How to Custom Design Your Engagement Ring Over Zoom

By Shayna Seid

Looking for a unique, one-of-a-kind engagement ring? You should know about New York-based, fine jewelry brand Mociun. They’re known for custom pieces using rare and colorful gemstones and diamonds, and they can do thorough consultations on Zoom! Of course, you can custom-design any sort of ring—wedding, cocktail, etc.—but we figure engagement rings have the biggest weight, so we hopped on a video call with founder Caitlin Mociun for a mock-consult of our own. The process is personal, patient, and more fun than high-pressure.

As remote customization has been happening at Mociun with international and non-New York clients for a while, they have the procedure down to a science. Here’s a breakdown of what’s to come:

The Custom Design Booklet and Form

To start, inquirers should take a look at the Custom Design Booklet to get a sense of what they’re looking for and what’s possible at Mociun. Then, if all looks good, they fill out this Custom Design Form to answer a few questions about what kind of piece they want, any heirloom stones that need to be incorporated, what they can afford, and more. Note: custom designs range a little pricier (start at $7k) than the regular collections, but Caitlin assures her clients that she can make something beautiful at any price point.

Coordinate Design Vision and Book Consultation

Then custom coordinator Jocelyn will review the design details and vision with the prospective client and will help you book a consultation date and time. A consult deposit is required, but if several virtual meetings are needed (to finish design details, make a final decision, etc.), there is still only one payment.

See Stones and Video Conference with Caitlin

Based on the design form and the information that Jocelyn receives, Caitlin will then send the client a few videos of possible stones for the ring, ahead of the Zoom appointment. At the virtual meeting, clients will select their center stone and accents stones, review setting methods, and finalize the design. These conversations run from 30 minutes (if the client knows exactly what they want) to two hours. And there can be multiple conversations online and ideas passed through the interim.

Down Payment, Production, Shipping

Once everything is finalized, a 50% down payment is processed, and then the ring is submitted to production and the client will get a CAD to see what the final product will look like and to approve. Once the ring is finished, it’s photographed and shipped off! Of course, people can arrange more organized delivery approaches, if the ring is a surprise or there’s an elaborate proposal plan.

Now that you know how easy it is, why not give it a go? Going custom is a great way to create something special, and you can choose to be as involved with your partner in the design process as you want. Caitlin shared that some of her clients give her mood boards of what they want and let their partner handle the specifics and others are in it together from start to finish—it’s truly customizable in every aspect.

Not looking for custom, check out some of our favorite engagement rings that are new to Mociun below: