What is the typical down payment for a custom ring?

Fifty percent. That's the industry standard, and it's the number I've used for about twenty years now. Some shops ask for 30%. Some ask for 75%. But fifty is the honest middle - enough to cover my material costs and time spent before I cast anything, without asking a client to front the full price of a piece they haven't held yet.

The down payment covers two things you're paying for before the ring exists: the metal and the labor up to the day I'm ready to cast. That includes the consultation, sketches, CAD work if we go that route, and the wax or resin model you approve. I'm not going to sit on a $1,200 batch of 18k because a client changed their mind and walked. The deposit protects me. But I also don't need the full $4,200 before I start - that's what the balance is for, due when you pick up the finished piece.

Here's how it usually breaks down on my bench:

• A simple solitaire in 14k or 18k, with a center stone the client already owns: $500-$800 down on a $1,500-$2,500 total. The deposit mostly covers the metal and the setting fee.
• A more complex piece - pave band, hidden halo, custom mount: $1,000-$2,000 down on a $3,500-$6,500 total. More CAD time, more wax iterations, more stone-setting risk before the piece is done.
• If I'm sourcing the center stone too, the deposit jumps. A 1.5 carat GIA-certified oval might be $6,000 on its own. I'll ask for 50% of the stone cost plus 50% of my estimated labor - so maybe $3,500 down on a $7,500 ring. I'm not buying a $6,000 stone on speculation.

What a deposit is not: a non-refundable fee for nothing. If I haven't started casting yet, and a client needs to cancel - life happens, relationships end - I'll refund the deposit minus the consultation fee and any CAD work already done. That's usually $100-$300. If we're past the wax model and I've started casting, the deposit covers the metal I've already melted. I've had to have that conversation twice. It's not comfortable, but it's fair.

When I'll flex on the fifty-percent rule

Three situations. First, a repeat client. I've made Sarah's engagement ring and her anniversary band. I know she pays on time. I'll ask for 30% on the next piece. Second, a very low-cost piece - a simple silver band with a small stone, total under $800. I'll ask for the full amount upfront because my margin is thin and I don't want to carry a $300 balance for six weeks. Third, a piece that requires a special-order stone with a long lead time. If the client wants a specific untreated Kashmir sapphire that I have to source through a dealer network, I'm asking for the stone cost upfront, period. That's not a deposit; that's me buying the stone on their behalf.

What you should ask your jeweler before you hand over any money

Three questions, specific:

1. "What portion of the deposit is refundable if I cancel before the wax model is approved?" You want a clear number, not a policy statement.
2. "What happens if the casting fails or the stone breaks during setting?" Some shops will eat the replacement cost. Some won't. I cover the first casting failure out of my pocket - that's part of the risk I take for the 50% deposit. But if the stone the client provided chips during setting? That's trickier. I'll usually offer to split the replacement cost, but I disclose that upfront.
3. "Can I put the deposit on a credit card?" The answer should be yes. If a shop only takes cash or bank transfer for deposits, that's a yellow flag - it usually means they're operating without a merchant account, and sometimes without a real business license.