Custom Design FAQs

We ask that all clients who wish to meet with a custom designer do so by booking an appointment. By doing this, we can ensure that your consultation gets the time and attentiveness it deserves - without any interruption. Kindly reach out at customdesigns@dearrae.co.za, and let us know a day and time that works for you. Consultations run for 45min to an hour, are free of charge, and can be held in person or via Google Meet. Read more about this process under our ‘Step by Step Process’ in Custom Designs.

Yes, of course! We are happy to correspond via email and Google Meet. Once we have an idea of the kind of gemstones you’re interested in, we will source a variety of suitable options and send you descriptions, images and videos. With regards to payment, we usually send a money request via PayPal and 5% is added for transfer fees. DHL handles all our shipping, which normally takes up to one week and costs R1000. Please note that you will be liable for any import tax charges and any additional insurance charges.

The cost of the ring depends on the quality and type of gemstone used. The price of a white diamond varies greatly and can make up 70-80% of the total cost of a jewellery design. Other gemstones like colour diamonds, sapphires and emeralds can also be used and are in a slightly lower price bracket. A starting budget for a custom design ring is R20 000 and upward. It is possible to create a ring for less, but then either the size or the quality of the gemstone will be compromised and we would therefore rather encourage you to browse our ‘Lucy in The Sky’ and ‘Juno’ collections. It’s important to note that every gemstone is completely different, and that everything from colour to where it was sourced can influence the price. Please provide us with a budget range upon your consultation query, as this will allow us to source you the best possible diamond or gemstone within a costing range that you are comfortable with. *Please note that budget guidelines also apply to occasional wear such as pendants, bangles, and earrings.

We work with solid 9ct, 14ct and 18ct yellow, rose and white gold. We also work with platinum. You can read more about our gold under Gold, Recycling and Heirlooms in Custom Designs. The different gold colours are obtained by the alloys added to pure gold (24ct.) Yellow gold’s alloys are silver and copper; rose gold’s alloy is copper; and white gold is either palladium or platinum.

We are more than happy to reset your diamonds or gemstones in a brand new custom design. Please note existing gold cannot be reused. We will, however, determine what metal it is and then weigh it in order to credit the value it amounts to from your quote. This will be done in accordance with the daily gold price. 20% will be deducted to accommodate refining costs and shrinkage. Feel free to read more about that under Gold, Recycling and Heirlooms in Custom Designs.

We understand that inherited gold is sentimental, but because we can’t always be certain of the alloys used or the purity of the metal, complications often arise and this is something we wish to avoid. Read more under Gold, Recycling and Heirlooms in Custom Designs.

Our aim is to make this time enjoyable, comfortable and stress-free. From sourcing gemstones or diamonds to the design and manufacture process, from start to finish it will take 6 weeks. If you were hoping for a quicker turnaround time, please feel free to browse our ‘Maria Clara’ and ‘Lucy in The Sky’ collections.

Here at Dear Rae, we believe in creating jewellery that can be worn and treasured for years to come. It’s important to note, however, that these are precious pieces and should be treated that way. We recommend doing the following: * Take care when doing things like swimming and hiking or washing the dishes - especially if you have a claw setting which can weaken when continually knocked. * Get your setting checked once a year. * Clean with a soft-bristled brush and warm, soapy water. * Keep in mind that certain gemstones’ qualities may be affected by heat. * Most importantly, wear your jewels. The more you wear them, the more beautiful they become.

