Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re ever unsure about starting a custom project, or if its even right for what you're looking for you can always book a 15-minute call with Liza to talk through your ideas and get a good road map for the journey ahead. If you are more of an independent study, we have some great resources on our blog, including theLMJ Flow to help you determine if custom is right for you.

We do it all!  We specialize in celebrating and telling stories- whether its bridal or commitment, anniversaries and birthdays, graduations, milestones or just because.  This encompasses the whole spectrum of jewels as well- not just rings! We love creating necklaces and pendants, earrings and bracelets- we’ve even been known to create tie-pins, brooches and small flatware pieces.

Due to the rising cost of gold, we have had to raise our custom minimums. We currently only offer custom services in gold. Custom jewelry including earrings and pendants start at $3000. Simple rings start closer to $4000. Our custom engagement and commitment rings start at $6000.  The typical range for custom engagement rings is $6000-$15,000. When booking your appointment, you will provide your desired budget so that we can work collaboratively to see where your dream piece and your budget overlap perfectly. The final cost of your new piece will depend on materials chosen, complexity of the design, and current metal markets. You can read more about our pricing process + policies in our journal!

Custom projects take anywhere from 6 - 12 weeks from start to finish. Design consultation time (2-4 weeks), material sourcing (1-3 weeks), and design complexity + fabrication (3-6 weeks) are all factors in timelines.  If you are in a pinch, please get in touch about rush options.

Not at all! So long as you have an idea of budget and timeline, I can help you through determining what you like, what you don’t like, and options for the final piece. There’s no such thing as too much or too little design inspo at LMJ!

Yes! All the time. We’ve been working remotely with folks for years- but the pandemic made us experts. When you book any of our consultation options you have the choice of in-person or virtual consults. We have honed in on the best practices for designing jewelry from afar- including stone selection, picking the perfect composition, and safe delivery!

We sure do! We tend not to use gendered language about our pieces in general, instead opting for more descriptive words like bold, wide, heavy, substantial; vs. delicate, petite, thin, light. This way we can speak to your personal style, not how you identify, and we don't end up pigeon-holing anyone or excluding someone based on their preferences. All that to say- we love making jewelry for everyone- and we have options for all the folks for all the occasions (or lack thereof)

Utilizing heirloom materials is done on a case-by-case basis.  LMJ currently only re-works existing gemstones. LMJ only works with diamond, diamond alternative, sapphire, ruby - or other similar hardness stones above an 8 on the Mohs hardness scale.  Gemstones are reviewed with you to determine their eligibility.  We can go over this all in our consultation.  LMJ does not work with client sourced gemstones or diamonds. LMJ is offering a gold recycling program - please inquire for more details.

It really depends on the piece - typically, yes, in that you are mitigating the cost of sourcing a stone for the project.  There are some more labor charges associated with un-setting stones (sometimes those suckers are really in there), and often times heirloom/antique stones are very wonky, so setting them can take longer as well. If you are using an heirloom diamond for one of our VOW collection and we need to change the setting for it, that incurs an extra charge to augment our existing design. So, the short answer is yes- you do save in comparison to our fully custom services, however with our VOW pieces it can be a wash or more expensive depending on the particular project.

We do! We offer a myriad of sourcing options for clients depending on your personal values. We have access to lab created, antique, earth mined (of various origin, including mine to market traceable Canadian stones) and diamond alternatives like moissanite. I will go over all their merits, pros and cons, and pricing in our meetings to make sure that we land on the best option for you!

Yes! When you book your custom design consult you will have the option to come to the LMJ studio to see examples in person, as well as available loose gemstones, the different colors of gold, and see where it all gets made!

At LMJ we specialize in truly bespoke design- creating one of a kind pieces that don’t already exist. If you’ve found a design you love elsewhere, I always encourage folks to follow their heart and purchase through that particular artist.

If you are in cahoots on the designing process, we can absolutely discuss both projects together. The only time that separate appointments is necessary is if the project is at all a secret. When filling out the intake questionnaire, be sure to indicate what your budget is for each ring, or have that info prepared for our meeting.

We encourage anyone seeking an engagement, ceremonial or promise rings to book our Bespoke Bridal Consultation. If you have heirloom materials for an engagement ring, you will be able to list them in the intake questionnaire.  All other heirloom redesigns are encouraged to book a Bespoke Heirloom Redesign Consultation.  All other custom projects would then be booked under our Bespoke Design Consult option.