Custom Engagement Rings Adelaide

Custom engagement rings, designed with you in our Adelaide boutique

Some rings are bought. Yours is made. A custom engagement ring from Simon Alexander begins as a conversation in our King William Street boutique and ends, four to six weeks after you approve the drawing, as a ring that did not exist before you asked for it. It is designed with you by Simon Dimasi, a diamantaire and the author of A Diamond Truth; it is Australian made; and it is set and hand-finished by our own jewellers at our Adelaide bench. Nothing about it is chosen from a tray.

We are an independent manufacturing jeweller, and have been designing engagement rings in Adelaide since 2001. That independence is the point: the person who draws your ring is the person who helps you choose the diamond, and the same room is where you collect it.

How a custom engagement ring is made

• The conversation. Walk in, or book a private viewing so the room is yours. We talk about the person the ring is for — how they dress, how they use their hands, what they already wear, what they have said and what they have not. Bring photographs, sketches, a pinned board, a ring you both admire, or nothing at all. Most people arrive with a feeling rather than a design; that is enough to begin.
• The diamond. Before any line is drawn, we choose the stone, because the ring is built around it. You see diamonds side by side under proper light with the loupe in your hand: natural or lab-grown, in whichever shapes you are drawn to. Simon explains what the grades mean and, more usefully, what they look like. We will tell you when the cheaper stone is the better stone. Natural diamonds carry a GIA report; lab-grown diamonds carry an IGI report. If you have a diamond already, we start there.
• The design. Simon draws the ring for you: the way the claws hold the stone, the profile and width of the band, the height it sits, whether a wedding band will sit flush against it later. You see the design from several angles and change it until it is right. Nothing is made until you say yes.
• Made to order. Once approved, your ring is made around your chosen diamond. Our jewellers set the stone, then finish and polish the ring by hand and check it against the drawing. Allow four to six weeks from approval.
• The presentation. You collect the ring in the boutique with its diamond report and a current insurance valuation. Then you go and ask the question.

What a custom engagement ring costs

Less than most people expect, and we would rather say so plainly than let the word bespoke frighten anyone off. A custom ring starts around the same as our named designs — a natural-diamond solitaire from about $2,950 at 0.50ct, or a lab-grown solitaire from about $2,300 at 1.00ct — because designing with you is how we work, not a surcharge. Most of the engagement rings we make land between $5,000 and $15,000. Where a ring sits within that range depends almost entirely on the diamond: its carat, its cut and whether it is natural or lab-grown. The setting, the metal and the design time are a smaller part of the whole than most people assume.

We work to your budget rather than to a catalogue, and we say so at the first conversation. Tell us the number you are comfortable with and we will design the best ring that number will make, which sometimes means a smaller, better-cut stone in a setting that flatters it, and sometimes means a lab-grown diamond that gets you the size you want with money left over. There are no hidden fees, and you approve the price before anything is made.

Timelines

Allow four to six weeks from the day you approve the drawing. The conversation and the design are usually settled within a week or two, so from first visit to finished ring is typically six to eight weeks. If you are proposing on a particular date, tell us at the start; we plan backwards from it and tell you honestly whether it can be met. If it is urgent, ask — sometimes it can be done, and we will not promise what we cannot.

Heirloom stones and resetting

Some of the best rings we make begin with a diamond that already has a history: a grandmother's stone in a setting that has worn thin, a diamond from a ring that is no longer worn, a family stone waiting for the right moment. We can reset your diamond into a design drawn for it, keeping what matters — the stone, and sometimes the original metal — and building a ring that will be worn rather than kept in a drawer. We examine the stone first under the loupe, tell you honestly what condition it is in and what it will and will not suit, and design from there. If the stone has an existing report we work from it; if not, we can advise on having it graded so you know exactly what you have.

Coloured stones are welcome too. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds and less expected stones all make engagement rings, on their own or beside diamonds, and Simon designs around them as readily as around a white stone.

What an independent manufacturing jeweller does differently

A chain sells rings that were designed elsewhere for a market, priced by a head office and presented by staff who did not design them. That is not a criticism; it is simply a different business. An independent manufacturing jeweller designs the ring in front of you, chooses the diamond with you, and makes the ring to that drawing. The differences you will notice are these:

• The design is yours. Not a variation on a stock model, but a drawing that started from your conversation and finished when you said it was right.
• The diamond is chosen, not allocated. You see the stone before it is set, with its report, and you choose it. Its report ties the stone to its grade, so you know the stone in the ring is the stone you chose.
• The advice is straight. Nobody here has a reason to steer you. If the cheaper stone is the better stone, or the simpler design is the better design, that is what you will hear.
• The ring can be anything. An inherited stone, an unusual shape, a design that has no setting yet: none of that is a problem when the ring is being drawn for you rather than picked from a range.
• The people do not change. The diamantaire who designed the ring is the one you come back to for its annual check, its resize, its valuation and, later, the wedding band that sits beside it.

