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Engagement ring guides
Straight answers from our Toronto studio: what a custom ring costs, how long it takes, and how to choose the diamond, setting and metal. Every number comes from rings we have built.
Written by Clint Casmiro, co-founder of Smiro Studio
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How Much Does a Custom Engagement Ring Cost in Canada? (2026)
Most custom engagement rings we build land between $4,000 and $5,000, and a fully custom ring starts at about $4,000…
How Long Does a Custom Engagement Ring Take? Our Real Timeline
About 11 weeks from deposit to your door: roughly 3 weeks of design, 6 weeks at the bench after you…
Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds: Real Prices From Our Studio
They are the same material: real diamond, 10 on the Mohs scale, graded the same way. The difference is origin…
Cost, timeline and process
What a custom ring costs, how long it takes, and every step from first call to delivery.
How Much Does a Custom Engagement Ring Cost in Canada? (2026)
Most custom engagement rings we build land between $4,000 and $5,000, and a fully custom ring starts at about $4,000 USD. Our Ready To Order Rings…
How Long Does a Custom Engagement Ring Take? Our Real Timeline
About 11 weeks from deposit to your door: roughly 3 weeks of design, 6 weeks at the bench after you approve, and about 2 weeks to…
The Custom Engagement Ring Process, Step by Step
Six steps: a free estimate, a 30 minute video consult, round 1 design (the CAD file), round 2 design (the 360 render you approve), diamond selection…
Custom Engagement Rings in Toronto: Working With a Family Studio
Smiro Studio is a second-generation, family run custom ring studio in Toronto. Our father Kenny started at the bench in 1985, and Clint and Karina founded…
Proposing at Christmas or New Year's? When to Start Your Engagement Ring
Start now. A custom ring takes about 11 weeks from deposit to your door, and we quote 10 to 14 weeks to cover diamond sourcing and…
Diamonds and gemstones
Lab vs natural, grading, shapes, antique cuts and coloured stones, with real numbers.
Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds: Real Prices From Our Studio
They are the same material: real diamond, 10 on the Mohs scale, graded the same way. The difference is origin and price. In our September 2026…
Lab Grown Engagement Rings in Toronto: How We Make Them
Smiro Studio is a family run custom studio that makes lab grown engagement rings by hand at our Toronto bench. Every lab diamond 1 carat and…
What Is a Moval Cut Diamond? The Marquise-Oval Hybrid
A moval is a hybrid of a marquise and an oval. It has the long, slim outline of a marquise with rounded, softer ends like an…
Portuguese Cut Diamonds, Explained
A Portuguese cut is a faceting style, not a shape. It adds extra rows of facets to the crown and pavilion compared with a standard brilliant,…
Dutch Marquise Diamonds, Explained
A Dutch marquise is a marquise with a more angular outline, with straight, faceted shoulders instead of one smooth curve, and an antique style facet pattern.…
Custom Cut Diamonds: How a Diamond Is Cut to Your Spec
A custom cut diamond is cut from rough to your numbers: shape, proportions, facet pattern, sometimes colour. We describe the stone with you, source rough that…
The Bowtie Effect in Oval Diamonds (and How to Avoid It)
The bowtie effect is a dark, bowtie shaped shadow across the middle of an oval, pear, marquise or moval diamond. It happens when the centre facets…
Diamond Colour and Clarity: Where People Overspend
Buy VS1 clarity unless the diamond is a step cut like an emerald or Asscher, where VVS2 is worth it. For colour, D, E and F…
IGI Certified Lab Grown Diamonds: What the Report Tells You
Yes, lab grown diamonds come with certificates, and at Smiro Studio every diamond 1 carat and up comes with an IGI report. IGI (International Gemological Institute)…
Carat vs Ratio: Why Two 3 Carat Diamonds Look Different
Carat is weight, not how big a diamond looks. Ratio (length divided by width) and the face-up measurements decide how big and how long a stone…
Pink Lab Diamonds vs Natural Pink Sapphires for an Engagement Ring
A pink lab grown diamond is a real diamond (10 on the Mohs scale) with pink colour, and costs far less than a natural pink diamond.…
Elongated Cushion vs Radiant Cut: Which Is Right for You?
