Jewellery, gold and diamonds
How much does it cost to make a ring?
A custom ring is materials plus hours. The materials cost the same everywhere; the hours cost five times more in Zurich than in Jaipur. Here is the arithmetic, so a quote makes sense.
The hours
| Step | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CAD and 3D print / mould | fixed | About $120 for a one-off; nothing for hand fabrication |
| Casting, assembly, cleanup | 0.5 h + 0.03 h per gram | Scaled by piece complexity |
| Stone setting | 25 min centre, 3.5 min per pavé stone | The variable that makes halos expensive |
| Polishing and finishing | 0.7 h | More for matte or hammered finishes |
| Rhodium plating | fixed | White gold only, about $25 |
| Engraving | fixed | About $30 machine, more by hand |
The rates
Workshop rates in Kubikly's default table: United States $75/h, Switzerland $80, UK $65, Western Europe $60, Israel $45, Türkiye $25, India $12, Thailand $15. Handmade (fabricated from sheet and wire rather than cast) takes about 2.2 × the hours and skips the CAD line.
A worked example
An 18K solitaire, 3.5 g, one 1 ct stone and 14 pavé stones, cast in Western Europe: casting 0.6 h, setting 1.2 h, finishing 0.7 h, about 2.5 hours at $60 = $150, plus CAD $120, plus metal (about 3.5 × $106 = $370 at a $4,400 ounce) and the stones. The making is a small share of a natural-diamond ring and a large share of a lab-grown one.
What the quote should show
Materials and making separately, the karat and weight, the stone specification, and whether the price includes VAT. Kubikly's “To be made” mode produces exactly that breakdown for the country you choose, with a range for the hours.
Frequently asked
- Is it cheaper to have a ring made than to buy one?
- Usually 30–50% cheaper than retail for the same materials, because you skip the wholesale and retail margins; you take on the design risk instead.
- Can I bring my own stone?
- Yes, and most workshops will set it; the estimate then prices the setting time only.
- Does the estimate include shipping and insurance?
- No; add them to the manufacturing cost.
Keep reading
- How jewellery is pricedWhere a jewellery price comes from, line by line: gold at spot, stones by size and grade, workshop hours, wholesale and retail margins, brand, and VAT per country.
- Jewellery VAT and sales tax by countryVAT and sales tax rates on jewellery in 40 countries, from 0% in Hong Kong to 25% in Scandinavia, plus India's 3% GST and how US sales tax works.
- Lab-grown vs natural diamond priceHow lab-grown and natural diamonds are priced, why the gap keeps widening, what each is worth second-hand, and how to tell them apart with a certificate.