Caratwise software lets jewelers design, price custom rings in store

Independent jewelers are getting a faster way to sell the most emotional purchase in the case. Caratwise’s new software lets a salesperson and customer build a custom engagement ring together in real time, with pricing updating as soon as the metal or center stone changes. The pitch is simple: replace the long, uncertain back-and-forth of bespoke bridal with a same-day yes.

That speed comes from a system Caratwise says is vertically integrated from the sales floor to the manufacturer. As a ring takes shape, the platform generates realistic 3D images that change instantly with each design choice, so the shopper sees the setting, the proportions and the stone before leaving the store. The same software can also be embedded on a retailer’s website as a white-label tool, giving independents control over production and pricing while adjusting metal costs and diamond selection in real time.

The stakes are high because bridal shoppers are arriving with strong expectations and even stronger screenshots. David Berdugo, Caratwise’s chief executive and the former chief operating officer of Blue Nile and James Allen at Signet, has said 85% of customers want personalization for bridal. He has also pointed to a familiar sales-floor problem: customers walk in with images from brands like Brilliant Earth or Grown Brilliance and ask independents to recreate them. Caratwise’s answer is to make that process, in Berdugo’s words, frictionless.

For independents, the appeal is not just speed but confidence. A custom ring can be a risky sale when the price is still moving and the final look is hard to picture. Real-time pricing and design confirmation reduce hesitation inside the store, where a shopper can compare metal, setting and diamond options without waiting on a separate quote. That matters in a market where The Plumb Club’s 2025 consumer research found 69% of consumers consider personalization important or extremely important when choosing jewelry, 64% would be interested in adding a message or symbol, and independent retailers were the No. 1 shopping choice for 43% of respondents.

Caratwise is owned by Indian diamond company Hari Krishna, is working with a select group of jewelers, and plans to expand later in 2026. Berdugo’s résumé gives the launch extra weight: he helped run the digital-first brands that sharpened competition for independents before moving to a platform built to strengthen them. The timing also lands as Signet continues to reshape its own digital footprint, including a March 19, 2026 decision to wind down JamesAllen.com as a standalone site and shift complementary products to Blue Nile.

The broader market is already rewarding the same forces Caratwise is trying to automate. Industry data based on more than four million jewelry transactions at 2,500 specialty jewelers showed natural diamond jewelry sales at U.S. specialty stores rose 2.1% in 2025, while average prices climbed 10% year over year. In that environment, the jeweler who can design, price and confirm a ring before the customer walks out has a real advantage, and the custom sale starts to look less like a gamble than a closing tool.