Custom Engagement Rings · Bedfordview, Johannesburg
Engagement rings, made in South Africa by the people who cut the stone.
Bespoke diamond engagement rings, designed with you and manufactured in our Bedfordview, Johannesburg workshop, with the centre stone cut in-house at Procut DCW from rough sourced direct at De Beers. GIA-certified diamonds, set in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold or platinum. Concierge consultation with the Prodiam director by appointment, and insured delivery anywhere in South Africa.
Book a consultation with Darren Email Darren directly → Browse ProJewel pieces →
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Natural diamonds only
Mined-Earth, never lab-grown, by conviction, not price. Kimberley-Process documented from the mine of origin. Why we don’t sell lab-grown →
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GIA & EGL certified
Every loose stone certified by the GIA or EGL. Cert PDF supplied per stone.
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Insured delivery, SA & worldwide
Overnight across South Africa via Brink’s, G4S or our nominated jewellery courier. Insured worldwide dispatch via Ferrari Group and FedEx Custom Critical.
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Twenty-five years on the desk
Director-led from 2001. Co-director Letsiki, chairman of the SA bourse, on the manufacturing entity since 2019.
How it works
- 01
Brief
Concierge consultation with Darren. Your preferences for centre stone (shape, carat, colour, clarity), setting style, metal, finger size, budget, and timeline.
- 02
Stone
Centre stone selected from the Procut bench or commissioned specially. GIA cert provided. Side-stone pavé matched in-house.
- 03
CAD
Computer-aided design renders sent for sign-off. Adjustments until you’re happy.
- 04
Wax & cast
Wax model approved. Casting in 18k white, yellow, or rose gold, or platinum.
- 05
Set & finish
Setting at the bench. Hand-polishing to a mirror finish. Quality control under loupe and microscope.
- 06
Hand-over
Presentation at Bedfordview by appointment, or insured courier delivery. GIA cert plus full provenance paperwork included.
Diamond engagement rings, made to your stone and setting
Every Prodiam engagement ring is a custom diamond engagement ring, there is no fixed catalogue to mark up. You choose the centre stone (round brilliant, oval, cushion, emerald, pear, princess or marquise), the setting (solitaire, three-stone, halo, hidden halo, bezel or vintage-inspired), and the metal (18k white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum). The diamond is GIA-certified, and round brilliants are polished to GIA Excellent cut grade on our own bench. White gold and platinum solitaires are the most-requested engagement rings in South Africa; we make all of them to order.
Because the centre stone is cut in-house at Procut DCW rather than bought in and marked up, a custom engagement ring from Prodiam is typically priced well below the equivalent mall-chain ring for the same GIA-certified stone, you pay a wholesale-direct stone price plus honest manufacturing, not a retail premium. Couples commission from across South Africa: in person at the Bedfordview viewing room in Johannesburg, or entirely by video, with the finished ring delivered insured and overnight nationwide. Ring sizing and a written valuation for insurance are included.
Engagement-ring shapes & settings we cut to order
Because we cut the centre stone ourselves, we make every shape and setting to order, not from a fixed catalogue: oval engagement rings, round-brilliant solitaire engagement rings, halo and hidden-halo designs, three-stone rings, plus cushion-cut, emerald-cut, pear, princess and marquise. Set in white gold, platinum, yellow or rose gold. Each centre stone is polished to GIA Excellent cut grade, and any matched side stones are calibrated, on our own Bedfordview bench.
Each shape has its own in-depth guide, read about round brilliant, oval, pear, marquise, princess cut, emerald cut and radiant cut engagement rings, with the stones we cut to order, or start from a GIA certified diamond as a cutter-direct dealer.
Custom engagement rings: common questions
How much does a custom engagement ring cost in South Africa?
There is no single price, because the ring is built around the stone you choose, carat, colour, clarity and cut set most of the cost, then the metal and setting. What is consistent is the structure: you pay a wholesale-direct diamond price (the stone is cut in-house, not bought in and marked up) plus transparent manufacturing, rather than a retail markup. A comparable GIA-certified custom ring from Prodiam usually lands well under the mall-chain price for the same stone. You receive a firm ZAR quote, excl. VAT, before any work begins.
Where can I buy engagement rings in South Africa without the chain-store markup?
Prodiam sells engagement rings directly from the bench that cuts the diamond, in Bedfordview, Johannesburg by appointment, and to buyers across South Africa by video consultation with insured nationwide delivery. Because the centre stone is GIA-certified and cut in-house at Procut DCW rather than bought in through several layers, you pay a wholesale-direct stone price plus honest manufacturing instead of a retail markup. Every ring is made to order around the stone, setting and metal you choose, so you are not paying a mall-chain premium for something off the shelf.
How long does a custom engagement ring take to make?
Most commissions run four to six weeks from approved design to finished ring: brief and stone selection, CAD render sign-off, wax model, casting, setting and hand-polishing, then quality control under loupe and microscope. A faster timeline is sometimes possible when the centre stone is already on the bench, tell us your deadline in the brief and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
Can you set a diamond I already own, or an heirloom stone?
Yes. We regularly reset inherited and existing stones into new engagement rings, and recut at Procut DCW where it improves the stone. The original metal can be returned to you or refined into the new piece. This runs through our heirloom-redesign service, with the existing piece couriered to us insured and returned with the finished ring.
What is the difference between a custom ring and a ready-made one from a chain store?
A chain-store ring is mass-produced and priced at retail, with the diamond bought in through several layers before it reaches the counter. A Prodiam custom engagement ring is designed with you and built around a single GIA-certified stone cut on our own bench in Bedfordview, so the chain between the rough and your finger is short, which is what makes the price wholesale-direct rather than retail. You also get exactly the stone, setting and metal you chose, not the closest item in stock.
Do you make custom engagement rings for buyers outside Johannesburg?
Yes, couples commission from Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Gqeberha and across South Africa, as well as from abroad. The design conversation happens by video, the stone is chosen from GIA reports plus loupe photography and a live viewing, and the finished ring is delivered insured and overnight nationwide, or by jewellery-grade insured international courier. A free sizing-ring set is posted to you if you need it.