The diamantaire

Simon Dimasi has been designing fine engagement rings in Adelaide since 2001. He is a diamantaire — someone whose working life has been spent looking at, grading and choosing diamonds — and he wrote A Diamond Truth so that people could understand what they were buying before they bought it. The book is an honest guide to the four Cs and to the things the four Cs do not tell you, written for the person about to spend serious money on a stone rather than for the trade. Since 2020, Simon Alexander has been the official maker of the SANFL premiership rings, a commission we have held since 2020 that says something about how the rings from this boutique are expected to hold up. Every custom ring we make is drawn and overseen by Simon personally.

The work leans architectural: proportion over decoration, line over flourish, restraint treated as a discipline rather than a shortage of ideas. If you want a ring that is quiet and correct, this is the right room. If you want something no one else will ever wear, it is also the right room; ask about The Lair.

Cared for, for life

Every ring we make comes back to us whenever it needs to. Complimentary, always: an annual clean and check of the setting and claws, a current insurance valuation, your first resize and, for white gold, your first rhodium refresh. No membership and no fine print; a ring made to be worn every day is looked after for just as long.

Book a design consultation in the Adelaide CBD

We are at Level 1, 14 King William Street, a short walk from Rundle Mall and Victoria Square. Walk in Monday to Friday 9:30am to 5:30pm or Saturday 10am to 4pm, or book a private viewing so Simon can sit with you personally, without interruption. There is no charge for the consultation and no obligation afterwards. Bring whatever you have — pictures, an heirloom stone, a budget, a date — or bring nothing but the question. Our clients rate us 4.9 on Google across 30 reviews. Call (08) 8231 0700 or email shop@simonalexander.com.au if you would rather begin that way.

Custom engagement rings in Adelaide: your questions

How much does a custom engagement ring cost in Adelaide?

At Simon Alexander a custom ring starts around the same as our named designs: from about $2,950 with a 0.50ct natural diamond, or $2,300 with a 1.00ct lab-grown diamond. Most of the rings we make fall between $5,000 and $15,000. The diamond is the largest part of the price; the consultation is free, and you approve the total before anything is made.

How long does a custom engagement ring take?

Allow four to six weeks from the day you approve the drawing, and usually six to eight weeks from your first visit. If you have a proposal date, tell us at the start and we will plan backwards from it. Urgent timelines are sometimes possible; ask, and we will give you a straight answer.

Do I need a design before I come in?

No. Most people arrive with a feeling, a few photographs, or a ring they both admire, and that is enough. The design comes out of the conversation: who the ring is for, how they wear their hands, and the diamond you choose together. Simon draws it from there, and you approve it before anything is made.

Can you reset a diamond I already have?

Yes. Bring the stone, or the ring it is in, and we will examine it under the loupe, tell you honestly what condition it is in, and design a new setting around it. Original metal can sometimes be kept. If the stone has no report, we can advise on having it graded so you know exactly what you have.

Natural or lab-grown for a custom ring?

Either. Every custom ring is designed around the diamond you choose, and both are shown side by side under the loupe. Natural stones carry a GIA report; lab-grown stones carry an IGI report and give a larger stone for the same money. We will tell you which is the better stone for the ring in front of you.

What is the difference between a custom jeweller and a chain?

A chain sells rings designed elsewhere, priced by a head office and presented by staff who did not design them. An independent manufacturing jeweller designs the ring with you, chooses the diamond with you, and makes it to that drawing. You deal with the same people from the first conversation to the annual check years later.

Is the consultation free?

Yes. There is no charge for a design consultation and no obligation if you do not go ahead. Walk in during opening hours or book a private viewing so Simon can sit with you personally. Bring whatever you have, or just the question.

Can I see the ring before it is made?

Yes. Simon draws the ring and you see it from several angles, with the diamond you have chosen, before anything is made. You change it until it is right. Nothing proceeds without your approval, and the finished ring is checked against that drawing at our Adelaide bench.