Choosing a JEWELLERY DESIGNER for YOU

There is a special occasion coming up;

• birthday
• anniversary
• new baby
• engagement
• first communion
• valentines day
• Christmas
• an “i love you” gift
• second baby

The list is almost endless!

But these are probably the most often thought of occasions to gift someone special a beautiful piece of jewellery. Because they are someone special you really want to give them something totally unique, something that they perhaps deserve?, something that really conveys the right message or something that simply lets this special person know exactly how you feel!

Your thinking that this sounds SUPER expensive?

You are not exactly wrong, as doing something like this does have its inherent costs. Jewellery is a wonderful way to say all of these things and more. Using diamonds, gemstones, platinum and gold is an unbelievably good way of communicating a special message to that someone special, a great way of gifting someone, a piece of jewellery that they will always treasure, and will definitely remember the moment!

Certainly having something made for yourself or a loved one, is not something that will break the bank, but WILL endure the test of time, especially if you follow these simple guidelines.

WHERE DO I START?

First things first.

• Look for jewellers who are local to you or better yet, that come recommended to you. You will have a chance to see and hear what this person has recomended from this particular jewellery designer, if it is your kind of taste or style, even the direction that you would like to go down
• It is ok if you dont really have too much of an idea about where or what you are trying to achieve. Considering the fact that you are speaking to a jewellery designer, it is often best to leave most of it up to the person who is the expert in jewellery design. This is what we have chosen to do day in day out, we will know what is structurally possible, and what will aesthetically look the best in the end. If you do have a rough idea of what it is you are trying to say or do, even better as it gives us a great place to start from.
• Your message or gift will possibly need a theme, (birthday, engagement, anniversary…) all need to say something different. A good place to start looking is on the Internet, there is a huge amount of jewellery images around and a simple search on Google, will dig up a great starting point. Try to keep in theme of the occasion.

CULLING THE LIST

• Once you find a direction and you have nailed it down to a couple of jewellery designers that you are interested in looking at closer, see what they say about doing custom creations. How do they normally go about this process? What are the steps involved in designing and then creating this work of art? What do you need to give the designer? What will the designer give you? You can expect to pay a little more for having the privilege of a custom designed and crafted piece of jewellery. This is what you need to expect, not everybody wants this, or needs this. Any good jewellery designer will have a much better idea if they can help you achieve what you are trying to do with your jewellery, after you have met for the first time.
• You will need to know a delivery time, or at the least a time frame for the design process and the creation of you jewellery. I generally like to work around the 3-4 week mark, as i find this gives me time to speak with you and get some designs underway, then when we meet again you are presented with some variations and the two of us will be a whole lot clearer about where we are going with this jewellery project. I will give you options on either diamonds and gemstones that we had previously discussed. Once we settle on the design, and what diamonds/gemstones we will be using, it can take anywhere between 2-3 weeks for the whole piece to be crafted in gold and/or platinum.
• I like to do what i call a “fitting” of the piece. This is two fold; Firstly it gives me a chance to make sure no changes are necessary before i go ahead and set all the diamonds and gemstones, Secondly, it gives you the chance to make sure the piece is exactly what you are looking for, it has the right direction, and is in keeping with your message or gift idea. This IS the time to make any changes to the piece, before the stones are set, as it will not damage any stones, also it will not effect the time frame too much, particularly if the changes are small. IF however, there are major changes needed, then a small delay may be necessary.
• One thing to bear in mind when ordering a custom piece of jewellery, is that this process does take some time. Time to craft the jewellery correctly, make sure that the jewellery is structural, and has all the aesthetic qualities that a custom order demands. A rushed job is literally that, no body gains from anything of the sort. Respect for this process is required and will often lead you to a much better piece of jewellery that you will be proud to say you have had that custom designed and made for you!

GET A FINAL DESIGN AND QUOTATION:

• As i mentioned earlier, a good jewellery designer will have design variations and options for you to choose from, they will be able to give you ball park figures at this stage. Once you a final with your choice of design and either diamonds or gemstones, a more thorough quotation can be obtained.
• I like to present a coloured hand sketch of the piece we will be making at this stage and it will be accompanied by some final figures.
• A deposit is usually required as most custom designs need to have diamonds, coloured gemstones, gold, or platinum specifically ordered. I work around 30% down and i WILL NOT start the job untill a 50% deposit has been paid. Everyone is different here, you will need to discuss this with your designer.
• A point of difference here, may, possibly whether or not the jeweller offers you any sort of unlimited design revision, or if they do a “fitt
  ing”, a guarantee, or even if they are happy to re-make the jewellery if it all turns out horribly wrong and the intended recipient does not like it at all! This is my philosophy and my company policy.

WAITING FOR THE WORK OF ART!

• I like to keep you informed of the different stages of crafting your custom jewellery. I generally do this via email, as i like to have this on record, others i know make a simple phone call, but as this stage does not really require any action on your part, i believe that an email is great, as you can view it and forget it!
• In the unlikely event of supply problems, a good jewellery design will call you to let you know, what the hold up is and when the expected solution is.
• Once the jewellery is ready for a “fitting”, i like to call you and make an appointment for you to come and try the piece on. Of coarse if the jewellery is a surprise this does not apply, but 90% of the time it is what i believe to be one of the best practises that can be applied by a jewellery designer.
• At the end of the creative process, when all the diamonds and coloured gems are set in their gold or platinum settings, an email with a photo and the valuation will be sent out to you, to tell you that your creation is ready to be collected! Once in store, a physical copy of the valuation certificate and the beautiful work of art is presented!

ONE FINAL THOUGHT!

• IF there are any problems what so ever with your piece of jewellery, let the jeweller know what it is so that it can be rectified as soon as possible! A good jeweller will normally do this free of charge, BUT you may have to take a look at their guarantee, if one is presented to you.
• Also if the piece IS everything you dreamt of and more let the designer know as well! We love to get feedback on the jewells that we create, and a happy smiling client is always the way forward! When somebody absolutely loves and adores their custom designed and crafted jewellery, it is a wonderful feeling and it makes me happy to be able to share in that moment of your life!

P.S.

check out these amazing pavement artworks! This will bring a smile to your face!

http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm