Our Frankston workshop · How rings are made
Who actually makes your engagement ring? In-house vs outsourced
It depends on the jeweller: an in-house jeweller keeps several stages in one workshop, while another jeweller may use specialist contractors for some or all of them. At Anny's, we design each custom piece in-house, use a specialist casting house to cast the metal, then set and finish it back at our workshop. Before you commit, ask who handles each stage, where the work happens and who is responsible if something needs attention.
What in-house actually means
At Anny's, in-house means one team handles the design, CAD modelling, 3D printing, stone setting and polishing in a single workshop. Casting goes to a specialist casting house, which turns the approved model into metal and sends the rough casting back to our bench to be checked, set and finished. Other jewellers organise the work differently. Ask which stages happen on site and how the jeweller manages work done by specialists elsewhere.
Two ways a ring gets made
In-house: one roof
Designer sketches it with you
CAD models it in 3D
Casting house casts it in your chosen metalSent out and back, as at most jewellers
Setter sets the stones
Polisher finishes and checks it
One trip out to the casting house and back. Our own team handles the remaining stages.
Outsourced: several businesses
Shop takes your brief
- Sent out
CAD contractor works from the shop's notes
- Sent on
Casting house casts the ring
- Sent on
Setter sets the stones
- Sent back
Shop finishes and hands it over
One possible outsourced workflow, with four transfers between specialist businesses.
At Anny's, our designers, goldsmiths and diamond setters work side by side in Frankston, a few steps from the counter, so you often talk through your design with someone who will make it. Our team is about 10 people, and every custom piece is designed, set and finished in-house.
Custom, or a stone in a stock setting?
Not everything sold as custom is. A stone dropped into a ready-made setting is selection, not design, and a stock setting can sit higher or hold a stone less securely than one made for it. That can be fine, as long as it is described honestly. See how a custom engagement ring is made, or follow the journey of a custom ring.
In-house vs outsourced, side by side
An outsourced workflow may involve separate CAD, casting and setting specialists, sometimes in different locations. That can add hand-offs, but the exact process and quality controls vary by jeweller. Use this comparison as a set of questions to ask, not a verdict on every business:
| What changes | In-house: one workshop | Outsourced: several businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | You may be able to talk directly to the people making your ring. | Ask how your requests reach each specialist and who confirms changes. |
| Turnaround | At Anny's, custom rings take about 3–4 weeks from CAD sign-off; engagement ring resizes take about 1–2 days. | Transfers can add time; ask for the actual schedule and what could delay it. |
| Accountability | One workshop answers for the design, the metal and the setting. | The shop answers to you, but relies on several suppliers to put things right. |
| Fixing problems | The same workshop can inspect and correct its work. | Ask who inspects each stage and how corrections are handled. |
| Cost of changes | At Anny's, a small change at the 3D print stage is usually made within the hour. | Changes may involve another hand-off, so ask when extra time or fees apply. |
Is my ring made here, or sent overseas?
A Made in Australia claim has a legal test. Under the ACCC's country-of-origin rules, a product's last substantial transformation must happen here, making it fundamentally different from its imported parts. Finishing off doesn't count: the ACCC's own examples include printing a design on an imported T-shirt. So a ring built on an imported setting may not qualify.
Does in-house mean better quality?
Not by itself. Quality depends on the people, specifications and checks at each stage. An in-house workflow can make communication and corrections more direct. At Anny's, one team owns the piece from CAD to polish and checks each casting when it comes back, so the same workshop can correct anything that needs attention.
Skill also needs the right tools. We have invested in equipment many jewellers don't have: an Orotig EvoWhite laser welder for fine, controlled joins, including in platinum, and an Artec Micro 3D scanner that captures stones and existing rings precisely for CAD.
On the stone, you get a skilled eye and an outside check: its grading report, an independent read on the 4Cs. Our diamonds over 0.30ct come with one, and around 95% of those reports are from GIA or IGI (how the two labs compare).
How do timing and price compare?
Workflow can affect timing, but in-house and outsourced jewellers organise work differently. At Anny's, apart from the trip to the casting house, we walk your piece to the next pair of hands. Typical times at our workshop, which depend on complexity and urgency:
3–4 weeks
A custom ring, from CAD sign-off
1–2 days
An engagement ring resize, which we prioritise
1–7 days
Most repairs, in business days
Within the hour
A small change at the 3D print stage
Outsourcing alone does not tell you what a ring will cost. Compare like-for-like quotes for the metal weight, stone, design, setting and aftercare. At Anny's, rather than shave metal to hit a price, we build in around $300–$500 more metal for thickness, so claws and shanks hold up. As a guide, our engagement rings sit around $3,000–$6,000 with a lab-grown diamond and $8,000–$30,000 with a natural diamond.
Who is accountable if something goes wrong?
With an in-house jeweller, one workshop is. There is a single place to go if your ring needs attention, and no finger-pointing between contractors. Repairs, resizing and remodelling all happen on our own bench.
Your rights are the same wherever you buy. Under Australian Consumer Law, the business that sells you a ring owes you a goods guarantee and a services guarantee: acceptable quality, and work done with care and skill. No business can take those away. The difference is that an in-house maker can put things right itself, in its own workshop.
A real workshop also takes on repairs others won't. We regularly handle jobs other jewellers have called impossible, and even chain stores send us work their own benches couldn't complete. That only happens when the people who can fix it are in the building, as they have been in our family workshop since 1990 (our story).
Questions that reveal who actually makes the ring
Ask plainly. A confident in-house maker will be happy to answer. Here are six questions, and the answer to listen for:
- Can I see the workshop where my ring will be made?A bench you can see, not just a shopfront
- Who designs, sets and finishes it, and do they all work here?One team in one place; only the casting goes out
- Is this designed for me, or a stone in a stock setting?A straight answer; both are fine if described honestly
- Where is it actually made: here, sent away or overseas?A clear place, and one that passes the Made in Australia test
- Does the diamond come with a GIA or IGI grading report?The report for your individual stone, from an independent lab
- Who repairs or resizes it later?The same workshop, for the life of the ring
For more, see our questions to ask your future jeweller, including what a well-made ring should weigh.
Frequently asked questions
Is handcrafted the same as made in-house?
Not necessarily. Handcrafted describes how a piece is worked; made in-house describes where, and by whom. A ring can be hand-finished yet assembled from outsourced parts, so ask about both.
Can I bring my own diamond and have you build the ring around it?
Yes, and it is genuinely custom work. We design and make the setting from scratch around your stone, so it fits that exact diamond. If the stone is loose, our Head Gemmologist, Lisa D FGAA, can check it first; if it is in an old piece, ask us about remodelling it.
Are Anny's rings made in Australia?
Yes. The rings we design and make are designed, set and finished in-house in Victoria, by a family business established in 1990, with the metal cast by a specialist casting house. Because they are genuinely made here, not just finished from imported parts, they meet the Made in Australia test.
Doesn't outsourcing make a ring cheaper for me?
Not necessarily. Outsourcing can lower or raise the final price depending on the specialists, workflow and services included. Compare like-for-like quotes, ask which stages happen elsewhere, and check whether later changes, resizing and aftercare cost extra.
See who makes your ring
Visit our Frankston workshop, see the bench at work and talk through your design with the people who will make it. No pressure, just good advice.
Frankston welcomes walk-ins, Monday to Friday 10am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm. For our Collins Street showroom, please email us first and wait for our confirmation before visiting.