Both are rectangular brilliant cuts. An elongated cushion has soft, rounded corners and a pillowy outline with a softer, chunkier sparkle. A radiant has cut corners…
Cushion Diamonds 101: Old Mine vs Crushed Ice vs Regular vs Portuguese
A cushion can be cut four ways. An old mine cushion has large facets and bigger windows, and gives big pops of light, which is why…
Portuguese vs Bowtie-Free vs Regular Marquise: 3 Ways to Cut a Marquise Diamond
A marquise can be cut three ways. A Portuguese cut marquise has a flower-like triangular facet pattern running through the whole stone. A bowtie-free marquise has…
A 4 Carat Portuguese Cut Marquise with Celtic Knot Engraving
This ring is a 4 carat Portuguese cut marquise with a curved hidden halo that wraps the stone, a custom floral bridge underneath, and hand engraving…
Oval Diamond Bowtie: What a Good One and a Bad One Look Like
A bowtie is the change in faceting across the middle of an oval, marquise or pear. Almost every elongated stone has one. On a well cut,…
Portuguese Cut vs Bowtie-Free vs Regular Oval: 3 Ways to Cut an Oval Diamond
An oval diamond can be cut three ways. A regular oval has a change in faceting across the middle, called a bowtie, which a well cut…
Settings, metal and style
Setting styles, band width, height, metal and the details that make a ring vintage.
What Is a Hidden Halo Engagement Ring, and Is It Worth It?
A hidden halo is a row of small diamonds set around the basket underneath the centre stone. From the top you only see the main diamond,…
Cathedral vs Solitaire Setting: When Each One Makes Sense
A solitaire setting connects the head to the band at one point. A cathedral adds shoulders that rise up the sides, giving three connection points and…
14K vs 18K Gold vs Platinum for an Engagement Ring
14K gold is 58% gold, 18K is 75% gold, and platinum is 95% platinum. For yellow gold we usually recommend 14K: softer colour, more durable, scratches…
Engagement Ring Band Width: Why We Never Go Under 2 mm
About 85 to 90 percent of the engagement rings we make have a 2 mm band, and we do not go under 2 mm in gold,…
Engagement Ring Setting Height: Medium, Medium Low or Low
There are three setting heights. Medium has a bridge under the stone with the prongs starting above it, so a straight wedding band stacks flush; 80…
East West Engagement Rings: Why Set a Diamond Sideways
An east west engagement ring sets an elongated diamond (oval, moval, emerald, pear or marquise) horizontally across the finger instead of pointing up the hand. It…
Vintage Style Engagement Rings: The Details That Make Them
A vintage style engagement ring borrows details from antique jewellery: an antique style cut (old mine, Portuguese, step cut), hand engraving like floral or vintage scroll,…
What Is a Baby Split Shank? The Detail You Only See From the Side
A baby split shank is a band that splits into two just before it reaches the setting, then flows up into the gallery rail or the…
Sizing, resizing and warranty
Getting the size right, what resizing costs, and what our warranty covers.
How to Find Your Partner's Ring Size Without Asking
Borrow a ring they already wear on the same finger and have it measured, or trace its inside on paper. If you cannot, ask a friend…
Ring Resizing Cost in Canada: What We Charge and Why
At Smiro Studio resizing costs $100 in person or $200 shipped, and sizing beads cost $150 in person or $200 shipped. Having us resize keeps your…
Engagement Ring Warranty: What It Should Cover
A good warranty covers manufacturing defects like casting flaws and loose settings, and says clearly what it excludes. Ours is a one year limited warranty from…
More guides
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Book a free 30 minute video call with the people who make the ring, or get a custom estimate first.
