No surprise-the hottest ring in hollywood is a custom design.

Paul McCartney slipped 5 carats of square-cut diamonds set in platinum into Nancy Shevell's wedding finger on Sunday, October 9, 2011.

The vintage style ring was designed by celebrity jewelry designer Neil Lane. "Nancy wanted a band with a vintage feel," Lane told People.com. The celebrity jeweler additionally revealed that the band was meant to "complement her engagement ring, but not overshadow it," and it does "work as a set." The engagement ring itself, a 5-plus-carat, flawless diamond art-deco ring, was also designed by Neil Lane.
Custom jewelry design is in and is not just for the rich and famous. At Gary Michaels Fine Jewelry we create custom items for people every day.

Creating a custom piece for a loved one is a great way to celebrate a special occasion with a special person.

Create a special custom design at Gary Michaels Fine Jewelry
Creating a unique and memorable piece of jewelry that is handcrafted from your imagination or commissioning a custom design from our master jeweler and artisan Kleo Christodoulou, is truly a unique and memorable experience.

Kleo has over 40 years experience creating highly personalized unique treasures. All of his custom designs are one –of-a-kind, highly meticulous creations crafted with precision. Kleo specializes in working with quality precious stones and metals or he can work with your existing unused jewelry, transforming them into magnificent designer pieces. Kleo is revered for reworking or fixing broken, out-of-style,or unusable jewelry to create new wearable pieces of Fine Jewelry. He excels in the repair of pieces many otherjewelers can’t fix.

Our custom design process usually consists of one or more of the following steps, depending on your project.

Consultation
Every design begins with a personal interview with one of our fine jewelry consultants, to discuss ideas, styles and inspect any existing gems or precious metals to be included in the final design.

Custom Design
After finalizing your Design Ideas, Kleo will sketch concept renderings of one or more designs for your approval.

Wax Carving & Model Making
Once the design has been approved, the design is now set for casting, we create a wax model to be used in the precious metal casting process.

Fabrication
Forging is an ancient technique of metalsmithing that involves the controlled shaping of metal and makes even fine details durable enough to last a lifetime.

Filigree
The art of filigree is an incredibly intricate art form which consists of curling, twisting and bending fine threads of wire by hand.

Stone Setting
Kleo will hand-set each stone in the design, detailing all areas to perfection.

Hand Engraving
Hand engraving is the art of hand cutting designs directly into the metal with highly polished specialty gravers this is the hallmark of a true jewelry artist and is completed onsite with meticulous attention to fine detail and craftsmanship.

Texture, Finishes and Detailing
The final stage of the production process includes adding texture and detailing as requested.

Before you set up an appointment to have Kleo design a custom piece for you spend some time considering these questions:

What type of jewelry do you want to create?
(Necklace, ring, bracket, or earrings)
Do you have existing jewelry or stones that you want to create a new piece from?
What qualities are most important to you?
(Uniqueness, luster, size)
What type of precious metals do you want your custom jewelry to be crafted from?
What gems are you considering for using?
What timeframe and budget are you considering?