The bench process
How made-to-order works
Every Stacked&Co piece is made for its owner, start to finish, in up to 21 days. Here is what actually happens in those three weeks, and why we would not trade them for a warehouse.
Why not off the shelf?
Mass-produced jewellery is made in bulk, in standard sizes, for nobody in particular. Made-to-order flips that: your ring is cast in your chosen metal, built to your size, and set with your certified stone, by hands that know it is yours. The trade-off is time. We think it is the best trade in jewellery.
It also means honest choice. Because nothing is pre-made, every design is available in all our metals at its true per-metal price, shown side by side on every product page. You choose the piece; the bench builds it around you.
The 21 days, stage by stage
Your order hits the bench
The moment you order, your piece is queued for our Cape Town workshop with your exact specification: the design, your metal, your size, and your stone. Nothing is pulled from a shelf, because nothing sits on a shelf. Your ring does not exist yet. That is the point.
Casting
Your ring starts as a wax or resin model of the design, which is invested in plaster and burnt out to leave a perfect cavity. Molten metal, your metal, whether silver, 9ct, 18ct, or platinum, is cast into that void. When it cools, the raw ring emerges: recognisably your ring, not yet ready to meet you.
Cleanup and shaping
The cast ring is cut from its sprue, then filed, shaped, and refined by hand. The goldsmith trues the band, brings the profile to spec, and prepares the seat where your diamond will sit. This is slow, skilled, unglamorous work, and it is where a good ring is quietly decided.
Setting your diamond
A setter places your IGI-certified lab-grown diamond into its seat and closes the metal around it, prong by prong, under magnification. Setting is its own craft: the stone must sit level, secure, and open to light. It takes exactly as long as it takes, and is never rushed, because this is the moment your ring becomes a diamond ring.
Certification and quality check
Your diamond's IGI certificate is matched to the stone in your ring via its report number, and the finished piece is checked against your order: metal, size, stone, and finish. The certificate travels with the ring from here on. It is yours, and it is how you verify everything we have said about your diamond.
The final polish
Last comes the finish: progressively finer polishing until the metal shows that liquid, catalogue-page gleam, then a final clean and inspection under light. This is the version of your ring that gets photographed in your engagement story, so it leaves the bench immaculate.
The insured trip to your door
Your ring ships fully insured, tracked, and free, anywhere in South Africa. From the moment it leaves us to the moment you sign, it is covered. Then the box opens, and the 21 days were worth it.
Planning around the timeline
Made-to-order pieces take up to 21 days at the bench, and ready-to-wear pieces ship in 2 to 4 business days. If there is a proposal date, anniversary, or birthday in play, count backwards from the moment you need the box in hand and give the bench its three weeks. Ordering early costs nothing; ordering late costs sleep.
Two more things worth knowing before you order. First, sizing: get it right up front with our ring size guide, and if it is a surprise, we have tricks for that too. Second, the safety net: engagement rings include one free resize, so even a surprise that lands half a size off has a happy ending.
Know your size before the big moment
We will post you a free Stacked&Co ring sizer, anywhere in South Africa. No commitment, just a perfect fit waiting to happen.
Post me a free ring sizer