Custom Bespoke Pricing

Clients are often surprised to learn that a custom designed piece of jewellery from The Village Goldsmith can often be created for a similar cost, or even less, as compared to a mass-produced item from a regular jeweller. We’re proud to create jewellery of extraordinary quality and value designed to be treasured for generations.

We're proud of our work and strive to deliver our clients excellent value for their money. Transparency across all areas of our business is important to us and this includes how pricing of a custom designed piece of jewellery is calculated.

When designing a custom piece, there are some key drivers of cost to keep in mind:

Type of metal
The choice of which type and purity of precious metal to use in your piece will be an important cost component. Platinum or yellow, white, and rose gold are all incredibly strong, durable, and beautiful choices. Platinum is denser and heavier than gold so the design, finished weight of the piece and market pricing will determine the price compared to gold. With gold, the higher the carat, the purer the metal and the higher the price will be. Learn more about our precious metal sourcing practices here.
Size and weight of the piece
If your bespoke jewellery piece is small and thin it will require less metal and therefore cost less compared to a bolder or heavier design. Keep in mind earrings need to be multiplied by two for a pair and pendants may require you to select and purchase a chain.
Gemstone
The type, quality, size, and relative rarity of the gemstone(s) you choose will all factor into the price. There are many choices and factors to consider. Our expert team is here to help guide you through the process and if we don't have the exact gemstone you are wanting in stock, we'll work directly with our supplier partners to secure the perfect one on your behalf. Learn more about some of the main distinctions for diamonds and about our commitment to ethical sourcing.

Design complexity
When you commission a piece of bespoke jewellery with us you will work with a designer who brings tremendous skill, experience, and creativity to help you on your journey to create your dream piece. They take the time to understand your needs and what you want to express in your custom design, then work to translate this into sketches and detailed drawings for your input and approval. Once a design is approved by you, the designer will collaborate with our CAD designers and jewellers to ensure that the jewellery will be structurally sound and can last for generations. You will have an opportunity to review a detailed 3D drawing of your piece before final approval. Further alterations to the design at this stage may incur additional costs depending on the magnitude of changes and the complexity involved in redesigning and remodelling your desired changes.
Manufacturing complexity
Your piece will often pass through the hands of many specialised craftspeople. Casting, mounting, setting, and engraving are all specialised skills. While most jewellers - and even many jewellery designers - outsource their manufacturing jobs abroad, we handcraft every bespoke piece right here in our Wellington design studio and workshop. In the end, this tends to save money, rather than add cost, because we are a lean and experienced team who know how to make jewellery with meticulous efficiency. Of course, the more detailed and complex the design, the more hours will be required, and this can impact final pricing.

If you have ever wondered why we ask for your budget, it's not because we want to convince you to spend as close to your ceiling as possible. Instead, we are coming from a place of wanting to match you with the best possible piece that will fit your budget. Our designers do not work on commission because we always want them to be able to focus exclusively on delighting clients and meeting their needs. Knowing your budget really helps our designers to suggest budget-appropriate metals and gemstones for your piece. A key benefit of designing a custom piece is you often have a lot of flexibility to adjust various components to meet your needs and budget. We always work to help you understand the main factors that impact cost so you can prioritise how to use whatever amount you are comfortable spending to maximum impact.

We are proud of our ability to secure the finest diamonds and gemstones at exceptional prices from our global network of the best precious metal and gem suppliers. We will work with you to discuss the viability and cost of the design you like. To get an idea of pricing of various pieces, we recommend browsing our website and inspiration gallery.

We're confident we can create a piece which is truly exceptional and personal to you within budget. This is our passion and what we do best. To learn more about our process and how we work with our clients to create custom designs, visit the custom bespoke design page on our website.