How long does a custom piece take?

Usually eight to ten weeks from the first conversation: about four weeks of design and six weeks of making. Complexities can occasionally add time. If a specific deadline is needed, please reach out and Katalyst can offer options for your special date.

It depends entirely on the complexity of design and materials. We quote each commission individually. A more comprehensive estimate comes with your finished design.

How do payments work?

A deposit of 75% is taken once the design is approved and production begins, with the balance on completion. If your design changes direction completely rather than being adjusted, a further design deposit of $450 applies. Natural diamonds and gemstones can require full payment upfront.

How many changes can I make to the design?

Up to two rounds of adjustment on a design is normal and included. If you decide partway through that you actually want something entirely different, an oval solitaire instead of an eternity band for example, that is a new design rather than a revision and can incur additional costs.

Should I bring my partner, or keep it a surprise?

Most of our clients design together, and the pieces are usually better for it. If you want to keep the proposal itself a surprise, that still works: many people are surprised by when, not by what.

Can I use my own stone?

Yes. You can provide your own stones, new or second hand. Setting fees do apply and some warranty offerings are exempt.

Do you work with clients outside Calgary?

Yes. Consultations run in person or on video. We work with clients in the surrounding areas and in Vancouver. Studio visits in Kensington are by appointment.

A piece of jewellery designed for you.

Custom design at Katalyst Jewellery begins with you. From paper and wax, to gold and stone, join us in the craft of making jewellery together.

Book a consultationComplimentary consultation.

You are not just choosing from a showcase.

Buying a ring from a tray can be wonderful. Commissioning something means finding your dream and watching it take form.

Our part is the craft: knowing the proportions that make a stone sit beautifully, the setting that will stand up to everyday wear, and the details that make a piece last.

Your part is knowing how you want it to feel. Both matter. The best pieces come from both.

“I’m kind of like an architect, clients bring me their dream and I make it a reality.”
Kat MacLean, Katalyst Jewellery

Designed Together

Commissioning jewellery does not mean arriving with all the answers. Come in with an idea, an occasion, a stone, an old piece of jewellery or simply a sense of what you want it to feel like. We will explore the rest together.

You will sit down one-on-one with an experienced designer to look at stones, materials, proportions and possibilities. Our part is bringing the expertise and asking the right questions. Yours is telling us what matters to you, who the piece is for, and how it will be worn.

Sometimes that means designing an engagement ring with your partner. Sometimes it is transforming an inherited piece, marking an anniversary, or making something simply because you have always wanted it.

Whatever brings you in, you are part of the process, and you leave understanding the decisions that made the piece yours.

A design board for a pear cut solitaire in yellow gold, the rendering laid over Kat's pencil sketch of the same ring with her handwritten specifications. — A commission drawn to exact specification: 2.25 carat pear cut, lab grown, 14K yellow gold, hidden halo.

The Custom Design Process

A sapphire commission, shown through three stages: from the original design drawing, created during a one-on-one consultation, through sourcing the perfect stone, to the finished ring.

Kat's design board for a sapphire signet ring, showing a top view, a rendered three quarter view and an elevation, annotated in her handwriting with a 1.5mm bezel, 2.5mm width and 1.8mm depth.

The same ring part way through fabrication, in yellow gold with the bezel still empty, tried on a hand at the bench.

The finished ring: a deep blue cushion cut sapphire bezel set in 18K yellow gold, photographed on white stone.

01 Drawn02 Made03 Finished

01Drawn

It starts as a drawing

Explore your inspirations, bring together elements from designs you are drawn to, and talk through how the piece will be worn. From there, we will begin shaping those ideas into a design that feels distinctly yours.

02Made

Then it exists in gold

The drawing made reality. Featured on the jeweller's bench, with the bezel still empty and waiting. A 1.2 carat cushion cut blue sapphire from Sri Lanka, set in 18K yellow gold with a soft square shank, size 5.5. All the details coming together.

03Finished

Now it is hers

Set, polished and finished by Canadian craftsmen and inspected by the same hands that drew it.

01Drawn
It starts as a drawing
Explore your inspirations, bring together elements from designs you are drawn to, and talk through how the piece will be worn. From there, we will begin shaping those ideas into a design that feels distinctly yours.
02Made
Then it exists in gold
The drawing made reality. Featured on the jeweller's bench, with the bezel still empty and waiting. A 1.2 carat cushion cut blue sapphire from Sri Lanka, set in 18K yellow gold with a soft square shank, size 5.5. All the details coming together.
03Finished
Now it is hers
Set, polished and finished by Canadian craftsmen and inspected by the same hands that drew it.

Choosing your stone.

Katalyst Jewellery has access to a wide range of gemstones and diamonds, from lab grown diamonds to natural sapphires and everything in between.

Through a Stone Viewing appointment, selected stones are brought into the studio for you to see in person, in real light, and on your hand before anything is set. A certificate can tell you how a gemstone performs on a laboratory bench; it cannot tell you how it looks against the metal you chose, beside your skin, or at the angle it will actually be worn.

Stone viewings require a deposit, giving you the opportunity to choose with your own eyes, not only the statistics on a page.

Loose stones in a gem case beside gold components: a pear cut emerald, a round blue sapphire, a pale round stone, two gold bezel cups and a pear shaped gold setting, on a white surface in window light. — Stones and components laid out together: an emerald, a sapphire, bezel cups and a setting waiting to be finished.

A parcel of loose stones in the studio. Colour, cut and character read differently in the hand than they do on paper.

Frequent Questions

How long does a custom piece take?: Usually eight to ten weeks from the first conversation: about four weeks of design and six weeks of making. Complexities can occasionally add time. If a specific deadline is needed, please reach out and Katalyst can offer options for your special date.
What does it cost?: It depends entirely on the complexity of design and materials. We quote each commission individually. A more comprehensive estimate comes with your finished design.
How do payments work?: A deposit of 75% is taken once the design is approved and production begins, with the balance on completion. If your design changes direction completely rather than being adjusted, a further design deposit of $450 applies. Natural diamonds and gemstones can require full payment upfront.
How many changes can I make to the design?: Up to two rounds of adjustment on a design is normal and included. If you decide partway through that you actually want something entirely different, an oval solitaire instead of an eternity band for example, that is a new design rather than a revision and can incur additional costs.
Should I bring my partner, or keep it a surprise?: Most of our clients design together, and the pieces are usually better for it. If you want to keep the proposal itself a surprise, that still works: many people are surprised by when, not by what.
Can I use my own stone?: Yes. You can provide your own stones, new or second hand. Setting fees do apply and some warranty offerings are exempt.
Do you work with clients outside Calgary?: Yes. Consultations run in person or on video. We work with clients in the surrounding areas and in Vancouver. Studio visits in Kensington are by appointment.

What are you imagining?

Come with an idea, an image that caught your eye, or a piece you already own but never wear. The first conversation is simply a conversation and complimentary.

Book a consultation

Call 403 926 7464 or email kat@katalystjewellery.com. Book a consultation in-studio or online. We try to answer all enquiries within two business days.