Do we all have Red Hot Chili Peppers stuck in our head now? Excellent, let’s proceed.
When it’s time to start ring shopping, most lovebirds are blissfully unaware of the wait times between saying “I’ll take it!” and actually getting the rock in your possession. But even if you aren’t making a custom ring from scratch, you’re still likely to wait a few days until the ring is ready.
Related: How an Engagement Ring is Made
So, lest you make the mistake of waking up this Saturday, deciding “Tonight’s the night!” then having your dreams crushed by your jeweler, let’s take a quick look at the typical wait times for a few different types of engagement rings.
Total Custom Job
It depends. I know, I’m the worst. But it really does depend on the speed at which your designer and jeweler work, how responsive you are when your input is needed, and of course how complicated the design is. When you first start discussing your custom job, make sure you get in writing an estimate for turnaround time as well as cost. And while your jeweler will work to make sure it’s perfect, just know that if you send it back for tweaking after one, two, three, four attempts, it’s going to take longer than they initially estimated. The typical custom job, from consultation to delivery averages about one month.
Designer Ring with Modifications
Related: The Verragio Ring You Need To Know About
This usually takes between 4-6 weeks, as long as the setting is in stock. You already have a beautiful foundation to work from, so the design team & jewelers at the studio just need to add your modifications. Whether it’s extra structural details, a different shape mounting, or simply a different metal color will all affect your wait time, in order of longest delay to shortest.
Designer Setting As-Is
Seeing Double with Daussi
Signed, sealed, delivered, it’s yours. The Henri Daussi rings at Diamonds by Raymond Lee are just waiting for a loving home, so they’re a perfect example. Those settings are actually built around the perfect diamond (whether it’s their choice or yours). Any of our designer settings that are already “live” – they have real diamonds in the center, not placeholder CZ’s – are ready for takeout.
Designer Setting with Your Dream Diamond
A Tacori Princess Solitaire
For most brands this is a 2-4 week wait. With Verragio they tend toward the 4 week mark (gotta get those Insignias just right.) But with some of the other lines RLJ & DBRL carry, it could be within the same week.
Related: Halo Engagement Rings I Can’t Get Enough Of
Non-Designer Setting with Your Dream Diamond
Pink Pear Shaped Diamond Engagement Ring
Again, I’ll say 2-4 weeks to be safe, but really two weeks should be your max. In most cases the setting itself will arrive within a few business days after purchase. If we already have the setting in-stock, then our bench jeweler just needs time to set your diamond perfectly. Which of course depends on his workload – if you’re planning a Christmas proposal it will take longer – but is still a relatively quick turnaround. And we can always rush ship a setting order, we just can’t rush our jewelers. Trust me, you don’t want to see that result.
Estate Engagement Ring
A stunning Art Deco style engagement ring that’s ready to walk out the door.
Luckily, if you walk by an estate jeweler, and the most perfect antique ring you ever laid eyes on beckons softly to you (or screams loudly to her), you can pull off a spur of the moment proposal. That estate engagement ring is ready to go that very instant, having waited since 1917 to be a part of its next love story. So if you’re looking for both a quick turnaround and something unique, an estate vintage or antique ring is perfect.
There are exceptions to every rule, and if you want to have the shotgun-iest of all weddings with a Tacori ring, your jeweler will do everything within their power to make that happen. But if you’re an average engagement ring client, starting to get your bearings and do your research (smart cookie) this is a good guideline!
