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.

Watch Us Make This Big-Ass Black Diamond Ring

Hey. How's it going?

Before The Whittle Master and I started this jewelry business I had no idea about what actually went into creating a ring. It's some seriously crazy shit. Sometimes I'll stand and watch him work on something and be completely baffled by the amount of patience and skill making this stuff takes.

Recently we were blessed with the task of creating a really badass 5ct black diamond engagement ring, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to document the process from start to finish so that you guys can get a little insight on how it goes down around here.

I think it's pretty amazing to watch the raw materials transform. Check out the video below to experience the magic.

So..what do you think? Pretty cool, right?

Have a jewelry idea that you'd like to see us bring to life? Contact us to get started!

And if you enjoyed this post please share with you friends on social media. And be sure to follow us on Instagram @gemsteady

 We are a small business and your likes, follows, and feedback are greatly appreciated! Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxoxo,

Brittany C.

Wanna Win Some FREE Gem Steady?

Hey friends!

Thanks for stopping by today.  

We were so stoked to celebrate the arrival of 2017, and are pumped about everything this year has in store! We have lots of great collections, expansions, and giveaways in the works for Gem Steady and we are so thrilled to have you along for the ride!

Right now we are preparing to host our most exciting giveaway to date. But before the contest begins we need your help with something....

The Whittle Master and I really need your help to reach our goal of 5,000 followers on Instagram... Will you help us get there?

I'll tell you how in just a moment, but before we get to that part I wanna tell you what's in it for you!

When we reach our goal of 5k we are going to give one lucky follower a custom made ring created especially for them!

As soon as we reach 5,000 followers on our Instagram page @gemsteady we will host a contest and let one lucky person choose from the black onyx gems pictured above! That's right, guys and gals! You could win a custom made pear, heart, or emerald cut ring designed and crafted just for you and your style mind!

Here's some ideas I was playing around with just for fun :)

Ok. Now that you're all pumped up and jazzin' for this giveaway; here's what you can do to help us reach 5,000 followers!!!......

1. Make sure you're following @gemsteady on Instagram.

2. Tag a few friends in your favorite photos on our page and ask them to follow @gemsteady, and make sure you turn on our IG notifications so you don't miss any contest updates!

3. Share this blog post with your friends on social media and tell them all about this giveaway!

4. Keep your eyes peeled for when we hit the 5k mark! That is when we will announce the giveaway!

We cannot wait to reach our goal of 5k on Instagram, and we cannot wait to make one lucky winner a totally customized ring designed and created by the Gem Steady team!

Thanks for reading and please share! share! share!

XOXO,

-Brittany C.

An Engagement Ring Story. Turquoise Edition.

We love making engagement rings....

It's obviously a huge honor taking part in the union of holy matrimony for so many people. What makes this task even better, is the fact that our clients kick-ass and always have extremely original designs in mind. I also really enjoy seeing how excited a lot of these guys are to surprise their girlfriends. Being in on so many secrets is a duty I serve with pride. 

By the time I post this blog my old pal from college will have already popped the question. I'm going to go ahead and assume everything went as planned and cut right to the ring.

"Green turquoise to match her eyes." he said.

Being an avid outdoorsman, and more than a touch on the 'hippie'side; a plain ole traditional engagement ring was just not going to cut it. This ring needed to be a combination of raw elegance and organic beauty, so we decided to go with an organic shaped turquoise with a diamond band.

The next order of duty was to hunt down our perfect turquoise specimen. Lucky for me I had a local source with PLENTY to choose from. I rooted through a nice big pile and selected a handful I thought were best for the project at hand.

Here we have our four finalist. It was a close call in my book, but our groom-to-be quickly chose number 1, so number 1 it was.

I noticed after the fact that his selection looked almost exactly like the generic picture I sketched up when we were first discussing the design. Yes. This was drawn BEFORE I went turquoise shopping. So crazy that I choose a completely organic piece that just happened to mimic the same shape as my drawing. And I didn't even realize at the time. I guess that means my magical powers are getting stronger. Right?

We kept the general feel of the sketch above, but decided to nix the full halo in favor of only a sprinkling of diamonds scattered about the prongs. 

Wanna see how this little green and bling beauty came out? Watch the video below to see the finished product :)

Did you enjoy todays Engagement Ring Story? Tell us in the comments below. Wanna keep up with the latest and greatest happenings at Gem Steady? Great! Please like, follow, and share us on social media.

Thanks for joining us today. We look forward to seeing you again soon. 

xoxo-

Brittany C.