How to Custom Order

I can probably design any piece of jewelry you might fancy: rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bangles, etc. Please let me know what you might like.

Since I am mostly asked to design rings, the following pertains to ring commissions. But please read it anyway to get an idea about what sort of information I might need.

I will need the following information:

GEMSTONE TYPE: Please state your preference of gemstone and color of gemstone. (People tend to think that diamonds are white and sapphires are blue, etc. Almost any gemstone type will come in almost any color of the rainbow. It all depends on what minerals were present when the gem crystals were growing.) All the diamonds I use are from conflict free and ethical sources.

Learn more about our materials

RING SIZE: Please state the ring size needed. If you need a ring sizer to determine the size needed you may order a ring sizer Here

METAL TYPE: Currently I can cast in several different colors and kt grades of gold, several different types of silver, platinum or palladium.

Silver and 14kt white gold tends toward gray in color and will tarnish over time. I prefer to Rhodium plate silver or white gold to produce a bright white metal setting that will maintain its whiteness and never tarnish.

PRICE TARGET: a price range is helpful in determining what type of metal/gemstone combination would work for your design.

Time frame in which you need your item.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON USING THIS RING IN A WEDDING SET:

Wedding bands come in widths from 2mm to 12mm. How wide do you want your band? Do you need a matching band for the groom?

Are you using a gemstone as a center piece? Side stones? How many? What mm size of stone(s)?

For instance: 14kt, yellow gold, white diamond, size US 7, 6weeks.

Pearl Factors

Shape & Size

Round is the rarest and is the most valuable. After that, off-round, oval, drop, buttons, coins, freeform are an example of the progression of the shape. The further from round, generally speaking, the lower the value. That being said, some of the most interesting pearls are not round! Some more shapes of pearls are: Keshi, Coin, Mabe, Near Round/Potato, Biwa, and Feather.
Pearl Terminology:

Spherical pearls - Round or near round.

Symmetrical - Pearls that look the same on each side if you divided them in half.

Baroque - Irregularly shaped pearls. There are several sub divisions of baroque. Please see the Stats section of the listings for particulars.
Size is Measured in millimeters, with larger pearls typically being more valuable.

Color

White is the universal color. In Asia & the USA pink-white is the ultimate. Other favored natural colors are pink, golden pink, lavender, purple, black, etc.
Many pearls are enhanced with permanent dyes, irradiation and other treatments. Some dying processes can take up to 3 years of treatment to produce.
Dyed pearls usually have a lesser value than those with natural colors.
GIA classifies pearl color as having 3 characteristics:
Body color - The dominant overall color of a pearl.

Overtone - One or more translucent colors that appear over a pearl's body color.

Orient - Iridescent, rainbow colors shimmering on or just below a pearl's surface.

Surface quality

The Surface quality is the evenness of the pearls surface, with no undulating undercurrents to distract the eye. The Gemological Institue Of America classifies this into 4 categories:
Clean - Virtually blemish free
Lightly Blemished - Minor surface irregularities
Moderately Blemished - Noticeable surface irregularities
Heavily Blemished - Many obvious surface irregularities

Luster

Luster is the most important quality in evaluating the beauty of a pearl. The iridescence, the life of the pearl, the shimmer, glow, and the luminosity of the pearl all come together here. Luster is closely related to orient. GIA has 4 categories for luster:

Excellent - reflections are bright and pinpoint sharp
Good - reflections are bright but not as sharp, slightly matte finish
Fair - reflections are hazy and blurred
Poor - reflections are diffused and appear chalky and dull

Origin

Where the pearls are from, with certain regions known for producing higher-quality pearls.
Major pearl producing areas are currently Japan, China, French Polynesia, Australia, Hawaii, and the Persian Gulf.

Type

Types of pearls are:
Freshwater, grown in rivers, streams and lakes. Most of these are grown in China, with the exception of Kasumi pearls from Japan.
Saltwater, grown in warm salt water regions of the world each with different characteristics and color tendencies.

Nacre Quality

Nacre Quality is the thickness and quality,smoothness and luster of the pearl's nacre (outer layers).