Custom Jewellery in Richmond
35–45 min via Highway 91 + Highway 1. Cantonese, Mandarin, and English at the bench — designed and handcrafted in Coquitlam.
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Richmond is the most multicultural service area in our market. About 57% of residents identify as East Asian per Statistics Canada, and roughly 60% are immigrants — the highest immigrant share of any Canadian city. Cantonese (21.5%) and Mandarin (21.1%) are the leading mother tongues, together making up over 42% of the population. The BBC has called Richmond “North America’s most Asian city.”
That demographic reality shapes the kind of work we do for Richmond clients: tea-ceremony jewellery, dragon-and-phoenix (longfeng) bangle sets, longevity-symbol pendants, and modern Western-style engagement rings designed by a team that works in Cantonese and Mandarin at the bench every week. Richmond has several strong traditional-gold retailers in the Golden Village and at Aberdeen Centre — Hong Kong-style and Taiwan-style fine jewellers selling 24K gold by weight. We don’t compete with that category. We offer what those retailers don’t: ground-up bespoke design for Western-style engagement rings, wedding bands, pendants, and heirloom redesigns.
Our Coquitlam studio is 35–45 minutes from Richmond via Highway 91 + Highway 1, but most Richmond clients tell us the trip is worth it because we’ll spend an hour at the bench with them, in Cantonese or Mandarin, with the goldsmith in the next room. As a Canadian Jewellers Association member with 150+ five-star Google reviews, we run a real storefront with past commissions on display — not an appointment-only studio.
Featured Richmond work
“We’re a Richmond couple. Both sets of parents wanted traditional 24K pieces; we wanted a Western engagement ring. Vanhess made all three in one week, in Cantonese.”
— Richmond client (placeholder — replace with real testimonial)
What we make for Richmond clients
Why Richmond clients choose Vanhess
Aberdeen Centre and the Golden Village have multiple Hong Kong-style and Taiwan-style fine jewellers selling 24K gold by weight — a category we respect and don’t try to replicate. What we offer instead is one-of-a-kind custom design: an engagement ring with a stone you chose with us at the bench, a pendant designed around an inherited piece of jade, or a wedding band engraved with a phrase in traditional characters.
Richmond is also the most important centre for Chinese wedding traditions in Metro Vancouver. Tea-ceremony jewellery, dragon-and-phoenix wedding sets, longevity (shou) pendants, and red-string (hong xian) pieces are commissioned regularly by Richmond families. We work in 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K, platinum, and palladium, and coordinate with families planning a tea ceremony to make sure the traditional 24K or 22K pieces pair well with the Western-style engagement ring.
For engagement photography, Steveston Village’s wooden boardwalk and Britannia Shipyards are unmatched in the Lower Mainland for that working-fishing-port atmosphere. We’ve designed engagement rings specifically to photograph against the weathered boardwalk and the fishing fleet. The Richmond Olympic Oval waterfront and Garry Point Park are also local-favourite backdrops.
Custom engagement rings & wedding bands for Richmond couples
Richmond couples come to us for Western-style custom engagement rings (solitaires, halos, three-stones, hidden halos, bezel, tension), matched wedding bands, and pieces designed specifically to coordinate with traditional Chinese wedding jewellery. We’ve made engagement rings that sit elegantly beside 24K dragon-and-phoenix bangles for tea-ceremony day, and wedding bands engraved with Chinese characters that hold meaning for the couple.
The broader fine-jewellery market has been remarkably resilient. Bain & Company’s 2024 luxury study (via National Jeweler) found jewellery was the most resilient core luxury category at flat-to-+2% growth, with personalised and high-jewellery offerings outperforming the broader luxury market. Richmond’s fine-jewellery market reflects that — demand for bespoke rather than catalogue has been growing through every recent market cycle we’ve tracked.
On diamonds, lab-grown and natural each have clear use cases. The Knot 2024 study reports 52% of US engagement rings sold in 2024 had a lab-grown centre stone, up from 46% in 2023. Richmond clients are split: couples prioritising stone size at a fixed budget lean lab-grown; couples prioritising long-term value and the stronger GIA grading pedigree lean natural. For traditional Chinese families valuing metal weight (a cultural cousin to the 24K gold tradition), natural diamonds paired with substantial 18K white-gold or platinum settings tend to be preferred.
For a new client, the Gemological Institute of America’s 4Cs primer is the best pre-consultation read. Every natural diamond we quote comes with a GIA or IGI report; you can verify any GIA report independently via GIA Report Check.
Heirloom jade, pearl, and Chinese gold redesign
Richmond families hold some of the most complex multi-generational jewellery collections in Metro Vancouver — pieces brought from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, or Taiwan across decades of immigration. Heirloom redesign is one of our most-requested services, and it rarely looks like simple resetting. Common Richmond redesigns: setting an inherited jade cabochon into a daily-wear ring in 18K white gold, reshaping a 24K Hong Kong-style bangle into a modern pendant or a pair of matched wedding bands, or resetting a pearl strand clasp into something contemporary.
The sustainability story is real. The World Gold Council’s 2024 Gold Demand Trends report shows recycled gold supply hit 1,370 tonnes in 2024 — roughly 27.5% of total global supply, the highest share since 2012. When we melt an inherited 24K piece into a new design, the metal value is fully preserved and reused; the family retains the full gold weight, in a piece the next generation will actually wear. Natural diamonds we source come through the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which covers approximately 99.8% of the world’s rough diamond trade.
