TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) -- It sounds exclusive and expensive, but designing your own jewelry is becoming the preferred and more practical way to purchase bracelets, pendants and, yes, even engagement rings. so if you're planning to pop the question soon, consider making a ring that will suit your intended's style as well as capture the heart.
Greg Bres has been creating jewelry for more than three decades, but the industry is changing. He says more than half his business now comes from custom orders, "the nice thing about being able to design a piece is there's no limitations.Whatever a person has in mind, we can recreate those. We can incorporate their ideas."
Bires credits the millennial generation with pushing the custom-made trend, many of them using their own inherited gem stones that need a new setting or an updated look. Not everyone knows exactly what they want, so it's important to find an experienced designer who can guide you along.
Bires enjoys designing pieces that tug on the heart. he made one ring for a woman who lost a sister, but wanted a daily reminder of her, so he combined their birthstones in a unique setting, "it was really simple, but it meant so much to this person and it's the only ring like that in the world now."
Custom-designed jewelry may require multiple conversations with your designer to get exactly what you want. If you're designing a ring, Angie recommends having a wax model made before starting on the real thing in order to ensure fit and style.
Remember you can catch the latest Angie's List report every Tuesday morning on WTXL Sunrise.
