How to Customize An Engagement Ring, According to A Luxury Jeweler

(Image credit: @laurenegg)

Getting engaged can be one of the most exciting times in one’s life. From the ring shopping to the proposal to the start of wedding planning, there are so many big moments to experience in a short amount of time. Because of this, it is very common for couples to want to choose the easiest route possible for all the above, and now, customizing an engagement ring has officially crossed over from the stereotype of complicated to easy and seamless thanks to Ben Bridge. Ben Bridge is a jeweler you might recognize the name of from growing up attending your local mall but has since evolved into one of the most revered luxury jewelers in the United States. Ben Bridge has been around for over 112 years and has remained a family-operated business for most of that time. This year, I was fortunate enough to attend a trip to India with the jeweler alongside the company’s CEO and president, Lisa Bridge, where we toured their manufacturers and factories in India.

Since Ben Bridge offers many different product types from gemstones to Rolexes, we got a taste of the companies in India that collaborate with Ben Bridge to create some of their most valued products. One I am excited to speak to today is their bespoke engagement ring line, Bella Ponte, which translates to “beautiful bridge”. Bella Ponte is manufactured by Shah Luxury in Mumbai, India, where the brand’s custom engagement rings come to life. The goal of this engagement ring line is to debunk the hysteria around customizing an engagement ring—this includes the idea that it’s way more expensive, way more time-consuming, and way more complicated to go the custom route. They achieve this through technological innovations that are advanced and uncommon in the industry. And for customers, these innovations make the customization process easier than ever.

(Image credit: @laurenegg)

Bella Ponte by Ben Bridge offers every engagement ring and wedding band style you could think of in addition to its customization services. Below, I walk you through the Bella Ponte custom engagement process step by step, outlining just how simple it is to make your dream engagement ring come to life. Including design consultations, a 3D hologram of your ring, and unique documentation of the entire process, Bella Ponte is changing the game of custom engagement rings. While in India, Ben Bridge gifted me with the opportunity to design my own ring so I could get an intimate look at just how special and effortless this process is. Go on to read the breakdown of the Bella Ponte customization process including images from my time in India with the Ben Bridge team and a sampling of rings that will get your wheels turning should you be expecting to get engaged any time soon.

Step 1: In-Store Design Consultation