How To Work With A Custom Jeweler

So. You're thinking about having something nice made for yourself or someone you love, eh? That's great! Getting a piece of custom made jewelry can be really exciting! It's also a great way add personal touches to your future heirloom! But where do you start? Today I want to break down the process of having a piece of jewelry made from start to finish and offer some tips! I hope this will guide will help you feel more confident and informed to make buying your special piece a joyful experience!

Before we start I thought it would be important to add that not all jewelers go about custom orders the same way. This is how we work here at Gem Steady, but some of these points may not always apply. It's best to ask what the policies are up front when you are working with someone else :)

1.Get it touch! The first thing you should do when you're thinking about having something made is to contact your jeweler (Gem Steady hopefully ;)! Don't be shy. This is our job. We WANT to help you design the perfect jewel. I've had people tell me time and time again that they 'didn't want to bother me' or were afraid to get in touch because they didn't know exactly what they wanted. Please don't ever be afraid to get in touch. You are never a bother, and we always look forward to helping you navigate your options to figure out a design that is just right for you!

You can never get started too early either! Our turn around times can vary depending on the time of year and specifics of your design. Since all of our custom pieces are hand fabricated from scratch we usually require 6-8weeks for production. Possibly longer if you are having specialty diamonds or gemstones sourced and custom faceted for your design. 

Moral of the story: Don't wait to start on your piece. The sooner you get started the better.

2. Provide examples. If you have photos of things that you like or styles that you attracted to, by all means, send them my way! Any details you can provide on shape, size, color, metal, etc are helpful. Also any information about lifestyle or how you (or the person you're buying for) plans on wearing this piece are helpful too. Will this be something you wear everyday? Only on special occasions? Are you hard on your hands? Tend to like things more on the dainty side? This is all good info to have. Spare no details! We understand that you may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of diamonds, gemstones, and metal types. We can walk you through the options that may be right for you.

3.Know your budget. Even if it's a ballpark range. Knowing your budget makes it SO much easier to design and source the materials that are right for you. If your budget changes that's totally ok. We can give you options in a wide range and explain the differences in each. It's always helpful to have an initial starting point though :)

4.Design and sourcing fees. To better serve our clients I often ask for a small fee before I start to design a piece of jewelry or source diamonds and gemstones on their behalf. This fee shows me that you are serious about moving forward with your piece once everything is in place, covers time spent working on your design, and gives me confidence when I ask my suppliers to source specialty stones. Please note that this fee is charged on a case by case basis. If we have worked together before or your design is pretty straight forward and does not require specialty sourcing it may not be required. This is something we can determine in our initial consultation. 

5. Getting started! Once we've nailed your design and you've given the OK it's time to make it official! I will write up an official invoice and description of the design being made along with payment information and balances. We generally take a 50% deposit to get started on your custom piece of jewelry with the remaining balance due upon completion of your piece. If you prefer to pay in full up front then rad! We can figure out the best method of payment for you when the time comes (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc..) We even offer financing if you want to 'buy now and pay later'. Once you've sealed the deal with your deposit we will keep you updated periodically on the progress of your new piece. You may even catch a glimpse of it being made in our Instagram stories!

As an end note here I think it's important to add that if at any time during the design period you decide not to move forward with having your custom piece of jewelry made please let us know. We understand that things come up personally or financially and sometimes there's even just a change of heart. Rather than ghosting out, it is always appreciated when you let us know that you will no longer be moving forward. I promise no hard feelings. 

Thanks so much for joining me here today. I hope these tips and break down of the design process were helpful. If you have anything to add or have more questions please leave them in the comment section below! And if you're ready to start designing a custom ring of your very own then get in touch! CONTACT me here

If you enjoyed this post or know someone who might benefit from the information provided please click the links below to share on social media!

XO,

-Brittany C.

Citrine. My Old Faithful.

When I first started getting into gemstones citrine was one that I was immediately drawn to. I was ravenous about learning the properties of each stone, and the metaphysics of citrine really spoke my language. 

Happy yellow citrine is known as a powerful cleanser and is said to harness the power of the sun and dissolve negative energy. 

