Jewelry is much more than an accessory. It brings beauty and sparkle to our everyday life. It is given to us or by us as a symbol of love, respect, gratitude or admiration. It can also be an investment. Considering all these things that jewelry stands for, you want find a jewelry store in San Diego that satisfies your needs and does it with professional integrity.
You’ve come to the right place.
Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers is the largest independent jewelry store in San Diego with the highest and uncompromising standards in customer care for over 37 years. We are passionate about jewelry and it’s our core mission to provide you with outstanding jewelry that you will cherish for years.
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As the name implies, custom jewelry is any piece of jewelry created according to your own specifications. Custom jewelry can range from rings, earrings to necklaces and other types of jewelry. Custom jewelry is a perfect way to show off your personal fashion style.
You may want to choose custom jewelry when you cannot find any piece of jewelry that matches your style or if you just want to show your unique taste to everyone. Another reason people go for custom jewelry is to create a unique piece of family heirloom.
If you want to create a custom piece of jewelry, you will need the help of an experienced jewelry designer. After talking to them about what you want in your custom piece of jewelry, they will come with a design that matches your guidelines.
There’s a lot of expertise and experience that go into creating custom jewelry, which is why not all jewelry stores offer to make custom jewelry made. If looking to buy custom jewelry, you need to look for a jeweler with enough experience, a rich portfolio and all the necessary licenses and warranties to create custom jewelry for you.
Our talented and artistic San Diego jewelers combine the best of the old jewelry crafting methods with the latest computer-powered technology to translate your dream piece of jewelry into reality. We can help you create anything you can think of with the help of our expert designer team.
We can work off your drawing, pictures you’ve found online or just your verbal description to come up with the ideal piece of jewelry you’ve envisioned. We can also help you recreate stolen jewelry that you’ve held close to your heart or recreate a piece of jewelry you saw at the latest red carpet report.
This is one of the questions we get asked the most. While it’s true that custom made jewelry is costlier than mass-produced jewelry, it’s price is way lower than most expect. This is especially true if you consider the quality of craftsmanship and the unique nature of the piece of jewelry you receive. The quality of a custom-made piece of jewelry is far superior to mass-produced pieces of jewelry.
Furthermore, you can choose different materials, gemstones and mounts which will affect the price. For example, you can choose to use an expensive gemstone you really like and use a mount that requires less metal or use a more affordable type of metal to compensate.
Custom jewelry is no different than regular jewelry in that it requires constant and careful maintenance in order to keep its shine for generations to come. While cleaning your jewelry depends on the metals and gemstones used to make them, generally you’ll want to be very careful not to expose them to strong chemicals. For most metals, a solution made from water and dish soap will do the trick. You’ll have to carefully dry the jewelry after immersing it in water for a couple of minutes.
Some general maintenance tips we can offer are:
- Remove the jewelry when washing dishes, applying makeup, doing chores or applying any sort of lotions.
- Don’t wear your custom jewelry when you swim, as exposure to water and chlorine can damage it.
- If the jewelry contains pearls, use a soft cloth to wipe them after wearing them. This will remove your body’s natural oil and perfume, both of which can ruin their shine.
- Silver gets shinier the more you wear it, so don’t leave it in the jewelry box.
- Get your jewelry checked by an experienced jeweler to make sure it didn’t get damaged or the stones didn’t get loose.
Different jewelry styles fit different personalities. Some people prefer subtle, delicate designs while others love their jewelry to be as dazzling and eye-catching as possible. Jewelry trends change frequently, but some styles are timeless. Custom jewelry incorporates the best of both, fully tailored to your unique taste.
You should create your custom piece of jewelry to compliment your specific style, whether you prefer sleek and sophisticated designs, or edgy and cool concepts. Try imagining how your custom piece of jewelry will work with other pieces you already own. If you wish to design a large, impressive piece of jewelry, it’s probably best to wear with less obvious pieces so it can really stand out and draw the eye.
Custom jewelry is a form of art. The pieces we create cannot be described otherwise. If you want to express yourself through jewelry as an artist does through their artwork, you need to find an expert jewelry designer who can help you create the masterpiece you’ve envisioned.
