Questions to Ask a Custom Jeweller Before You Order

The most useful questions to ask a custom jeweller cover five things: the diamond's grading report, what the metal is and how it is stamped, who does the setting work, what you actually approve before production, and what happens if the finished ring doesn't match what you approved. A good jeweller answers each one with a document, a number or a plain "we don't do that." If you get a vague answer to any of them, slow down.

This guide takes each area in turn, explains why the question matters, and tells you what a straight answer sounds like.

Questions about the diamond itself

The diamond is usually most of the budget, so start here. Ask these before you talk about design.

"Which lab graded this stone, and can I check the report myself?"

A report number you can check yourself is worth more than any sales description. GIA runs an online Report Check database for its reports. It also says on its diamond grading service page that laser inscription is "available and included with select services." Ask whether the report number is inscribed on the girdle and whether you can see it under a loupe. If a jeweller can't show you the report before you pay, walk away.

"Is this cut grade from the lab, or is it your own description?"

This matters more than most people realise. GIA says in its 2026 explainer on cut grades that "the round brilliant diamond is currently the only diamond shape that receives an official cut grade on GIA diamond reports." Its scale runs "Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor." For an oval, cushion, pear or emerald cut, the GIA report grades polish and symmetry but gives no overall cut grade. If someone calls a GIA-graded oval "Excellent cut", ask where that word came from. It might be a fair opinion, but it isn't a lab grade, and you should judge the stone from photos and video.

"Can I see the stone, not just the clarity grade?"

GIA grades clarity under 10x magnification. On its clarity page, GIA describes VS1 and VS2 as "inclusions are observed with effort but can be characterized as minor." It describes SI1 and SI2 as "inclusions are noticeable," and I grades as "inclusions are obvious which may affect transparency, brilliance and durability." GIA also notes that "many blemishes and inclusions are not visible to the naked eye."

In practice, a lot of SI1 stones look clean face-up, and some don't. The grade can't tell you which kind you have. Only an image of that specific stone can. Paying extra for VVS over a clean-looking VS2 buys nothing you can see across a dinner table. If you're comparing stones in our loose diamond search, look at the video before you look at the price gap.

"If it's lab-grown, how is that recorded?"

Ask how the report and the stone itself identify it as lab-grown. GIA says its lab-grown diamonds are laser inscribed with "the GIA report number and the words 'LABORATORY-GROWN'". GIA also says its reports record whether the stone was grown by "chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) method" and whether post-growth colour treatment was detected. A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond. It should still be described clearly, on paper and on the girdle, so nobody can mistake it for a natural stone later.

"Where did a natural diamond come from?"

Most jewellers can't trace a natural stone back to a single mine, and an honest one will say so. What they should be able to tell you is how their supply fits the Kimberley Process. Its own site describes it as "an international initiative and intergovernmental forum to exclude conflict diamonds from the legitimate trade." Its certification scheme came into force in 2003 and covers rough diamonds. It doesn't track a polished stone through every step to the counter. If origin matters to you, ask what paperwork is available for that particular stone, and accept "none beyond the grading report" as an honest answer.

Questions about the metal

"What quality mark will be stamped inside the band, and whose trademark goes with it?"

In Canada, quality marks are voluntary, but if a jeweller applies one, the rules apply too. Under section 4(3) of the Precious Metals Marking Act, when a quality mark is applied, a registered trademark, or one with a filed application, "shall be applied to the article." There are exceptions for UK hallmarks and certain foreign government marks. The Competition Bureau's detailed marking requirements (modified January 2022) add that "both the quality mark and the trademark must be applied using the same method." So a "14K" stamp with no maker's mark beside it is worth asking about.

"How close to the stamped karat is the metal really?"

The same Competition Bureau page sets out tolerances and how gold and platinum may be marked:

The gold tolerances on that page are 3 parts per 1,000 with no solder, 7 parts per 1,000 with solder, and 15 parts per 1,000 for 18K-and-up white gold with solder. For a buyer, the practical question is whether the claws that hold the stone are the same metal as the band. Some rings mix metals, and that isn't a problem if you're told. Our guide to platinum versus gold covers the wear trade-offs in more detail.

Questions about the setting and the work

Custom work is only as good as the bench jeweller doing it. Ask:

• Who sets the stone, and is the setting done in-house or sent out?
• How many claws, and what size are they relative to the stone?
• Is the head cast as one piece with the band, or soldered on?
• What is the finished band width and thickness at the base, where rings usually thin first?
• Will the stone sit high or low, and will a wedding band sit flush against it?

The last question catches a lot of people. A high-set solitaire looks lovely alone and can leave a gap beside a straight wedding band. If you're browsing engagement ring settings, check the profile view as well as the top view.

The expensive option isn't always better here either. Six claws instead of four add security on a round stone, but they also cover more of it. For most everyday wearers, four well-made claws, checked once a year, are fine.

Questions about the preview and approval

This is where custom orders go wrong most often: the buyer approves one thing and receives something slightly different. Before you pay in full, work through these in order:

1. Ask what exactly you are approving: a 3D render, a CAD file, a wax or resin model, or photos of the stone in the setting.
2. Ask whether the render uses your actual stone's measurements from the report, or a generic stone of the same carat weight. Two 1.00 ct ovals can have noticeably different face-up dimensions.
3. Confirm the metal, ring size, and any engraving in writing before production starts. At Reflections Craft these are chosen on the complete-ring page, and they're worth double-checking there.
4. Ask what can still change after approval, and at what point changes stop being possible.
5. Ask to see photos or video of the finished ring before it ships, if that's offered.

A 3D preview is very good for proportions, stone size against the band, and overall style. It can't show you how a particular stone handles light on your hand, so don't treat it as a promise of sparkle.

Questions about price, in CAD

Ask for the price split into setting, stone, and any extras, all in Canadian dollars, and ask whether taxes and duties are included. If a quote was converted from US dollars, ask which exchange rate was used and on what date, because a rate from a few weeks ago can move the total. Split pricing lets you see where the money goes. It usually shows that stepping down one colour grade or one clarity grade saves more than any change to the setting.

Be wary of any quote that won't break down that way. A bundled price isn't dishonest in itself, but it makes comparison impossible.

What the evidence does not settle

Some things no question will fully resolve. Colour and clarity grading involve trained human judgement, and different labs don't always land on the same grade for the same stone. Cut quality on fancy shapes has no GIA grade at all, so your own eyes matter more there. Differences of one colour grade or one clarity grade often can't be seen without magnification or side-by-side comparison. That's exactly why it's worth asking for the report and the images together, rather than relying on either one alone.

What to do next

Write these questions down and take them to every jeweller you speak to, including us. Pick a stone with a report you can check yourself, look at its video, then choose a setting and confirm the metal stamp, size and engraving before you approve the 3D preview. If an answer is vague, ask again. If it stays vague, go elsewhere.

Sources

• Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website. Precious Metals Marking Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. P-19), section 4.
• Competition Bureau Canada. Detailed requirements for marking of precious metals, modified 2022.
• GIA (Gemological Institute of America). GIA Diamond Cut Grade: 6 Things to Know, 2026.
• GIA. Diamond Clarity, GIA 4Cs, accessed 2026.
• GIA. Natural Diamond Reports & Services Details, accessed 2026.
• GIA. Report Check, accessed 2026.
• GIA. LGDR by GIA, introduced 2020.
• Kimberley Process. What is the Kimberley Process?, accessed 2026.