Bespoke jewellery is a big business these days. But it hasn't always been the case. Just a few years ago, bespoke jewels were the domain of royalty and pop princesses like Madonna, who commissions Solange Azagury-Partridge, and Christina Aguilera who will only be seen in her Stephen Webster commissions.

Yet today, everyone from Ritz Fine Jewellery to Hatton Garden houses and small family jewellers are offering bespoke services, and people who once rushed out to Tiffany and Cartier are queuing up for it.

It's a tempting buy. Bespoke jewellery – the most popular of which is engagement and wedding rings, followed by general and corporate commissions – is the ultimate in an industry which goes hand-in-hand with intimacy.

And now people want an even deeper connection with it. By getting more involved in the creation of their jewels, they're creating something unique, long-lasting and a premium luxury buy.

But with so many places offering bespoke services these days, how do you find the right ones? As we found, it really depends on what you're looking for.

Bespoke diamonds

If it's stones you're feeling precious about, then Wint & Kidd is a great place to go. Diamantaire Luke Marriott, the man behind the boutique whose interior is designed by Matthew Williamson, sells cut and polished diamonds that can be made into rings, bracelets, cufflinks, necklaces and more.

Marriott, who has been in the business for over 15 years, had a mission when he first opened the shop in 2002 - to remove the artificial mystique that surrounds the selling and marketing of diamonds. He's certainly qualified to do so, boasting that one billion dollars worth of diamonds pass through his hands each year.

It's this exposure to the market that enables him to get unique diamonds of all colours, shapes and sizes, which he sells at 25-30 per cent below Bond Street prices 'because we cut out the middle man'. The diamond is presented in a box which can then be brought to the shop's designers who will make a selection of drawings and create the perfect ring.

See www.wintandkidd.com for more details or visit their shop at Royal Exchange, London EC3V.

Bespoke bands

Few jewellers are as famous for their flair in contemporary luxury jewellery design as Anthony Hirsh, a jewellery house specialising in one-off, handmade designs in platinum and 18ct gold, since starting out in 1980.

Now with two shops - one in Hatton Garden, the other in Burlington Arcade near Bond Street – they're busier than ever. "Everything we do is individual," explains Ben Stevenson, manager. "Other jewellers work from a catalogue but we do things the other way round, creating something unique every time."

People can go to Hirsh with ideas of what they want and work with the designers, or designers will guide them on designs 100 per cent. It's a particularly popular service with men looking to create bespoke engagement or wedding bands to present to their partners. And if the result isn't exactly what their partners always wanted, they're welcomed back to change and adapt it in any way they like.

See www.hirsh.co.uk for more details or visit their shop at 56-57 Burlington Arcade, London W1J.

Family jewels in bespoke settings

Jewellery passed down through generations is huge segment of the bespoke jewellery business. In fact, with the jewellery becoming more like the fashion industry, which changes every season, settings for valuable and sentimental stones now change approximately every three years.

That's what Jack Pickering has found. Qualifying from City & Guilds in jewellery art, metalwork and design, Pickering specialises in handmade mounting and settings, and worked for the famous House of Graff on Bond Street for years before branching out on his own.

These days, he can be found working on commissions worth £50,000 as easily as he can be working on those for £50. That's how the industry works. Jewellers of all sizes outsource their mounting and settings to people like Pickering who is renowned for his high quality work.

But Pickering also takes individual commissions. Working on an hourly rate, he will quote how many hours the setting or mount will take and the material you want used, before creating it as quickly and expertly as he would do for any top jewellery house.

For more information, email Pickering direct on jack@ukonline.co.uk  

Creating your own bespoke

Finally, there's another trend emerging in bespoke jewellery – creating your own. This isn't the hippy-dippy 'string of beads' jewellery inspired by the 60s but rather serious business – jewellery you can create using Swarovski crystals, semi-precious and precious stones.

It's a trend that jewellery designer Claire Aristides identified two years ago. She understood its allure, having made the jump from a career in IT to jewellery design five years previously.

She first created a jewellery-making set containing all the basics needed for people interested in the craft. When it became a hit, she followed it up last year with Bejewelled, her Swarovski-endorsed book explaining the A-Z of jewellery making.

Most recently, she's expanded the jewellery making side of her business again, holding jewellery workshops at her London W1 shop, where groups of (mostly) women learn their clips from their clasps, how to loop, crimp, wire and much more, with the stones, beads and jewels available onsite.

"One guy who came along to a class was amazing," remembers Claire. "He'd bought £5K worth of stones and simply wanted to know how to put them together. Most people use chunky acrylic beads to practise on in class before going home and taking it to the next step."

Visit www.clairearistides.com or call 0207 434 2161 for more information