Lee LallyOct 3, 20141 minThe Australian Opal: Nature’s Eye CandyOctober’s birthstone, opals are technically a mineraloid, rather than a full fledged mineral. They are comprised mainly of silica with a...
Lee LallyAug 27, 20141 minHot off the Bench: Modern Art Nouveau PendantSome of you may already know how much we at Custom love the era of Art Nouveau. So we were thrilled when we were commissioned to make...
Lee LallyAug 21, 20141 minRose Cut Diamonds: Bringing Old Cuts BackThe rose cut is one of the oldest types of diamond cut. Started in the 15th century, and perfected during the early 16th, by today’s...
Lee LallyDec 20, 20131 minWhite Gold Mayan Temple Memoriam RingI spent my early twenties as an archaeologist digging up everything from hunting knives and pottery to the remnants of housing...
Lee LallyOct 29, 20131 minHot off the Bench: Diamond & White Gold Teardrop NecklaceOccasionally I’ll see a piece of jewelry and become completely head-over-heels obsessed with it. All too often, it’s a piece of jewelry I...
Lee LallyOct 24, 20131 minJewelry History: Bejeweled SkeletonsI came across an article about beautifully bedazzled skeletons the other day, and can’t help but post it here. Like a lot of golden...
Lee LallyOct 17, 20131 minHand Engraving Before and After: White Gold and Amethyst 3-stone RingSometimes hand engraving really makes a ring, and other times it is a finishing detail that turns up the crucial “WOW” factor on a ring....
Lee LallyOct 15, 20132 minJewelry History: Mourning Rings and Hair JewelryAs Halloween and Dia de los Muertos creep up on us, Custom Jewelry thought it would be a good time to take a look at one of the more...
Lee LallyOct 11, 20131 minHot off the Bench: Past Meets the Present with a Coat of Arms Wedding BandPart of what I love about working at Custom Jewelry is getting to merge the past with the present. In a custom jewelry and repair shop,...
Lee LallyOct 11, 20133 minBench Tips: Basic jewelry repair and maintenanceJewelry repair may seem like the less glamorous side of a jeweler’s daily grind, but ring repairs–and other forms of jewelry repair...
Lee LallyOct 10, 20134 minTips for Shopping for a Custom Engagement Ring: Part TwoWelcome to the second installment of our two-part series on shopping for a custom engagement ring. This week, we’ll be talking about...
Lee LallyOct 3, 20132 minHot off the Bench: Diamond Infinity Engagement RingWhen DeBeers came up with the slogan, A Diamond is Forever, I’m fairly certain they didn’t factor the style and panache of Custom Jewelry...
Lee LallyOct 1, 20132 minJewelry History: Berlin Iron JewelryHere at Custom Jewelry, we find inspiration in the odd, strange, and slightly off-color, so it’s no wonder we love October around here....
Lee LallySep 27, 20132 minBezel Set, Euro-Shank Blue Sapphire and Diamond Engagement RingHere at Custom Jewelry, we were stoked to see this euro-shank, blue sapphire and diamond ring walk back in the door. When we create a...
Lee LallySep 19, 20132 minHand Engraving Before and After: White Gold Diamond and Ruby Engagement RingBefore meeting Lee, I wasn’t a huge fan of hand-engraved jewelry. But, even being in the shop the short amount of time that I have, I...
Lee LallySep 17, 20132 minHot off the Bench: Hand-Carved Wax Cast Silver Hannya Mask RingThat’s it. It’s been decided. I officially decree this amazing hand-carved, wax cast, silver Hannya mask ring Custom’s “herald of the...
Lee LallySep 12, 20131 minHot off the Bench: Diamond and Sapphire White Gold Statement PendantIt’s not uncommon to pair diamonds with sapphires, but every once in a while they are combined in a new, statement-making way that makes...
Lee LallySep 11, 20132 minAround the Shop: Local Charlotte NC Artist Archer Applewhite Watkins Jr.As most of y’all know, we love a NoDA gallery crawl night and the chance to showcase local Charlotte, NC artists. Last month, we had the...
Lee LallySep 10, 20132 minJewelry Repair: Opal and white gold hand fabricated ringAs a custom jewelry and jewelry repair shop, sometimes we think we’ve seen every piece of jewelry ever created. And just when we get...