Here is a fun fact that makes our bench a little busier every November: according to The Knot, December is the most popular month to get engaged, and Christmas Day is the single most popular day of the year to pop the question. Nearly 40 percent of engagements land somewhere between November and February.
So if a ring box has been living rent-free in your head lately, you are in good company. The good news: there is still time. The other news: a ring made by hand from scratch runs on a real calendar, not a "two-day shipping" one. Here is what happens between "yes, that one" and the moment it lands in your pocket, plus the rough math for a holiday or Valentine's proposal.
Weeks 1–2: It starts as a drawing, not a ring
Nothing in our family studio is pulled off a shelf. Every ring begins as a design, and on custom builds that means a CAD model: a 3D version of your ring you can turn around and inspect before a single gram of gold is touched. Want the band a hair thinner? The basket a touch lower so it sits flush with a wedding band? This is the moment, and nothing goes to the bench until you give the green light.
At the same time, we choose your stone. Our standard for diamonds is DEF color and VS2+ clarity, and certified diamonds come with their IGI report. On custom builds you will often see videos of your diamond options before one is chosen (yes, we are the people who film a loose diamond from six angles and still want a seventh).
Weeks 2–4: Gold, fire and a lot of patience
Once the design is locked, your ring is cast in solid gold or platinum. Fresh from casting it looks nothing like jewelry yet: rough, a little cloudy, with the sprue still attached. Then come the quiet hours. Every surface is trimmed, filed and cleaned up by hand, and the inside of the band gets as much attention as the top, because that is the part that touches skin all day.
This is also where our signature details are shaped. The floral prongs on pieces like the Lotus Lace Trilogy are not little claws; each one is formed like a petal and has to hold the stone while still looking soft. Getting every one of them to agree with its neighbors is its own art form.
We won't rush the craftsmanship. What we will do is plan everything else around your date.
Weeks 4–5: Setting, carving and the hidden extras
Now the stones go in, one at a time, under magnification. On a design like the Lotus Lace Bold, that means the center stone plus a hidden halo and a diamond band, each one seated and checked before the next.
If your ring has hand-carving, this is Mr. Lee's part of the story. A full hand-engraved band can take him six to seven hours of carving, one cut at a time, which is why pieces like the Ocean Wave Vintage band sit on a longer timeline than a clean solitaire.
And if you added a Stone Inlay®, a birthstone set inside the band where only the wearer knows it is there, it goes in now too. It is complimentary on our pieces, and it is our favorite kind of secret: one that lasts longer than the proposal.
The holiday math (cheat sheet)
Our current timelines, counted from your order or deposit:
- Collection pieces: 4–5 weeks.
- Custom builds: 6–7 weeks from your deposit.
- Hand-carved or highly intricate designs: 8–10 weeks.
Counting back from today, early November, a rough guide looks like this:
- Christmas or New Year's Eve with a collection ring: mid-November is your comfortable window.
- Christmas with a custom build: the time to start is right now.
- Hand-carved for the holidays: tight. Valentine's Day is the more relaxed target, which means getting started in early December.
Leave a little room for insured delivery on top, and most important of all, tell us your date before you order (or reply to your order confirmation right away). Every date is different, and we would rather plan with you than guess.
The secret-keeping part
Most of our rings are a secret until the moment they are not. If you tick the surprise box at checkout, our team reaches out after your order to plan the details, and we work around your dates so the ring never lands on the wrong day. It can go to your office or another trusted address (delivery is signature-required, so someone you trust has to be there to sign). Photos, videos and tracking go only to you.
Shipping is free worldwide, fully insured, and it arrives in the Luther's Brown Box, which looks discreet on a doorstep and very not-discreet once it is opened. Every piece is covered by our lifetime warranty on craftsmanship, so the ring you propose with is one we stand behind long after the holidays.
Ready when you are
Whether you already know the exact ring or you only know it has to feel like them, we would love to help you hit your date. Browse our engagement rings, read a few real proposal stories, or if you are dreaming up something one of a kind, start with our custom project form. Tell us the date in the first line. We will take it from there, together.