Where Personal Stories Become Heirloom Jewelry
Whether you bring us a clear vision, a treasured piece, or simply the beginning of an idea, we’ll guide you through creating jewelry that carries your story forward.
What Custom Design Means at Charming Quail
At Charming Quail, custom design is a collaborative process for creating jewelry around something that matters deeply to you. We can bring an entirely original piece to life, design engagement or wedding jewelry that reflects your relationship, or give inherited jewelry and stones a new future through heirloom redesign.
Your design might begin with a memory, a relationship, a milestone, a favorite world, a treasured piece, or an idea you haven’t found anywhere else. You don’t need to know how the finished piece should look, which materials to choose, or even what is technically possible before reaching out. We’ll help you explore the possibilities, make each decision one step at a time, and shape what matters to you into jewelry that feels personal, wearable, and built to last.
What matters at the beginning isn’t having every detail figured out. It’s knowing there is something worth creating.
Featured Custom Design
Pearl of the Vineyard Pendant
Long before the vineyard, there were pearls. During childhood visits to SeaWorld with her grandfather, the client watched divers descend into the water to retrieve pearls by hand. Years later, she and her spouse spent a brief season living at a California vineyard, adding another treasured chapter to a life shaped by travel and shared experiences.
Those memories came together in the Pearl of the Vineyard Pendant. White Akoya pearls, joined by a single black Akoya pearl, were arranged to echo a cluster of grapes. The form became a quiet reminder that a life’s most meaningful moments are gathered over time.
Refined through sketching and computer modeling, the 14k white gold pendant balances delicacy with the durability needed for everyday wear. At the client’s request, the designer’s signature was added to the back, adding one final personal detail to a piece created to preserve her story for generations.
Explore the full story and design process behind the Pearl of the Vineyard Pendant.
What Customers are Saying
How the Custom Design Process Works
Custom design unfolds through a series of conversations, decisions, and approvals. You’ll always know what stage we’re in, what decisions are coming, and what happens next.
1. Begin With a Conversation
Your free consultation is a chance for us to learn about you, your story, and what you hope to create. We’ll answer questions, explore materials, offer design recommendations, and discuss budget if you have one. There is no obligation to move forward.
2. Sketch and Estimate
During the initial consultation or a follow-up design session, we’ll sketch ideas together on an iPad. This allows your ideas and our recommendations to take shape through an ongoing conversation.
Once we have a sketch you’re excited about, we’ll prepare an estimate. The 50 percent design deposit is due only after you approve both the sketch and the estimate.
3. See and Approve the Design
After the deposit, we’ll develop a computer model and share realistic images showing the proposed metals and stone colors. This gives you an opportunity to see how the design is developing and catch anything that isn’t turning out as you imagined.
Changes at this stage are a normal part of the collaborative process and are generally included in the original estimate. If an unusually extensive change would affect the price, we’ll discuss it with you before moving forward. Production begins only after you approve the computer model.
4. Craft and Deliver
The approved design goes to our local master metalsmith. A wax model is 3D printed, then the piece is hand cast, polished, and set.
When the jewelry is complete, you’ll see the finished piece in person or receive photographs before paying the remaining balance. Once payment is complete, you can take your new jewelry home or have it mailed to you.
Good to Know
Most custom projects take about two months from approved sketch to final delivery. Having a budget in mind can save time by helping guide early design decisions, but it is not required. Many clients begin without one. We can start by designing the piece you would most love to create, then make thoughtful adjustments after you see the estimate if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Begin?
Have an idea you’re excited about, or no idea at all, just a feeling that something meaningful needs to exist? We’d love to nerd out with you and help shape it into reality.
If you’re ready to begin, schedule a design consultation. If you still have questions, send us a message. Tell us where you’re starting. We’ll take it from there.
