Custom Inlay Jewelry FAQs
Process of a Custom Inlay Jewelry Piece:
We’ll discuss a general concept (design, materials, etc.) for your custom inlay to get a ballpark quote.
I ask for a 50% non-refundable deposit to be paid before I start working. If you are providing stones for me to use in your design, I will give you my PO Box so you can send that at this time.
Once I receive your deposit, we’ll start working from sketches to come up with a black and white outline of the inlay design.
When we go to pick stone color palettes, it’s easiest to start with a patterned stone you love and work around that. Whether in a video chat or images, I’ll send you pictures of my stone inventory to select from. If you don’t see what you want, I can source stones to get exactly what you're looking for.
Using Photoshop, I’ll add these stone color palettes into your design so you’ll be able to get a general idea of how your stone choices in the inlay will look. This will give you a chance to decide whether you like the colors you picked, or you’d like to see other options.
Once I get your written approval of the design and stone selection, I’ll get to work! I always send progress pictures and descriptions of what I’m doing so you’re kept in the loop the whole way through.
After your custom inlay is complete, I’ll send you pictures and videos of the final piece. I’ll give you your updated balance and ask that you send the final payment out before I mail your jewelry to you.
Then you can enjoy your new art jewelry!
FAQs:
Do you take payment plans?
-The initial 50% non-refundable deposit needs to be paid in full. As for the final payment, I can split it up but it needs to be paid within 3 months.
Can you use stones that I provide?
-Absolutely! But I cannot guarantee that it will be workable material. Often, stones have micro fractures unseen by the naked eye that show up either while I’m inspecting the material with my loupe, or while I’m cutting it. This may not happen to the material you have, but I’d rather let you know of all of the possibilities beforehand.
If your material is porous, it may need to be stabilized (this is done by putting the stone in a vacuum chamber with a water-clear epoxy, so that the epoxy is pulled into the stone and fills all of the pores). This will incur an additional fee.
I also tend to need quite a bit of material so I can find what’s usable, and I always send back what I don’t use so you can save it for any future projects.
How long does it take to complete?
-It depends on the scale of the project, but custom inlay jewelry can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks.
Just like when you go to a restaurant and are surprised when you get seated in 10 minutes when they tell you the wait would be 30, I try to overestimate the timeframe so that you’ll always be pleasantly surprised when it’s done early.
Can you copy this design for my custom piece?
-I cannot identically copy another jewelry artist’s piece since that’s their artistic voice, and I have my own. But I’d be happy to work with you to make something that has the same feel but with my aesthetic voice.
Do discount codes work for customs?
-No, sorry! Those are only for items that are currently in my shop.
Other Important Custom Jewelry Information:
-I am not responsible for lost or damaged mail whether coming to me or on its way back to you. If you’d like additional insurance or pay for quicker returns, you need to inform me in advance so I can include that in your quote.
-If I’m using stones you provide and they break: internal fractures, blemishes, or other imperfections in the stone out of my control. I do my utmost to inspect everything beforehand and handle your materials with absolute care, but I can’t be held responsible for natural occurrences in the stone. We could decide to still work with it and go kintsugi-style, or find a suitable replacement stone.
-I often quote initial ballpark prices and work very hard to keep it within that, but I reserve the right to raise or lower my prices based on the time it takes or any additional alterations to the design that need to be made.
-Once you give me your approval at the various design stages, you can’t go back and change your mind since everything I do takes a lot of time and non-renewable resources. In some instances I can potentially make changes after-the-fact, but this will incur an additional fee.
-The initial deposit is non-refundable because I put my all into working on a custom design and stone color palette for you that can’t be resold to another client.
-For custom jewelry designs, I own the designs and rights to reproduce these designs.