Our Production Process
Timeline
All Bijou Lab engagement rings are made custom to order and require approximately 6 to 8 weeks to craft once your order has been received (for our Signature Range) or your render has been approved (for our complete custom rings).
1
Stone Curation or Custom Cutting
(Approximately 1-3 weeks)
If you ordered a lab diamond ring, we will expertly curate a stone for your exact project specifications.
For moissanite projects, we will either cut our own moissanite for the project or we also carry moissanite brands Harro Gem and Charles and Colvard Forever One Moissanite for our engagement rings. Please email us if you wish to use branded moissanite for your engagement ring and we'd be happy to arrange it for you.
Our lab created colored stones are cut in North America, most from esteemed independent lapidaries or small family owned gem cutting companies with expert cutting skills. Please reach out to see what stones are currently available.
2
The Crafting Process.
(Approximately 3-4 weeks)
A thousand year old craft, meets modern sustainable practices and design.
Once the CAD design file is created, your piece moves into printing, known as the ‘growing’ phase. 3D printing technology is used to create a wax model of your design. The resin or wax model is attached to a sprue, which is then attached to the main stem to form a "tree". The stem and sprue will be the channel for which the molten metal will enter the mould. Casting is a very complex process and requires the utmost skill and experience for a high-quality final product. In simplified terms, the ‘tree’ is placed in a steel flask which is then occupied with a slurry of ceramic powder which solidifies. The flask is then heated in an electric furnace which melts the resin or wax tree, leaving behind a cavity of all the models. Molten metal is poured into the flasks, allowed to cool, and demolished to reveal the piece in cast form.
Once the raw casting is removed from the casting tree, it is time for the clean-up! This involves sawing and buffing off the excess metal and casting sprues.
The ring is then tumbled, which ‘work hardens’ and smooths out the surface, and pre-polished to prepare for setting. Prior to setting, the ring undergoes a quality inspection to ensure the highest quality in both the casting and finishing.
3
Stone Setting
(2-3 weeks)
Next, we move onto stone setting. Stone setting is the process of preparing the ring to have stones set, securely attaching gemstones into the cast and prepared ring, and shaping the prongs to hold them securely. This skill is a true art form and takes a highly trained and experienced setter to complete the finish.
4
QC Process
(1-2 days)
Your ring goes through a final quality check and clean to ensure it is perfect and ready to wear. We never hesitate to remake a ring if it does not pass our QC.
Please note our bespoke rings creation times are estimates! Most rings will be completed during this timeframe but we are a small team of skilled jewelers, not a large scale production line. We never compromise quality in order to rush production and our order volume and the complexities of our current orders directly affect our lead times.
We want your ring to be a treasured piece that lasts a lifetime so it is important to us (and you) that we never compromise quality to rush. Please allow adequate time when planning a proposal and reach out to us before placing an order if you are on a rushed timeline or have a proposal trip booked.
