We review the ins and outs of personalized jewelry.
Everyone wants something different, something made just for them, something one-of-a-kind or meaningful. This can make buying anything difficult, but rest assured we’ve got your back!
Many jewelry stores, including Braunschweiger Jewelers, offer many customizable items. And with engraving options and birthstone choices, your gift can look thoughtful and meaningful, making you look like a hero!
Buying for yourself? Even better, YOU know exactly what you want and can work with our associates to create the perfect piece.
Guide to custom personalized jewelry
When customizing a piece of jewelry, you or the person for whom you are buying have many options.
Once you find the piece you are looking for, such as a necklace, bracelet, ring etc., you’ll need to choose your metal type. This will dictate whether you can add gemstones or will be limited to engraving.
The impact of metal type on personalized jewelry
Right off the bat, your choices normally are silver, yellow/white/rose gold, or platinum.
If you are looking to keep costs low, you should choose sterling silver. This is a good, quality metal that will stand up to wear and tear. Additionally, it’s easy to repair.
Gold-filled jewelry is also a low-priced option. This can be difficult to deal with in the long run because if it breaks, it cannot be repaired without seeing the solder mark. Additionally, the gold part could wear off over time, which means long-term costs if you need to get your item re-plated. Also, if you’re thinking of using this metal as a mounting, such as for holding a gemstone, it’s not a great idea since the metal is too soft.
Another option is gold. This is a good choice because you have three different color options: rose, yellow, or white. The quality is great, the piece stands the test of time, and it is easy to repair if it breaks. Gold is also a better option to hold precious or semi-precious stones. One issue you may have if you choose white gold is that it can yellow over time. This can be easily fixed by bringing it to a jewelry store to be refinished with rhodium. It’s not a huge issue and the process usually isn’t costly, but it’s something to consider for the long term.
The last option would be platinum. Unless you’re buying engagement or wedding bands or are allergic to gold, I wouldn’t suggest using this metal. Platinum tends to be much more expensive than gold due to its limited availability, although it is extremely strong. If you’re buying a ring with diamonds or a large sapphire or ruby, platinum would be a great choice.
As mentioned, the cost of the metals themselves can be drastically different, and can help push you in one direction or the other. As a price comparison, a $25 charm in sterling silver costs $257 in 14-karat gold and is not even offered in platinum. Conversely, a wedding band mounting that costs $621 in 14-karat gold will cost $1,641 in platinum and isn’t offered in silver.
Personalized jewelry by occasion
Depending on what you are buying and the occasion—be it an anniversary, a birthday, or the celebration of a new baby—or if you want something just for yourself, you have a few options.
Personalized jewelry and birthstones
Birthstones make it easy to find the right piece for those celebrating the birth of a baby or a birthday in general. Birthstone jewelry is also commonly bought or given in memory of a loved one who has passed.
Every month has a birthstone associated with it. Some months are associated with two birthstones, so you can choose whichever one you like! The months and stones break down as such:
- ~ January – garnet
- ~ February – amethyst
- ~ March – aquamarine
- ~ April – diamond
- ~ May – emerald
- ~ June – pearl / alexandrite
- ~ July – ruby
- ~ August – peridot / spinel / sardonyx
- ~ September – sapphire
- ~ October – tourmaline / opal
- ~ November – topaz / citrine
- ~ December – turquoise / tanzanite / zircon
Personalized jewelry for anniversaries
Anniversaries are just as easy. You may have heard that certain anniversaries get certain types of jewelry, metals, or gemstones. Anniversaries are usually celebrated by giving jewelry by year as follows:
- ~ 1st – gold jewelry
- ~ 2nd – garnet
- ~ 3rd – pearls
- ~ 4th – blue topaz
- ~ 5th – sapphire
- ~ 6th – amethyst
- ~ 7th – onyx
- ~ 8th – tourmaline
- ~ 9th – lapis lazuli
- ~ 10th – diamond
- ~ 11th – turquoise
- ~ 12th – jade
- ~ 13th – citrine
- ~ 14th – opal
- ~ 15th – ruby
- ~ 16th – peridot
- ~ 17th – watches
- ~ 18th – cat’s eye
- ~ 19th – aquamarine
- ~ 20th – emerald
- ~ 21st – iolite
- ~ 22nd – spinel
- ~ 23rd – imperial topaz
- ~ 24th – tanzanite
- ~ 25th – silver jubilee
- ~ 30th – cultured/natural pearl jubilee
- ~ 35th – emerald
- ~ 40th – ruby
- ~ 45th – sapphire
- ~ 50th – golden jubilee
- ~ 55th – alexandrite
- ~ 60th – diamond jubilee
Engraving personalized jewelry
Lastly, if you choose an item that can be engraved, you can generally choose a short phrase, date, or name that is meaningful to you or the person to whom you are giving the item. A baby’s birthday, wedding date, or “I love you” are all commonly engraved on jewelry.
Personalized charm bracelets
If you want something even easier and creating a piece of jewelry with gemstones is not the way you want to go, you can choose a charm for a charm bracelet.
There are thousands of charms made in various metals, in the shape of everything from a graduation cap to a baby stroller to a cupcake. This makes a charm bracelet a great option.
Many mothers get charm bracelets for their daughters and get them a charm when they reach milestones, such as for a baptism or first Communion, a birthday, first bike, etc. By the time the girls are grown and ready to move out, they have a little story of their life they can wear around their wrist.
Monogrammed necklaces
Monogrammed necklaces have been making a splash lately. These necklaces can be made in sterling silver or gold.
Braunschweiger Jewelers suggests allowing 2-3 weeks when ordering a monogrammed necklace, as the item needs to be made custom for your specific name.
Advice on personalized jewelry
If you plan to order custom jewelry for yourself or to give as a gift, we highly recommend you allow about 2-3 weeks to have the item created. Many custom orders are placed every day, and the jewelers complete the jobs as they are received. Additionally, parts or gemstones often need to be ordered before the item even makes it to the jeweler’s bench, so try to be patient and understanding as your custom item is being created. But once your piece is finished, it’ll be worth the wait.
To learn more about personalizing jewelry, feel free to visit either of our New Jersey jewelry store locations in Morristown or New Providence to see for yourself and talk to any of our expert jewelers.
If you’d like to talk to someone directly about ordering something custom what’s right for you, you can contact us online anytime by emailing us directly at info@braunschweiger.com, or simply fill out our contact form and we’ll answer your questions quickly.