Pricing, timelines, and what to expect
Custom engagement rings: 4–6 weeks. Wedding band matching: 3–4 weeks. Heirloom redesigns: 3–6 weeks depending on complexity. 24K Chinese traditional pieces run similar timelines. Richmond couples planning a tea ceremony or Western wedding should start conversations 3 months ahead for engagement rings, 2 months for bands.
On budget, most of our custom engagement rings fall between CAD $2,500 and $4,500, with lab-grown solitaires from $1,500. 24K traditional pieces are quoted by weight at spot + labour. For reference, The Knot 2024 study pegs the average US engagement ring spend at about $5,200 USD, and MoneySense, citing WeddingWire Canada, puts the average Canadian wedding at approximately $29,450. For Chinese-Canadian weddings with a tea ceremony plus a Western reception, the full budget often runs higher.
Post-delivery, Jewelers Mutual recommends a fresh appraisal every two years — especially important for pieces containing significant gold weight where metal value fluctuates with market prices. We provide a full replacement-value appraisal at delivery.
Our 5-step custom design process
STEP 1
Free consultation
Walk in or book a 60-minute session to discuss vision, budget, and timeline.
STEP 2
Materials & stones
Choose metal, diamond, or gemstone — we source to your spec.
STEP 3
Design concepts
Hand sketches and CAD renders for review and revision.
STEP 4
Wax & review
3D-printed wax model in-hand before casting begins.
STEP 5
Craftsmanship
Cast, set, polished, and finished by our goldsmith.
Common questions from Richmond clients
Do you make 24K gold tea-ceremony jewellery?
Yes. We work in 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K, platinum, and palladium. For traditional longfeng (dragon-and-phoenix) sets, tea-ceremony pieces, and longevity-symbol pendants, we quote in 24K and 22K by weight at spot + labour. For daily-wear rings we recommend 18K or 14K for durability.
How do I get from Richmond to your Coquitlam studio?
By car, 35–45 minutes via Highway 91 east + Highway 1, or via Knight Street Bridge then Highway 1 east. Transit involves Canada Line + Expo + Millennium — about 75 minutes — so most Richmond clients drive. Free covered parking at Coquitlam Centre.
Do you speak Cantonese or Mandarin at the bench?
Yes. Our team includes Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking members and we work with Chinese-speaking clients every week, including couples planning weddings with traditional jewellery customs. For specific cultural questions (auspicious pairings, traditional motifs, ceremony timing) we have experienced team members who’ve handled dozens of similar commissions.
Can you incorporate jade or a family heirloom pendant?
Yes — heirloom redesign is core to what we do. We can reset jade pendants, incorporate inherited gold, or design new pieces around a family stone. Typical turnaround 3–6 weeks. Jade work requires care (jade is softer than many settings assume), so we’ll guide you on secure settings that still show the stone well.
Lab-grown or natural — what do Richmond clients typically choose?
Split fairly evenly. Couples prioritising size at a fixed budget lean lab-grown; couples prioritising long-term value and pairing with traditional 24K gold often prefer natural diamonds in substantial settings. Edahn Golan’s analytics show lab-grown 1ct prices fell from $3,410 (Jan 2020) to $892 (Dec 2024), so the budget math favours lab-grown heavily if size is the priority.
How do I verify a diamond’s GIA report?
Enter the report number on GIA Report Check. You’ll see the original grades and can confirm authenticity. GIA is the most-trusted grading lab globally and the originator of the 4Cs (Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat).
Can you coordinate with a traditional Aberdeen or Chinatown jeweller for the full wedding set?
Yes. Many Richmond couples work with one jeweller for the traditional 24K dragon-and-phoenix bangles and with us for the Western-style engagement ring and wedding bands. We’re comfortable coordinating metal colour, finish, and ring spec so all pieces look intentional together.
Getting to our Coquitlam studio from Richmond
By car: Highway 91 east to Highway 1 east, exiting at Brunette/Lougheed — about 35–45 minutes depending on traffic. Or Knight Street Bridge + Highway 1 east. Free covered parking at Coquitlam Centre.
By transit: Canada Line to Waterfront, Expo Line to Production Way, Millennium Line one stop to Coquitlam Central — allow about 75 minutes. Most Richmond clients drive.
Richmond neighbourhoods we work with regularly: City Centre, Brighouse, Aberdeen, Lansdowne, Steveston, Terra Nova, West Cambie, McLennan, Sea Island, Broadmoor, Thompson, South Arm, Hamilton, East Richmond.
References & sources cited on this page
- Canadian Jewellers Association — Membership Benefits & Code of Ethics. canadianjewellers.com
- Statistics Canada via Wikipedia — Richmond 2021 census demographics. en.wikipedia.org
- Tourism Richmond — Steveston Village. visitrichmondbc.com
- Bain & Company 2024 Luxury Study, via National Jeweler. nationaljeweler.com
- The Knot 2024 Jewelry and Engagement Study, reported by Rapaport. rapaport.com
- The Knot — How much to spend on an engagement ring. theknot.com
- Gemological Institute of America — 4Cs of Diamond Quality. 4cs.gia.edu
- Gemological Institute of America — Report Check. gia.edu
- Kimberley Process — What is KP. kimberleyprocess.com
- World Gold Council — Gold Demand Trends Full Year 2024. gold.org
- Jewelers Mutual — Jewelry appraisals guidance. jewelersmutual.com
- MoneySense — Average wedding cost in Canada. moneysense.ca
- Edahn Golan / Tenoris — Lab-grown diamond price analysis. edahngolan.com
Ready to start your custom piece?
Book a free 60-minute consultation at our Coquitlam Centre studio, or send us a brief — we’ll respond within one business day.
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