Leif Benner

Absolutely outstanding!
A little back ground first… I had been thinking about having my engagement ring redesigned for some time and since our 20^th anniversary was fast approaching, I figured it was the perfect time. My husband was having made for me an anniversary band so we opted to have everything done at one time. We went back to the jeweller that originally made our wedding set and I tried to explain, to the best of my ability, how I envisioned my new engagement ring (and anniversary band).
To make a VERY long story short, I was not happy with the final result. We had paid good money to have the rings made but I was unhappy with the shoddy workmanship and overall design. The jeweller was offended that I was not happy with what he had made and I was told I was costing him too much money. Needless to say, I was left feeling disappointed and regretful.
Fast forward a year and I find myself feeling the same way about my rings. I didn’t choose to have my engagement ring redesigned so I would have a ‘meh’ feeling about my set. No no no. I wanted that ‘oh my god, I get to wear these rings every day!’ kind of feeling.
I hopped on Unilocal and started to poke around. I stumbled across Leif and read the reviews. Impressive. I did a little more research online about him and I liked what I saw so I made an appointment to see him.
From the very moment I walked into his studio, my experience was like night and day to the last jeweller!
After the last debacle, I wasn’t sure if I was capable of articulating what I envisioned and I certainly didn’t want to stunt Leif’s creativity any. I showed him a couple pictures of styles which I found interesting and left the rest up to him. My only request was that my engagement ring remain a solitaire. I also had him reset the diamonds in my anniversary band to a wider setting.
Leif went to work and started sending CAD drawings of various design options. By design number 3, I knew he had nailed it… (although we explored a few more ideas just to be sure).
From our initial meeting, to CAD drawings to wax molding to casting, Leif sought feedback and kept me involved every step of the way. I really felt a part of the process.
Leif was an absolute pleasure to work with. He truly is an artist who chooses metal as his medium. I want to thank him and everyone at his studio for making this experience wonderful for me. I am overjoyed with the results and… oh my god, I get to wear these rings every day!

I read about Leif from Pricescope, an engagement ring forum. His reputation is pretty extensive as he comes recommended by Whiteflash as one of the top custom jewellery designers in Toronto.
So I took a trip down to the Distillery District and met him in person. Leif is very passionate about his work and he is very enthusiastic about collaborative design. My impression is that he specializes in gold metallurgy, intricate engraving and settings. Leif can also help to source stones for you if you did not already have one.
I got my engagement and wedding rings done here, both of which are custom and very unique. I have had compliments from family and friends, even strangers! So yes, he’s highly recommended.

Leif Benner is one talented jewelry designer who has a keen eye for fashion! I love his work and this is where I had my wedding and engagement ring done especially in the heart of The Distillery where my husband and I first met on our first date! My husband also commissioned Leif Benner to do a pearl earring birthday present for his sister.

Came across Leif’s studio by chance and what a great find! I came back when the time was right with a pretty nebulous idea of what I wanted and he patently helped me design the perfect ring for my fiancée. I walked away from our first visit with sketches and a week later he showed me a wax molding before casting it, giving me time to provide feedback.
It turned out beautiful, a modern twist on a classic three stone setting with hand engraving on the band. She loved it! I can’t recommend Leif enough.

The yellow sapphire ring pictured is stunning.
My fiancé and I were looking for a ring from a smaller jeweler. We found Leif’s shop on Unilocal.His brother was working that day. His service was amazing. I thought I wanted a peach sapphire so he brought out a tray of loose stones. The stones were stunning but I thought, «oh shoot, this isn’t me». I had seen the yellow sapphire ring when we walked it in. I tried it on and started trembling, the ring was everything I had wanted.
We were visiting from the states and the ring was sized and shipped without any snags.
All of the jewelry in the shop is stunning and I would recommend this business to anyone who wants a truly unique piece and who wants to support a local artisan.

Leif is a friendly guy who’s face naturally forms a smile, and not a frown. He really understands his smith craft and has the skill and experience to be exceptionally creative and push the envelope of design in a tradition that stretches back thousands of years…

Leif is a pleasure to work with. He’s creative, cheerful, and seems to be truly enjoying his work of creating custom jewelery.
I commissioned a custom engagement ring design with Leif and he delivered amazing results. My design was more of classic solitaire with some subtle non-​classic elements. Leif provides full services design with hand sketches, CAD, wax molding, before casting your ring. Tweaks can happen throughout the process and Leif provides both his practical and creative advice when discussing changes.
Leif is also flexible if you secure you own diamond from online or other sources though he has access through his dealer a good selection of Canadian diamonds at reasonable prices. Moreover he provides FULL insurance coverage even if you bring in your diamond. Not many people do that.
Lifetime warranty, cleaning, and adjustments are provided, and we have already resized the ring once as I did not quite «estimate» my fiancé’s ring size correctly.
Amazing service and craftsmanship. I shopped around and his pricing is very reasonable as well. The only thing I’ll would say is Leif is super busy, he says he usually has 50+ projects going at anytime, so if you’re on a schedule, sometimes you do need to be top of things and follow-​up with him on progress. For me he was able to turn the ring from first meeting to completion in less than a month.

Thanks to Leif, Traven and the Leif Benner design team for designing me a perfect engagement ring! Although I had nothing to do with the design they managed to capture exactly what I wanted — a modern vintage vibe that looks like it could be a family heirloom, something collected while travelling, or high end jewellery.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

located in one quiet corner of the case goods warehouse in the distillery district is leif benners studio. displayed around the small space are small showcase filled with his elegant jewellery.
as a former george brown jewellery arts student he made his way towards further study at the harbourfront centre as an artist in residence and eventually made his way to open his own studio in the distillery.
many of his items are made of gold mostly white with a favouring for red gold as accents to his piece or for an entire piece. he said that most of his creations are custom made, which for a huge purchase like a wedding ring, for example, youd like someone who you can trust for both quality and craftsmanship and his jewellery looks very finely crafted.
for the most part i think in the engagement ring category and some of the accessory category (mainly having to do with tahitian pearls) the stock is conservative in design. but again, as an artist who takes most of his business from custom work (which by the way can be turned around anywhere from ten days to four weeks), he can design something very unique.
my favorites are his wedding band sets which combine white with a little strategic and soft accents of the red gold.