Custom Made Ring Set By Jennifer Regan on Jun 02, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

My hubby had these rings made by Farrah Jewelers in Los Angeles. They are friends of the family, so he got a really good deal on custom designed rings and hand-picked stones.

The engagement ring is platinum (I'm allergic to gold). The center stone is a marquis cut diamond with a small inclusion (you really have to look for it!). On either side of the central diamond are two rows of square cut diamonds. The total weight is nearly 2.25 carats. The craftmanship is very good, and we haven't had any problems with loose stones.

The rather large octagon shaped ring is the my hubby's wedding band. It's white gold with a unique shape that I think creates a more masculine line to contrast with the stones. The stones are square cut sapphires and diamonds, in alternating groups of three stones. Like the engagement ring, the craftmanship is very good.

The other two rings are simple platinum bands that have alternating groups of diamonds and either sapphires or emeralds.

You'd think that having custom rings made would be really expensive, however, these were relatively inexpensive. The total cost for all four rings was just under $9000, though the rings appraise for well over $12000. My hubby looked at rings at chain jewelry stores, but found that the mass manufactured rings were lower quality, and yet more expensive for what he wanted. I'm sure we could have spent less, but I doubt we would have gotten the unique design of his ring, or the hand-picked stones.

Before you go out and buy a premade ring set, check out smaller local jewelers. You may find that you can get a high quality, unique set for less!