Here is a list of our most commonly asked questions from our clients. If you have a question that is not answered below, please feel free to reach out to Laura by email here.
The average time for this is 6-7 weeks, however this can depend on the complexity of the piece requested. A timeline will be discussed at your first meeting with Laura.
Custom-made rings generally start at around $3500+ for 9ct gold and go up depending on the stone and gold carat quality. These parameters are very dependent on the following factors:
– Ring size (larger fingers require more gold).
– Gold carat (18ct is more expensive than 9ct)
– Stone quality and carat
– Complexity of the work involved in making the ring.
– Gold prices have forced jewellers to increase their prices – gold has doubled in value over the past 18 months.
When booking your consultation, let Laura know if you’re working with a particular budget. She’ll provide clear guidance on what’s possible and help you explore the best options.
Yes, instalments can be arranged. A 50% deposit is required to secure your gemstones and begin production. The remaining balance can then be paid in agreed instalments. Please let Laura know if you’d like to set this up, and she will coordinate with our finance team. Kindly note, your finished piece will be held safely in our studio until the balance has been paid in full.
The easiest way is to measure a ring that they wear using the Coral Covey size chart. We will post this chart out to you. Please email your postal address to [email protected].
Yes, we work with clients all over the world and pride ourselves on communication. From emails to video calls, digital sketches and videos of the pieces development and finalisation. Each step can be easily communicated and discussed either in person or from afar. Find out more about the bespoke process here.
All of our items are posted with tracking and sign-on-delivery. Valuable items will be sent with a specific courier.
We’d be delighted to discuss incorporating your gemstones or heirloom jewellery into a new piece!
To use your gemstones or gold, Laura will first need to have them valued and verified. The gold will then be melted and reworked into a new design, which may sometimes require adding more gold if the ring size is larger. Laura will also assess the quality of your gemstones to ensure they are suitable for re-setting. If the gold is not suitable for reworking, it can be valued on the day, and a credit can be applied toward your new piece made with new gold.
Please note that this isn’t always a cheaper alternative, as reworking existing jewellery involves significant labour and skill. Because of the time, expertise, and care involved, the cost of a redesign can often be similar to, or occasionally higher than a piece created from new materials.
If you haven’t already got your gemstones, we wouldn’t advise trying to purchase them unless you have a good knowledge of what you are looking at. There are an increasing number of stories where people get swindled into buying low quality gemstones which are often such poor quality they cannot be set into jewellery. Our advice would be to chat with us prior to making the purchase and we can advise you on what the best approach might be.
The beauty of precious metals is that they can be recycled again and again, forever. As you may be aware, we use gold to make electronics, coins, cap teeth and in existing jewellery – all these materials can all be recycled. We work with a foundry who specialise in just this process – precious metal refinement. They take these materials, melt them down, refining the metal to its purest form, and we are able to purchase it from them directly.
Recycled gold has the same chemical make up, quality and value as any newly mined gold.
Pure gold and pure silver are very soft materials and they will wear away easily, so jewellers have created a tiered system to combine the gold and silver to other metals. The higher the carat, the more pure the metal.
Laura’s recommended alloy — and the Australian standard for fine jewellery — is 18ct gold. This carat provides the perfect balance between malleability and durability. Its slight softness makes it ideal for stone setting: if a claw is caught or knocked, it will bend rather than snap (which is more common in lower carats that are harder and more brittle).
That said, 9ct and 14ct gold are also suitable for a lifetime of wear, provided your jewellery is cared for properly. 22ct gold, however, is too soft for fine jewellery and is not recommended.
Here are a couple of extra considerations when choosing your alloy:
Budget → 9ct and 14ct gold contain less pure gold, so they are more affordable options and a good choice if working with a tighter budget.
Colour → The higher the gold content, the richer the tone.
9ct rose gold appears pinker due to higher copper content, while 18ct rose gold has a softer blush tone.
9ct yellow gold has a pale, buttery hue, whereas 18ct yellow gold is a richer tone.
Carat breakdown:
Nothing in terms of quality. The carat of gold is what you are paying for. The colour is determined by the metal used in combination with the gold.
For example, rose gold will have a pinkish colour due to the copper added, while white gold will have more of a silvery tone, due to the nickle, zinc or silver added to the gold.
It’s a fantastic question and one that we are ready to answer. At the core of Coral Covey is an understanding of our environment and passion for creating sustainable jewellery. We have made it our mission to focus on slow fashion and create items that will last lifetimes and leave a very small ecological footprint. Our studio is powered entirely with solar energy, our packaging uses sustainable & recycled materials, and every item created uses 100% recycled/reclaimed sterling silver, gold or platinum.
Yes, we can. We work with a select group of diamond and precious stone dealers who are committed to sourcing the highest quality stones from reputable companies with fairly paid workers.
Most of the sapphires we use are Australian, sourced directly from the miners or the lapidarists who cut the stones. This gives us complete transparency over the origin of the material. Australian sapphire mining is also a more sustainable option: the mining is shallow, and fossickers use hand tools such as pix axes and shovels to locate rough stones. Once the search is complete, the earth is carefully returned, creating a much less destructive impact on the environment compared with diamond mining.
Carat refers to the measurement of weight of the precious stone. The word ‘carat’ comes from the Greek word for the seed of the carob plant. The average weight of a carob seed is 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams, which is the measurement still used today for a carat weight of diamond. Nowadays, we use technology to measure the weight and density of the stones we use, but the measurement remains.
Yes, we are happy to clean any Coral Covey bespoke piece. Please reach out to us at [email protected] to book in a time.
There are a few ways to keep your jewellery sparkling at home. Click here for details.
Understandably, we are not able to offer full refunds on deposits as correspondence, consultations and quotations take time for us to prepare. Where possible, we are happy to provide a partial refund on a case-by-case basis.
Thanks for your interest in a custom-made ring. Creating a special ring is a really lovely process and one we absolutely love!
To help us guide you on what design/materials might work best for you (& your partner), please take a moment to fill in as many of the questions below:
(Don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers – together we will fine tune the ideas)