OVERVIEW: Throughout the site/quotes/invoices, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Dear Rae Jewellery. offers this website/studio, including all information, tools and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions policies and notices stated here. By visiting our site and/ or purchasing something from us, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms of Service apply to all users of the site, including without limitation users who are browsers, vendors customers, merchants, and/ or contributors of content. Please read these Terms of Service carefully before accessing or using our website/shop/studio. By accessing or using any part of the site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the website or use any services. You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time on this page. We reserve the right to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and/or changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the website following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes. We recommend you take advantage and have all settings inspected every six months. Warranties shall be null and void should any other jeweller repair or modify an item purchased. Copyright of Designs: Dear Rae Jewellery holds the right to all our designs, as it is the intellectual property of Dear Rae Jewellery. Even if it is a custom design, we have the rights to reuse and adapt the design for another client or design range. We also have the right to share images of the design on our website and any social media platform. General Conditions: Images may not be displayed as actual size. All sizes, weights and measurements are approximate and are taken at their widest points and included for guidance only. Dear Rae jewellery withholds the right to undertake business under its own Terms and Conditions. It is the customer’s responsibility to raise queries relating to any Terms and Conditions at the earliest opportunity, Any items to be returned by the agreement must remain unworn (where possible) be in clean resalable condition. Dear Rae Jewellery can not guarantee to accept or return any items that are outside our returns conditions or are deemed unacceptable and reserve the right to destroy these without compensation. Dear Rae Jewellery recommends reading over all terms and conditions before submission of an order. Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions is therefore assumed unless otherwise informed in advance. If any clause in our Terms and Conditions should be considered unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable then that clause shall be excluded, and not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining terms and conditions. Sizing: When having a commission made it is important to give us the correct ring size, you can have your finger measured at any jewellery store. We understand that it is difficult to know the exact size of your partner, friend or family member when purchasing an engagement ring or a surprise gift. We will try help you estimate their size as accurately as possible. We will happily resize most luxury rings by 1/2 – 1 sizes bigger or smaller. Resizing a ring by more than 1 ring size can cause the ring to become weak and can potentially damage the ring. Some designs and gemstones are not able to handle heat or hammering when resizing. We, therefore, may charge you a resizing fee, depending on how much labour is needed to resize your specific piece. The resizing fee will be discussed with the client before we go ahead with the resizing. Modifications To The Service And Prices: Prices for our products are subject to change without notice.We reserve the right at any time to modify or discontinue the Service (or any part or content thereof) without notice at any time.We shall not be liable to you or to any third-party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service. Inspection by The Customer: The Customer shall inspect all products upon delivery. Failure to inspect products within 7 days after delivery shall constitute a waiver of The Customer’s rights of inspection and shall be equivalent to acceptance of the product. Gemstones/Diamonds: All the gem stones used in Dear Rae Jewellery designs are natural and therefore have individual colouring and inclusions. When we consult with our clients for a commission, we will allow them to view the gem stones and give them relevant information about the stones for them to make and informed decision. Once a client pays a deposit on the quote for the piece, they are agreeing to the use of the stones that were quoted, based on our terms and conditions. We will not be held responsible for the cost of changing the stone, diamonds,gemstones,in the design, after the quote has been accepted and deposit paid. If through no fault of ours any dispute arises between Dear Rae Jewellery and said client. Repair: We will repair your commission piece within six months of your purchase if your piece needs to be repaired due to a manufacturing fault. We are not held responsible for the loss of any stone, we will not be held responsible for the replacement of any stone. We strongly recommend that you insure your commission piece. We suggest that you have any claws or fine settings checked once a year. We will charge for any repairs after the six month period. Exchanging: All commission pieces can not be exchanged or refunded. Insurance: We strongly advise that you insure your purchase prior to collection on an all risk cover which includes loss, theft, damage – including the risk of a stone falling out etc. as all risk of ownership passes upon the collection of an item in the store by you or your appointed agent. Dear Rae Jewellery is not liable for any damage incurred after the delivery and recommends customer insure all products. Products Or Services: Certain products or services may be available exclusively online through the website. These products or services may have limited quantities and are subject to return or exchange only according to our Return Policy.We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colours and images of our products that appear at the store. We cannot guarantee that your computer monitor’s display of any colour will be accurate.
We reserve the right but are not obligated, to limit the sales of our products or Services to any person, geographic region or jurisdiction. We may exercise this right on a case-by-case basis. We reserve the right to limit the quantities of any products or services that we offer. All descriptions of products or product pricing are subject to change at any time without notice, at the sole discretion of us. We reserve the right to discontinue any product at any time. Any offer for any product or.service made on this site is void where prohibited.We do not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Service will be corrected. Certain products or services may be available exclusively online through the website. These products or services may have limited quantities and are subject to return or exchange only according to our Return Policy.We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colours and images of our products that appear at the store. We cannot guarantee that your computer monitor’s display of any colour will be accurate.
We reserve the right but are not obligated, to limit the sales of our products or Services to any person, geographic region or jurisdiction. We may exercise this right on a case-by-case basis. We reserve the right to limit the quantities of any products or services that we offer. All descriptions of products or product pricing are subject to change at any time without notice, at the sole discretion of us. We reserve the right to discontinue any product at any time. Any offer for any product or.service made on this site is void where prohibited.We do not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Service will be corrected. Our Rights: We reserve the right to:
1. Modify or withdraw, temporarily or permanently, the Website (or any part of) with or without notice to you and you confirm that we shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification to or withdrawal of the Website; and/or
2. Change these Conditions from time to time and your continued use of the Website (or any part of) following such change shall be deemed to be your acceptance of such change. It is your responsibility to check regularly to determine whether the Conditions have been changed. If you do not agree to any change to the Conditions then you must immediately stop using the Website.
3. We will use our reasonable endeavours to maintain the Website. The Website is subject to change from time to time. You will not be eligible for any compensation because you cannot use any part of the Website or because of a failure, suspension or withdrawal of all or part of the Website due to circumstances beyond our control.