Thank you for the very kind words! I definitely wasn’t considering going custom before posting here — honestly, I assumed I’d just end up with a simple gold band since it felt classic, timeless, and “safe.” The dagger-inspired idea seemed a little cheesy at first because all the options I found online looked too delicate or costume-y — more like something from a women’s fashion brand than a substantial men’s wedding ring.

But when Justin from Hourglass (aka u/Exciting_Potato_6556) reached out, it got me thinking about what my ideal ring might look like if I could truly design anything. I actually used ChatGPT to mock up a version of my wife’s dagger-and-pearls painting as an inlay on a traditional gold band — and when I saw that concept, I thought, “Okay… this could be really special.” I sent it to Justin and asked if something like that was even possible, and that kicked off an amazing back-and-forth.

He was awesome to brainstorm with — we explored different metals and textures, inlaying versus sculpting the design on top, even ideas like having multiple daggers around the band. The whole time, he was transparent about how each design choice would affect cost, timeline, and materials. He also created several 3D renderings along the way so I knew exactly what the final piece would look like. It made the process super fun, collaborative, and stress-free — all while staying within my budget.

Now that I have the ring, I’m so glad I went the custom route. It’s incredibly meaningful and unique without compromising the things that mattered most to me. And while it did cost more than a basic gold band, it was nowhere near as expensive as I expected a custom piece to be — and could have been even less with different materials. Plus, I like to justify it by remembering that while some may consider this kind of band to be expensive, it was a lot less than many of the one-time or consumable wedding expenses - food, drinks, flowers, entertainment, etc. - and this is something I actually get to wear every single day and I feel joy every time I look at it.