Published · Updated · Grillz Medellín
The full process, step by step
Making custom grillz is not like buying a piece off a shelf: every piece is built on the exact shape of your mouth, so the process has several stages and each one takes time. It starts with taking a mould or digital scan of your teeth, continues with design and casting, moves on to polishing and, if applicable, setting stones, and finishes with quality control and final fitting before delivery.
Understanding these stages helps you plan better, especially if you are coming from outside the city or working around a deadline like a trip, a concert, or an event. See every stage and material in detail at how it works before booking your appointment.
Stage 1: taking the mould or scan
The first stage is quick: taking the mould of your teeth takes about 20 minutes, whether at the studio or at your home, hotel, or Airbnb anywhere in Medellín and the Valle de Aburrá. This step is key because the final fit depends on it: no filing your teeth, no forcing a fit.
Once the mould or digital scan is taken, the production-day count officially starts. If you book ahead, you can line up the mould for the same day you confirm design and metal in the configurator, saving yourself an extra visit.
Stage 2: design, casting, and metal finishing
With the mould ready, an exact model of your arch is made, and the piece is cast in your chosen metal: 925 silver, chrome, or 9K, 14K, or 18K gold. This stage includes the casting itself, trimming excess material, and a first polish to check the fit before moving to final finishing.
Plain pieces without stones are the fastest to complete at this stage since they need no setting work. If your design includes details like fangs, open face, or colour combinations, this phase takes a bit longer because of the extra manual goldsmith work involved.
Stage 3: stone setting for iced pieces
When a design includes moissanite, lab-grown diamond, or natural diamond, an extra stage is added: setting, stone by stone, onto the already cast and polished base. This part of the process is the most time-intensive craftwork, since each stone is individually fixed and checked for a firm, aligned placement.
That is why iced pieces always fall in the higher end of delivery timelines. The more stones and teeth a design covers, the longer this stage takes. See examples of iced finishes and metal combinations at styles.
Timeframes: 5–10 days vs 10–15 days
In general, plain pieces in solid 925 silver or chrome/dental gold are ready in 5 to 10 business days from when the mould is taken. These are the fastest options since they go through fewer manufacturing stages.
Karat gold pieces (9K, 14K, 18K) and all iced pieces, regardless of the base metal, take 10 to 15 business days. This covers both simple gold sets and full sets with many stones, though within that range the more elaborate designs tend to land closer to the upper end.
What speeds things up or causes delays
Several factors affect where your order falls within those ranges. A single-tooth or few-tooth silver piece moves faster than a full arch; a simple design with no stones moves faster than one with moissanite set tooth by tooth. The workshop's order volume at a given moment can also shift timing within the stated range.
For natural or lab-grown diamonds on larger pieces, the timeline can run past 15 days, since every quote and every setting job is handled individually based on stone size and count. If you have a deadline, let us know from your first message on WhatsApp or at contact@grillzmedellin.com so we can plan the design around that timeframe.
Planning ahead as a visitor or tourist
If you are just passing through Medellín, it is best to book the mould as soon as you arrive, not near the end of your trip. With a minimum of 5 to 10 days available in the city, you can cover even the plain-piece process; if your trip is shorter, we can arrange to ship the finished piece to your home city once it is ready.
Many visitors stay in areas like El Poblado or Laureles, and from there it is easy to coordinate both the mould appointment and final delivery without losing itinerary time. If your schedule is tight, also check our full guide at grillz Medellín for visitors: timeline.
Domestic and international shipping
Once your piece is finished, polished, and approved in quality control, it is packed and shipped insured and tracked, both within Colombia and abroad. Shipping time is added on top of production time, so if you will not be in Medellín to pick it up in person, plan a few extra days depending on the destination.
The balance is charged on delivery, after the initial deposit paid before casting begins. That way, you only complete payment once the piece is finished and ready to head your way.
Frequently asked questions about delivery timelines
A common question is whether the process can be sped up by paying more. In general we do not run a rush service, because every stage, from casting to polishing, needs its own time for the final fit to be correct and the finish to come out flawless; rushing a stage compromises the quality of the piece. What we can do is prioritise your spot in the production queue if you let us know ahead of time about a specific deadline.
Another frequent question is what happens if you need an adjustment after delivery. If the fit is not perfect when you receive the piece, we check the adjustment at no extra cost; that is why the quality-control stage before shipping matters so much, and why it is worth trying the piece on as soon as you get it, before heading off on a trip or to an important event.
Timing differences between a small set and a full arch
The number of teeth your design covers also affects where it falls within the ranges above. A single-tooth or few-tooth silver piece usually lands toward the shorter end of the 5-to-10-day range, since there is less surface to cast, polish, and fit.
A full arch, especially in gold or with iced stones, means more goldsmith work at every stage: more metal to cast precisely, more surface to polish evenly, and, if applicable, far more stones to set one by one. That is why full iced-gold arches tend to land closer to the upper end of the 10-to-15-day range, and it is worth planning around that margin if you have a specific date by which you need to be wearing them.
How to start your order today
Another factor that is sometimes overlooked is seasonality: during high-demand dates, like year-end holidays or big music events in the city, order volume rises, and it is worth booking your mould with a bit of extra margin beyond the usual, precisely to stay within the normal 5-to-15-day range without surprises.
The first step to activate any of these timelines is nailing down your design: metal, style, and whether you want stones or not. You can put together your full combination in the configurator and check the exact per-tooth price in prices before booking your mould.
If you are unsure which metal suits how often you will wear your grillz, check the full comparison at gold or silver: which grillz to choose before deciding and booking your appointment.
Tracking your order from mould to delivery
Once your mould is taken, we keep you updated at the key checkpoints rather than leaving you guessing for the full 5 to 15 days: a confirmation once the mould is approved and casting begins, a note when the piece moves into polishing or stone setting, and a final message once it has passed quality control and is ready to ship or be picked up. If a specific stage is going to run longer than expected, we tell you as soon as we know, not on the day it was originally due.
This is especially useful if you are coordinating the delivery around travel, since you can plan whether to wait in Medellín, have it waiting at your hotel, or arrange shipping to arrive right after you land elsewhere. If you booked your mould in an outer area and arranged a home visit, the same checkpoints apply regardless of where the mould was taken.