There are only certain types of metal that are suitable for custom jewelry. These types of metal can be easily worked with and are durable enough to withstand the custom jewelry design process. There are several different steps to custom jewelry making, such as engraving, milgraining, casting, and fabrication, so it’s crucial to choose a strong metal. These metals include platinum, palladium, and various shades of gold, as well as sterling silver.
Different types of jewelry can be customized to fit your ideal design. Pieces such as rings or necklaces are much easier to craft due to their size. However, personalizing smaller jewelry pieces such as earrings can be somewhat challenging due to size constraints. You can find some ideas in the text below.
Rings
Rings are the most commonly customized piece of jewelry, due to their size and widespread use. If you are looking for unique engagement rings San Diego is the perfect place to start. The designers at Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers are waiting for you and the design you wish to create. Her dream engagement ring can be custom designed using different gemstones, settings, mounts, and materials. Some of the ways to make your ring stand out include:
- Use different metals such as rose or yellow gold
- Choose colorful and unique gems such as opal or morganite
- Engrave the mount
- Add accent stones
- Choose a unique stone shape
- Choose a setting that helps accent the gemstone
Necklaces
Necklaces are not the most common choice for custom designed jewelry, but can still be crafted to look unique and eye-catching.
- Use different colors and styles for the chain and the pendant
- Adjust the length of the chain to fit you better
- Add layers of contrasting necklaces
- Combine several small chains into a long one
- Use a ring as a pendant
Earrings
Earrings are the trickiest to customize due to their size. However, even earrings can be personalized if you know what to ask for.
- Layer earring hooks
- Attach small pendants or charms to the earrings
- Choose studs set with a colorful gemstone
Any luxurious and well-established jewelry store will have a wide range of jewelry pieces to choose from, many of which can be slightly altered. So why do people choose custom jewelry with so many pieces to select from already?
Custom jewelry is not only completely unique, but also very personal. It can be an amazing, one-of-a-kind gift, or a way to show off your creativity and taste. This makes jewelry very individual, irreplaceable and valuable past its monetary worth. Custom jewelry makes a perfect gift for a birthday, an anniversary, or even an engagement!
The appeal of custom designed jewelry is more than obvious, whether it’s a ring, necklace, or anything in between. Custom jewelry won’t fade with the latest trends and will never lose its emotional value.
Rich choice of jewelry
Shop the largest independent jewelry store in San Diego to see an extraordinary selection of fine jewelry which spans an extensive range of styles and eras. If you are attracted to the heirloom charisma of vintage and antique jewelry, browse the beautiful and meticulously restored antique and vintage jewelry we have collected for you. If you prefer something new, you’ll have lots to choose from here. Dazzled by designer jewelry? We seek out the best in new and vintage designer jewelry at affordable prices.
Exclusive focus on fine jewelry
When you want to focus on fine jewelry, come to Leo Hamel’s. The beauty of fine jewelry is that it lasts a lifetime and beyond. Fine jewelry ages beautifully, if at all. If it does start showing age, the master jewelers at Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers are here to restore it to former glory. With its superior craftsmanship, fine metals and precious gemstones, fine jewelry luxuriously celebrates life’s precious moments.
Custom jewelry
Custom fine jewelry is supremely personal and reflective of our sentiments. It is a wonderful gift because you can tailor the metal, the gemstones and the design to suit the person’s taste and the occasion. Custom jewelry allows the creator to combine more than one style they like. It also gives you the chance to use the materials from jewelry you already have, but don’t like. The result is a perfectly unique piece of jewelry that reflects the wearer’s individuality.
Unparalleled customer care
When you’re a customer of Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers, you’ll have at your service our team of knowledgeable professionals who are personable and passionate about their jobs. You’ll feel our care about our customers in the vast and varied collection of jewelry we offer, the exceptional quality of jewelry and craftsmanship and special, customer-focused services, such as our personal shopper service. But above all, we make finding the right jewelry easy for you!
An immensely varied selection of fine jewelry in the largest independent jewelry store in San Diego
The best way to experience Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers is to visit our luxurious showroom on San Diego Avenue where you can see and feel for yourself the quality of products and services that we provide. Feel free to browse our online collection, but the very best deals don’t ever make it onto the website before they’re sold, so do yourself a favor and visit us in store!