Custom Jewelry
At Mason and Books, custom design sits at the heart of what we do. We thrive on partnering closely with our clients, guiding each piece from a spark of an idea to a finished heirloom that's entirely their own.
We also love giving stones a second life — taking gems from existing jewelry and reimagining them in new settings that reflect the Mason and Books style, turning something familiar into something entirely fresh.
Where do I start if I want a custom piece?
We begin by getting to know your taste. Have any of our past designs caught your eye? Do you gravitate toward certain settings, stone colors, cuts, or shapes? A well-developed mood board or inspiration collection goes a long way in helping us understand your vision.
Once we've landed on a direction together, our team will walk you through expected pricing. From there, we move into sourcing stones that align with what you're looking for.
Do I need to come into the office, or can we do this remotely?
Both options are available. Clients based in or near NYC are welcome to book a visit to our Manhattan studio, where you can see the stones and discuss the design in person. For clients further away, we share detailed photos and video walkthroughs of the stones and sketches so you can be just as involved from a distance.
I have a piece I'd like to redesign using an existing stone — how does that work?
Reworking a stone from a piece you already own is one of our favorite kinds of projects — it's a wonderful way to modernize something meaningful without losing its history.
Start by sending us clear photos of the current piece, plus any supporting documentation you have, like stone certifications or appraisals. From there, the process mirrors our custom design work: we'll discuss your preferences around settings, stone type, color, and cut, then share initial pricing estimates. Again, the more reference material you can provide, the smoother this step goes.
If your redesign calls for extra stones — say, accent stones alongside a center piece — we're glad to help source those too, and we'll show you samples or the actual stones before anything is finalized.
CUSTOM FAQs
How long does production take?
Most pieces take between 8 and 10 weeks to complete, though timing can shift depending on how intricate the design is.
Every stone we use is sourced right here in New York City. For each custom order, our designer personally sketches the piece before it moves into a wax model built to your exact specifications.
On rare occasions, a piece doesn't meet our quality standards during the final review. When that happens, we remake the piece from scratch rather than let anything less than our best reach you.
Are there restrictions to which pieces can be reset?
At Mason and Books, we work exclusively with natural, precious and semi-precious gemstones. If you're not certain what type of gemstone you have and don't have paperwork on hand, we're happy to help you get it verified.
We're unable to reset signed pieces, and we only work with stones you already own. If you're planning to source your own stones separately, please wait until after the purchase is complete before reaching out to schedule a consultation.
What comes next after the stones are chosen?
For designs that are entirely one-of-a-kind — meaning nothing like it exists in our current collection — our designer will create a hand-drawn sketch for you to review and approve.
