How to Brief a Custom Piece Without CAD
Most custom orders go wrong before the first sketch. A brief built from three things — reference images, three key measurements and an honest list of what you must have — removes almost every avoidable mistake.
Why the brief matters more than the drawing
Buying a made-to-order piece usually starts from one of two points: you already own a stone, or you are choosing everything from scratch. Either way, the person cutting metal and setting stones reads your written brief, not your memory of a conversation. If the brief is vague, the workshop fills the gaps with its own habits.
The three inputs that actually work
Every useful brief contains reference images, three measurements and a short list of hard requirements.
Reference images. Send three to five photographs, and say what you like about each one. "This profile" plus "that setting style" plus "this band width" is workable. A single photo with no comment is not, because the workshop cannot tell whether you want the whole design or one detail.
Three measurements. Finger size, the stone's dimensions in millimetres, and the band width you want. Those three numbers determine whether the piece fits, whether the setting can hold the stone and whether the proportions look right on your hand. If you own the stone, measure length, width and depth with callipers — depth matters as much as the face-up size, because it decides how tall the setting must be.
Hard requirements. Metal choice, finish, whether the piece must sit flush against an existing wedding band, and any deadline. This list is short and absolute. Everything not on it is negotiable, which helps the workshop suggest cheaper or sturdier alternatives.
What a jeweller can and cannot use
Some descriptions sound precise and carry no information. The table is a working translation.
| What people write | What it actually tells the workshop |
| "Like the one on Xiaohongshu" | Nothing usable — the post may vanish, and nobody knows which detail you mean |
| "Delicate but substantial" | Contradictory; band width in millimetres resolves it |
| "Vintage style" | A whole decade of design; a photo narrows it in seconds |
| "Make it look expensive" | No measurable target; metal and stone size decide the look |
| "Same as my friend's ring" | Only useful if you can photograph it and note the size |
None of these are foolish requests. They describe a feeling rather than a shape. Convert the feeling into a photo with a marked detail, and the same sentence becomes usable.
Why "no CAD" changes the process
Many workshops quote from a CAD model because it is easy to email and easy to approve with a click. Without CAD, the approval step is physical: a wax or resin model, or a metal prototype in a cheaper alloy. That is slower but often more honest, because people read a three-dimensional object more accurately than a rendered image. A render flatters; a model in your hand does not. Expect to approve twice — once on a sketch, once on a model.
How to set the revision rounds
Ask for the number of included revisions before you pay, in writing. A common and fair structure is two rounds at the sketch stage and one at the model stage. Beyond that, changes cost money because metal may already have been cut.
Two rules keep revisions useful. Batch your comments: one message with all the changes, not five over three days, because each message restarts the work. And separate corrections from new ideas. "The band is 1.6 mm, I asked for 2.0 mm" is a correction and should be free. "Can we add a halo" is a new design and should be quoted as such.
The usual causes of rework
Rework rarely comes from bad craftsmanship. It comes from four gaps. A finger size taken in summer, when hands are warmer and slightly larger, leading to a ring that spins in winter. A stone measured face-up but not in depth, producing a setting too shallow to close the claws. A band width chosen from a photograph without accounting for scale, so a 3 mm band that looked delicate on a size 5 finger looks heavy on a size 9. And a finish agreed verbally — "matte, sort of" — that arrives brushed when you wanted sandblasted.
Each is cheap to prevent and expensive to fix. Measure the finger at the end of the day, at room temperature. Use callipers on the stone. Write the band width as a number. Photograph a finish sample you like.
What to put in the first message
Keep it to one screen. One line on what the piece is for. Three to five images with a note on each. The three measurements, the hard requirements, your deadline and budget. Then ask how many revisions are included, and what the workshop needs from you at each stage.
What we make
Holycome has run its own factory in Guangxi since 2008, working in 925 sterling silver, 9K, 14K and 18K gold, and PT950 platinum. Our stones are GRA D colour VVS1 moissanite, IGI-certified lab grown diamonds, and lab grown emerald, ruby and sapphire. Pieces range from $17 to $2,020, median around $98, so a custom conversation starts from a realistic number.
If you are briefing a made-to-order piece, send the photographs, the three measurements and your hard requirements in the first message. Orders over $99 ship free; below that, shipping is $5.99. We accept returns within 30 days on unworn pieces in original packaging, but custom and engraved work cannot be returned — which is exactly why the brief at the start deserves the care described above.