Metal Sustainability & Sourcing
Our process often entails repurposing parts of existing jewelry to create new, vibrant pieces. Whether removing gemstones from heirloom pieces to re-set in a new way, or melting down metal from estate sale pieces that may otherwise be forgotten, we are always looking for alternative ways to use what already exists, allowing it to shine in a new light.
Stones
A lot goes into picking the perfect stone(s) for your ring — the color, the cut, the size, and even the origin of the stone all make a difference.
Gemstones
When it comes to choosing what type of stones(s) to include in your design, it’s easy to forget just how many options you have.
For a more comprehensive list of all of the gemstones out there, click here. (Please note — Not every stone in the linked list is suitable for a durable, beautiful ring.)
Cuts
The cut of a stone impacts how it looks (e.g. how sparkly it is) and how it might be seated in a ring.
Size
Stone size is measured in carats, with more carats equalling a larger stone. Not all gemstones are available in every size, and smaller stones can be just as striking as larger ones when set just right.
Stone Sustainability & Sourcing
Most of our stones come from one of two Massachusetts stone dealers who have ethically been in business for generations. Outside of these dealers, we can use stones you provide from your own heirloom jewelry (see more below) — or every once in a while, we’ll pull something out of the ground ourselves.
If you ever have questions or specific requests for stone sourcing, we are happy to discuss.
Give old traditions new life.
Don’t let the meaningful jewelry you’ve inherited gather dust in your jewelry box — give it life as something entirely new. Twenty 3 Designs can help you incorporate heirloom jewelry into your forever ring, reshaping its metal and resetting its stones into a beautiful new piece to carry with you every day.
