How to commission a bespoke piece of jewellery

Would you like me to create a unique piece of jewellery for you?

People have many reasons for commissioning an original piece. You may want to mark a special occasion such as an anniversary or life milestone; to commemorate a particular person; or just to treat yourself.  You might have a very specific idea of what you want, or you might need to discuss it at length. I am going to assume that if you choose me to make your unique piece of jewellery it’s because you like my work and want something in that style – sculptural, sinuously curved, made from flat metal sheet, without straight lines, flat surfaces or sharp corners; with or without stones.

 In any case, the first step is to contact me. Please fill in this online form, with as much information as you can. Once I have the information you have given, we will need to discuss designs. It would be really helpful if you can send me sketches of what you want, or images of things you like which we could use as a starting point. Please note I do not copy other people’s designs; this is intellectual property theft and not something I would want done to me! All makers put a lot of time, effort and heart into their designs and it not only hurts us financially but emotionally too if we are copied.

We would also need to discuss budget. Obviously the design eventually chosen will depend on how much you can afford to pay, not only in terms of materials but also the time taken by both the consultation/communication process and the making process. As a rough guide, a unique piece will probably cost at least twice as much as a comparable piece which I produce “off the peg”. Use of materials such as gold or precious stones will push the price much higher. I am very happy to repurpose heirloom jewellery and use the metal and/or stones, which would obviously limit the cost. (I am not equipped to work with platinum, which requires specialised equipment.) At this stage, any price given is an estimate.

You will need to give me a deadline – a realistic one! In general you need to allow between 8 and 16 weeks for the process from start to finish. This may vary depending on the time of year. In the three months or so before Christmas I will have a lot of other work on; probably not so much in the spring. I can’t make you that special Christmas present if you don’t contact me until the beginning of December! There are other considerations such as hallmarking and plating which will add to the time taken. Silver over 7.78g must be hallmarked by law, as must gold over 1g; to get items hallmarked overnight (“early hall”) is much more expensive than the normal process, which can take a fortnight or more, depending on the time of year. Gold plating normally takes a week to ten days; again, in the approach to Christmas this tends to increase.

Before I start making I will need a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the (estimated) price to cover the cost of materials and any design/consultation work done in the event that you change your mind and decide to cancel. Cancellations must be made in writing and agreed by me before a piece is returned.

Depending on the nature of the piece, fittings may be needed – most obviously for rings, but scale matters for other pieces too; what looks delicate on one person may appear too bold on another.

Here are some examples of the sort of piece that I might make bespoke. These were not commissions, but show what sort of thing is possible. (They include the image at the top of this page.) There is an actual case study of a commission, showing the process from start to finish, on my page "Commission case study: a bespoke brooch in sterling silver".