One of the most alluring things I learned while researching is that citrine is considered a 'stone of abundance'  and helps to manifest and attract wealth and prosperity. Upon reading this fact I immediately made it a point to acquire as much citrine as possible. I'd carry citrine in my wallet. Put citrine in the money corner of my house according to the rules of feng shui, and wore as much citrine jewelry as I could get my hands on.

Above is the massive citrine cocktail ring my babe made for me a couple of years ago. I still wear it pretty much daily (although I've considered having it undergo a makeover.) I love this ring. The emerald cut stone is just a few points shy of 25cts. You can definitely tell it's one of our older style cocktail rings, but it's got a timeless kind of gaudy that never gets old.

Let's reminisce on some more citrine from the Gem Steady archives, shall we..... 

Verde Citrine and Garnet Cocktail Ring

Citrine Garnet and Black Spinel Cocktail Ring

Citrine, Kyanite, and Pink Topaz Earrings

Emerald Cut Citrine Ring

Citrine and Tanzanite All Seeing Eye Ring

What's your favorite gemstone? Do you love citrine as much as I do? Do metaphysical characteristics influence your decision about the jewelry you buy and wear? I'd love to hear about your favorites in the comments below.

Want a piece of jewelry made just for you? Contact us today to get started. We can choose the perfect piece of citrine or any other gem to suit your particular style and needs.

Thanks for tuning into today's blog. Don't forget to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest happening at Gem Steady!

xoxo-

Brittany C.

She Said 'YES!'- A Custom Engagement Story

It's a couple months shy of our official three year Gem Steady jewel-versary. I even can't begin to describe how stoked I am about how far we've come in such a short span of time. 

I think one of the things we're most proud and honored to create are our custom engagement rings and wedding jewelry. We have been seriously blessed with the best clients out there, who let us run wild with their ideas. Our clients are insanely hip, free spirited, and hella stylish. They want their jewels to be completely original and unapologetically 'them'.

Our brides and grooms want a ring that is as unique as their love and the lives that they've vowed to share with each other.  

The ring I am going to share with you today has had me seriously mesmerized. 

It all began when our lovely groom-to-be contacted us via email with a few photos of gemstones, designs, and shapes he liked. He expressed interest in a marquise shape, loved the organic inclusions of lodolite quartz, thought some ombre colored halo detailing would be a nice touch, and of course-diamonds....

Here's the initial design I sent him.

Luckily our vibes were in sync and he loved the design right off the bat. We decided on a marquise shape lodolite quartz as the center stone, black-silver-and white diamond ombre halo with a white diamond band, all set in white gold.

If you're not familar with what lodolite quartz is, it's clear quartz crystal with all kinds of wonderful mineral inclusions inside. This comes in a variety of colors and patterns. No piece is exactly alike. Perfect for our one of a kind fiance-to-be. Lodolite is not a common gem to work with and to get the perfect size and shape we needed I asked our good friend Kurt Card of Foothills Gems to custom facet a piece for us.

                       Custom Faceted Lodolite Quartz by Kurt Card of Foothills Gems

After we received the center stone from Kurt that's when the real party started. Here are some production shots The Whittle Master took as he was building the ring...

          Tracing the base of the setting onto 14k white gold sheet before cutting out.

These pieces of 14k white gold will be melted down and turned into wire to create the band and setting for lots of diamonds to be set into.

              Mapping out our diamond placement. Some of them were as small as .75mm!                          

This was one of our most fun pieces to create and definitely one of most detailed and intricate to date. Check out the video below for the final product.

What did you think of this engagement ring story? Did you love seeing how we brought this design to life? Leave us a comment below and tell us about your dream ring. And please use the share tab at the bottom of this post to share this story on Facebook, Twitter, or email it to a friend or significant other.

Are you going to be in the market for an engagement ring soon? Or maybe you're just in need of an update or addition to your current jewelry collection? Whatever the occasion is; we would love to design something one of a kind just for you. Contact us by clicking this link, or emailing brittanyc@gemsteady.com. Not a fan of email? That's ok! You can call Brittany directly or text from outside the U.S. using whatsapp at 859-609-1083.