Information regarding timelines and additional costs will be provided to the client from the start of the project. Our quotes include a pre allocated amount of time (dependant on the design specifications). Should the client request more time on a job for stone selection or design alterations, the client will be billed accordingly.

In order to be fair and to allocate enough time for each of our special clients, we kindly ask that you take note of the following time frame guidelines:

We have to be notified 5-6 weeks in advance of the required deadline and receipt of this date has to be noted. Failure to let us know/change of deadline will result in completion dates not being met.

Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate design changes or further stone sourcing after four weeks ahead of the above mentioned deadline.

Upon paying the deposit, you agree that these deadlines are dependent on various milestones being met (from designer and client's side). Design changes and payment or communication delays will result in the deadline moving forward.

We work with a skilled CAD creator and casting workshop to create our bespoke jewellery pieces.

Our lead designer will interpret your references and creative direction, and incorporate your stone preferences and budget requirements. They will then share a visual guide and instruction pack with our CAD creator who will generate the file that instructs the printing machine to create a wax model of your unique jewellery item.

The CAD design process can take up to 2 weeks. These designs are sent to our clients for final approval. If the CAD designs meet the specs that have been discussed so far, the ring will go into production. 

The wax model is then cast in your chosen metal and the manufacturing team of goldsmiths, setters, and expert finishers will then refine this little sculpture into your beautiful piece of jewellery. 

We require roughly 2 weeks for our talented team to complete the jewellery piece. 

Once our team has done the nessesary quality checks and completed our documentation, the remaining balance is due for payment and there after the ring will be ready for collection or shipment.

While we appreciate being entrusted with previously loved jewellery items and are happy to work with stones removed from existing jewellery, it’s important to note that we have no way of knowing what kind of pressure the stones may have experienced in the previous setting process.  Most of the time, we remove stones and everything is perfectly fine, but occasionally we find that a stone may have been chipped in the previous setting process.  

We do our best to inspect your jewellery with you in our studio, and we work with careful craftspeople who take every care with the jewellery we entrust them with. However, it can happen that faults with customer stones only come to light once the new ring is in the hands of the setters who use high powered eyewear.

If this should happen, our setter will wait for confirmation before setting your new item - your confirmation to go ahead with setting means that you understand that we are not responsible for the fault on the stone and that the stone may not react well to the pressure of setting in the new ring.

At this point in the process the new ring will already have been made and the costs for this apply to the customer whether the stone/s survive the setting process or not. Naturally, in the unusual event that a customer’s stone with existing faults does not survive the setting process we will do our utmost to find a cost-friendly replacement. 

We will always notify the customer of any issues with their stones before setting.

It is advised to provide us with any valuation certificates for the heirloom jewellery for us to clearly understand the materials that we have to work with. Kindly note that gold accepted will be valued at less 20% to accommodate refining costs and shrinkage.

Although these are noted for superior hardness, black diamonds are actually made up of millions of smaller black crystals, bound together by internal inclusions.

These multiple fractures make black diamonds more vulnerable to breakage from sharp blows than colourless diamonds. For this reason, large stones especially must be treated with care.

We offer the first sizing at no charge within 1 month of receiving the ring (provided we have measured the size ourselves).

If the ring size was provided by the customer, our workshop will assess the viability of the sizing requirement and report back regarding any risk to stones or ring structure - we prefer not to enlarge or reduce rings by more than 2 sizes and to keep sizing activities down to an absolute minimum.

The cost of any sizing after 1 month of receiving the ring will be charged to our customer according to our workshop costs.

Please bear in mind that engagement rings can take a couple weeks to get used to - everyone's fingers are unique and fingers can change shape everyday and across different seasons. Since a ring cannot change to fit every moment, each individual must work out what is the best compromise for them.
Do you prefer your ring to be tight over the knuckle but loose at the joint? Do you like a tight ring that doesn't swivel? Would you rather a loose ring in winter so it doesn't squeeze in summer?
As a starting point, what we love to see is a ring that slides on securely and needs to be walked off, but ultimately it's up to you and we'd love you to feel confident and safe wearing your jewellery.

We cannot stress enough the importance of insuring your jewellery piece from the day that you receive it.

We provide a valuation certificate for all of our bespoke items that will feature all the relevant specifications and a replacement value calculated to ensure that we'll be able to recreate this ring should you need to claim from insurance in the future.

This amount includes any price increases since the inital quote as well as a projected increase of 10% for general costs in the coming year. 

We advise you to have it re-valued annually to keep up with any market fluctuations - so feel free to check in with us again in a year to see if it's worth adjusting the valuation total. 

If there are no obvious manufacturing faults to the jewellery piece, any repairs required after it has left our workshop will be at the customer’s expense. It is therefore imperative that the jewellery item is insured as soon as possible, so that any unforeseen accidents that might result in damage to the claws, stones, chain, or overall structure of the jewellery item can be covered by the customer’s insurance.

Up to date valuation certificates often required by insurance companies and are conducted either by our lead Designer or outsourced to a reputable gemologist.

Costs for valuation certificates are R550. Aquiring valuations add 1 week to the completion time.

As is standard with online shopping, you will be liable for any import tax charges and any additional insurance charges related to your shipment.

We are happy to provide a quote for a fully insured shipment via DHL, this ensures comprehensive insurance for more valuable items being shipped locally or internationally.

Customers are also welcome to engage their own courier service if they would like to shop around. They can then arrange a collection from our studio once we have told them that the piece is completed, but this will be at their expense, must be organised to fit with our studio opening hours, and communicated clearly to us. We can’t be held responsible for customer arrangements that have not been explicitly confirmed via email.

Should you opt for delivery of your special piece, we will require the following shipping information from you:
- Physical Address
- Contact Name & Number

* Kindly note that we will do our best to accomodate the provided timeline but shipment times are out of our control and we can't be held liable for delayed/late deliveries.

Our custom designs are created for our bespoke customers based on our own research, skill, creative insight, and experience gained through years of working on other custom pieces. For this reason, these designs belong to us and we reserve the right to use these in future design orders or Meraki collections. 

Should we use a design created for a client's order in our own collection, we will endeavour to alter some design elements, but it must be acknowledged that in the world of jewellery design and manufacturing there are limited combinations of shape, size, and ring structure, and therefore similarities may be present. 

If a customer would like to purchase a lifetime right to the precise dimensions, contents, and structure of an item, kindly inform us and this can be negotiated. 

Please read through our Bespoke FAQ's as the details of our bespoke practice and our Terms and Conditions are laid out in the FAQ area.

We are aware that reading the  T’s and C’s of any service can seem tedious, however, we strongly suggest that you give our Frequently Asked Questions a read as they are aimed at outlining all the important details that you will need to know when ordering a bespoke or customised piece from Meraki Jewellery Design. 

Being informed avoids confusion and complications for you, our customers.