What is the typical deposit required to start a custom ring order?

Fifty percent. That’s the standard number I’ve worked with for about 23 years, and it’s what most custom jewelers I respect use. Half up front, half on completion. The reason isn’t hard feelings - it’s material cost. On a typical 18k engagement ring with a center stone, the metal, stone, and casting fees alone eat up 40 to 60 percent of the total before I’ve even touched a file. If I only took 30%, I’d be fronting the client’s stone from my own cash flow.

Why not 100% upfront?

That would be a red flag. A jeweler asking for full payment before starting either has cash flow problems or doesn’t plan on delivering. I’ve seen clients burned by both. The industry standard exists for a reason: it balances the jeweler’s risk (buying materials, booking bench time) against the client’s risk (what if the ring doesn’t look right?).

Some jewelers ask for less - 30% or even 25%. I’ve done it for repeat clients or small jobs like resizing and engraving. For a full custom piece starting from a sketch or CAD? Fifty percent. Every time. Last March a woman named Priya came in with her grandmother’s broken ring - a 1.04 carat old European cut, F/VS1, in a bent platinum setting. She wanted the stone reset in a new 18k band with a hidden halo. The deposit covered the new gold, the setting head, and the CAD work before I even touched the stone. That’s the math.

What if the client can’t afford half?

Then I’ll work out a payment plan, usually three installments: 50% to start, 25% when the wax is approved, 25% before shipping. I’ve done it. It’s not ideal - it creates bookkeeping headaches - but I’d rather have a client who’s honest about budget than one who disappears after the deposit. But I won’t start work on zero deposit. Not for anyone. The metal and stone are real money, and I’m not a bank.

Do you get the deposit back if you change your mind?

This is the question I get most, and the answer is uncomfortable. No. Not if work has started. If you walk in, drop 50%, and I’ve already bought the stone and cast the shank, that money is spent. I’ll refund the deposit minus materials and bench time if I can, but I’ll be honest: once the wax is approved and the metal is poured, you own that metal. That’s why I send a detailed quote up front and make clients approve the CAD or wax model before casting. I don’t want anyone surprised.

What about online custom orders?

Same number, but different risk. An online jeweler who takes 50% with no in-person fitting, no bench visit, and no stone inspection? I’d want a clear refund policy in writing and a credit card that offers dispute protection. The deposit itself isn’t the problem - it’s the distance. I’ve had too many clients show up with rings that don’t fit or stones that don’t match the cert. Fifty percent from a stranger in another state is a bigger leap than fifty percent from the person who looked you in the eye and showed you the actual stone under a loupe.

The short version

Fifty percent. Non-refundable once work starts. Payment plan if needed. If a jeweler asks for more or less without a good explanation, ask why. And if they ask for nothing - skip it. Nobody works for free, and anyone who offers to is either desperate or a ghost.