“How long will my memorial jewelry take?”
It is one of the most common questions we receive — and completely understandable. When you are waiting for a piece that holds breastmilk, ashes, hair, an umbilical cord, placenta, or another irreplaceable keepsake, knowing what to expect can make the process a little easier.
Most Love Catcher memorial jewelry is individually created for each customer. From receiving and preparing your sample to crafting your keepsake stone, completing the jewelry, and performing our final quality check, each piece goes through multiple stages before it is ready to come home to you.
Here is what you can expect from the process.
How Long Does Love Catcher Memorial Jewelry Take?
For most custom memorial jewelry, our standard production time is approximately:
6–8 weeks after we receive your sample.
The important part is after we receive your sample — not from the date you place your order.
For example, if you place your order today but we receive your breastmilk, ashes, hair, or other required keepsake material two weeks later, the 6–8 week production timeline begins after your sample arrives.
If you are ordering for a birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, Christmas, or another meaningful date, remember to allow time for:
Sending your sample + production + shipping the finished jewelry to you.
Why Does Custom Memorial Jewelry Take 6–8 Weeks?
Memorial jewelry is different from ready-to-ship jewelry.
Your breastmilk, ashes, hair, or other keepsake material must first be received and carefully prepared for your individual piece. Depending on the design, the process may include:
Sample receipt and preparation → Keepsake stone creation → Curing → Jewelry crafting and setting → Polishing and finishing → Quality control → Packaging and shipping
Some of these stages require time that simply cannot — and should not — be rushed.
For example, keepsake stones need sufficient time to cure properly. Setting, polishing, finishing, and inspecting the jewelry must also happen in the correct sequence.
We would rather give each stage the time it needs than shorten the process by skipping an important step.
What Happens After I Place My Order?
Step 1: Place Your Order
Choose your favorite design, metal, keepsake stone effect, size, and any available personalization options on the Love Catcher website.
The next steps for preparing and sending your keepsake material will depend on the type of memorial jewelry you order.
Step 2: Prepare and Send Your Sample
Depending on your order, you may need to send breastmilk, ashes, hair, placenta, an umbilical cord, or another keepsake material.
Please follow the sample preparation and return instructions provided for your order.
Your production timeline begins once we receive the sample required to create your jewelry.
Step 3: We Create Your Memorial Jewelry
Once your sample arrives, we begin preparing your keepsake material and creating your piece according to the options selected in your order.
For most standard custom orders, production takes approximately:
6–8 weeks from sample receipt.
Because each piece is individually created, actual completion times can vary slightly from one order to another.
Step 4: Quality Control
Before your jewelry leaves our studio, it goes through a final quality check.
We inspect the keepsake stone, setting, metal finish, and key customization details before the piece is packaged for shipping.
Quality control is part of our 6–8 week standard production timeline — it is not an additional 2–3 weeks or a separate production period.
Step 5: Your Finished Jewelry Is Shipped
Once your piece has passed quality control, it is prepared for shipment.
When your order ships, you will receive shipping confirmation and tracking information.
Shipping time depends on your destination and the shipping method selected and is not included in the 6–8 week production timeline.
Need It Sooner? Our Rush Service
If you are ordering for a birthday, anniversary, wedding, memorial date, holiday, or another important occasion, a Rush Service is available for eligible orders.
The Rush Service fee is:
USD $100
With Rush Service, your order is prioritized and will be completed:
Within 4 weeks after we receive your sample.
Please remember that Rush Service shortens the production time. It does not include:
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The time required for your sample to reach us
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The shipping time for the finished jewelry to reach you
If you have a firm date by which you need your jewelry, we recommend allowing enough time for both sample delivery and final shipping.
What Can Affect the Production Timeline?
Most orders are completed within the expected timeframe, but custom jewelry can occasionally take longer due to factors such as:
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Peak order periods
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Highly customized or complex designs
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Changes to the design, size, or customization after the order is placed
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Delays in receiving your sample
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Additional information or confirmation needed for a custom request
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A piece requiring adjustment or remaking during the crafting or quality-control process
If something does not meet our standards during production or final inspection, we would rather take the time to correct it than ship a piece we are not satisfied with simply to meet a date.
Do Complex Custom Designs Take Longer?
Most Love Catcher custom memorial jewelry follows our standard 6–8 week production timeline.
However, highly customized designs, pieces containing multiple keepsake elements, or designs requiring special production work may need additional time.
Rather than applying a blanket 10–12 week timeline to every complex order, timing depends on the specific design and customization involved.
If your custom piece is expected to require significantly more time than our standard production period, we will communicate this based on the individual design.
When Should I Place My Order?
If your jewelry is intended for an important date, earlier is always better.
For a standard order, plan for:
Sample shipping time + approximately 6–8 weeks of production + finished jewelry shipping time
For a Rush order, plan for:
Sample shipping time + up to 4 weeks of production + finished jewelry shipping time
Planning ahead is especially helpful around busy gifting seasons such as Mother's Day and Christmas.
Can I Check the Status of My Order?
Absolutely.
You can visit our website Chat at any time and enter “Track my order” to check the latest available status of your order.
If you have already sent your sample or would like more information about the stage your piece is currently in, you can also contact our Customer Support Team. Please include your order number so we can locate your order more quickly.
Because every memorial piece is individually created, there may not be a new status update every day. If your order remains at the same stage for a period of time, it does not necessarily mean that work on your piece has stopped.
Why We Don't Over-Rush the Process
We understand that waiting for a meaningful piece of jewelry can feel like a long time.
But memorial jewelry is different from an ordinary ready-made purchase.
Your piece may hold the ashes of someone you love, a keepsake from a beloved pet, your baby's breastmilk, a lock of hair, or another reminder of a moment that cannot be recreated.
Certain stages — particularly keepsake preparation, stone creation, curing, setting, finishing, and quality control — need enough time to be completed properly.
That is why even our Rush orders still go through the necessary crafting and inspection steps.
Rush Service means your order receives priority in our production schedule. It does not mean skipping the steps required to create your piece with care.
Planning for a Special Date?
If you are creating memorial jewelry for a birthday, anniversary, wedding, Mother's Day, Christmas, memorial date, or another meaningful occasion, we recommend starting as early as possible.
Most standard orders are completed approximately 6–8 weeks after we receive your sample. If your timeline is shorter, our USD $100 Rush Service reduces production time to within 4 weeks after sample receipt for eligible orders.
If you are unsure whether your timeline will work, contact us before ordering. Let us know your target date, your location, and the design you are considering, and we can help you determine whether your timing is realistic.
A memorial piece deserves the time and attention needed to create it carefully.
Our goal is not simply to get your jewelry to you as quickly as possible, but to create something that feels worth the wait when it finally arrives.
