Non-traditional? Not a problem.
At Made You Look, we pride ourselves on having a diverse array of jewellery for every kind of person. However, we also understand that sometimes the existing options might not sing to your heart the way that a creative idea or sentimental story can. Custom jewellery design is a process that we know and love. We represent over 100 Canadian jewellery designers, 20 of whom create their work on-site in our state-of-the-art jewellery studio. You can meet with our in-house designers to commission a one-of-a-kind piece using new materials or incorporating existing jewellery, and the possibilities are endless!
To show you the scope of what is possible with custom jewellery design, we’re showcasing some recent custom pieces that we’re so proud to have representing our studio. Custom jewellery is such a beautiful and personal project, and witnessing the collaborations between our customers and jewelers is constantly fulfilling our biggest and brightest dreams.
Without further adieu, here are some Made You Look custom pieces to inspire your next proud creation.
Rainbow Ring by Emily Gill
(Click to enlarge the photos!)
The client for this vibrant piece works full-time in pediatrics, and wanted to have something cheerful and colourful to show off. Inspired by bringing love and light in the world, she came to the designer, Emily Gill, with the idea of setting a rainbow of stones underneath a portrait cut stone.
Using a 1.41ct Montana Sapphire in a stormy grey/blue/green colour, they chose to frame a joyful rainbow beneath the main stone, providing a glimmering window into the colourful personality of this client. Looking through the Montana sapphire, you can see a line of small stones; blue sapphire, emerald, aquamarine, yellow, orange, pink sapphire, ruby, and purple sapphire.
See more of Emily Gill’s work.
Dog Memorials + More by Liane Vaz
Dog Memorial
Get your tissues ready. This memorial piece was created in memory of the client’s beloved dog, who had recently passed after living a long and good life. A sterling silver and black resin tag, this image is modeled after the client’s dog for a beautiful replica to remember them by. What makes this piece even more special is that the dog’s ashes were mixed safely into the black resin that outlines the engraving of its face.
Gord Downie Hat Tag
Made as a limited edition run for Lilliput Hats, these brass tags feature the name of the collection plus Gord Downie’s signature. This collection of bespoke, handmade hats came to life shortly after a lengthy conversation between the owner of Lilliput Hats and Patrick and Mike Downie. They are a collection of tribute hats as an homage to their brother Gord. Learn more here.
Handwriting Engraving
These tags were special as the writing was a curated collection of sentences pulled from various birthday cards and notes from the client’s grandparents to create “new” and loving messages.
See more of Liane Vaz’s work.
Lorenza Engagement Ring by Alessandra Pompei
Engagement rings are a popular piece to be commissioned for custom work. Often, it is because of the amount of detail and specifics that people want in these pieces to show their loved ones just how special and one-of-a-kind they are. This stunning ring features a 1ct oval lab diamond with a cluster of lab diamonds set on either side in 18k yellow gold. Simple, shiny, and made to be absolutely perfect for the spouse-to-be.
See more of Alessandra Pompei’s work.
Mother of Pearl Ring by Jenn Day
This custom piece was technically a jewellery repair that still needed a jeweler’s creative eye to create. Missing a single mother-of-pearl stone in this fun, art-deco inspired ring, the client asked for a replacement stone. Hand carving the piece of stone to fit this ring perfectly was a fun explorative process for the jeweler, providing stone options for the customer and a good-as-new feel that revives this funky ring.
Eclectic Treasures by Invidiosa Jewelry
These clients came in with specific and eclectic visions, and Indivosa made it happen.
Chipmunk Sapphire Engagement Ring
It’s not every day that you see wedding bands with animals on it, but this client had a fun vision for this ring and explored it with the jeweler until they found a perfect balance for this perfectly carved piece. This ring is carved of platinum, boasting a beautiful sapphire center stone held up by two tiny chipmunks. That’s right, chipmunks. The itty bitty details of this ring are as precious as they are eccentric, making this piece as one-of-a-kind as it gets.
Following photos:
- A white gold wedding band with an emerald set as the eye of a storm surrounded by hand-engraved fish and birds. All based on the client’s vision.
- A gold engagement ring based on Galadriel’s crown from The Lord of the Rings featuring a lavender oval sapphire and alexandrite accent stones.
- A hand-carved memorial swallow pendant encasing the client’s late mother’s ashes.
- A two-tone hand-engraved wedding band with a stag, Blue Jay feather, tulip, clover, and maple leaf.
See more of Invidiosa’s work.
Topography Wedding Band Set by Alastair Crombie
This couple came in looking for wedding bands that were personalized and sentimental. Featuring each other’s home stomping grounds, Brazil and Canada, the designer took the topography of these special places and engraved it into the bands. One of the rings had to fit seamlessly into the soon-to-be-bride’s already existing engagement ring while still maintaining the integrity of the topography patterning. This set is minimalistic and yet incredibly personal, giving an idea of just how custom you can get when working with one of our artists.
See more of Alastair Crombie’s work.
Nurse Hat Enamel Brooch by Roozbeh Rastagar
Built to celebrate and thank the matriarch of a family for her long career in nursing, now retired and living in a nursing home, a husband and daughter duo approached Roozbeh to make this custom enamel piece as a token of gratitude. Working from one unclear image of the recipient in her nursing hat back in the day, this custom design involved plenty of sketching and offered the clients a few design options before building. Replicas are a popular custom jewellery design idea, and can be such a special piece of sentimentality and memory etched in metal and stone.
See more of Roozbeh Rastagar’s work.
Engraved Watch by Jon Pollack
We love a good conversation piece, and this watch is one of the best. Creating a custom hand-engraved image brought to life on the titanium plate of the watch dial, Pollack dug into the finer details with this custom piece. The brim of the character’s hat is inlaid with 24k gold, his sword in fine silver, and the three lines around the bezel with 22k gold. These shiny details make the already impressive hand engraving pop to pull together this eclectic conversation piece.
Made You Look staff members are professionally trained, highly educated jewelers with various degrees of specialization. This makes our wonderful team a one-stop-shop for your custom jewellery designs, helping you with a wide variety of brand new ideas and exciting asks.
There is no appointment necessary to speak with us about your unique jewellery needs. You can visit the store during regular hours and we will be happy to get you started on your custom design ideas. Whether you’re looking to rebuild a classic, reimagine a beloved piece, or come up with something never seen before — we’re excited to be a part of making this special forever piece.