As a sales associate and designer, I’ve never viewed custom jewelry as intimidating – until recently. We held a pendant contest last month on Facebook asking people to select 1 of 4 stones and design a pendant of their choice. The most likes would WIN! They would receive the stone, a custom consultation with one of our designers and $1200 toward the completion of the design. There was so much buzz around the contest! Customers and friends were excited about the potential of winning a completed piece BUT submissions were not flowing in as expected. I couldn’t grasp it…a free necklace and stone designed your way!
It became obvious people were intimidated. The same fears came up: “I can’t draw” or “my design concept isn’t complete.” It was clear we needed to do something or end up with a complete marketing flop! So, we threw an impromptu “sip and sketch” evening at the store. We invited our customers, we sipped sparkling wine, discussed designs and assisted with their concepts and the submissions began to flow in. So, with this process it dawned on me that many people have never created their own piece of jewelry and it’s time to take away the mystery and misconceptions of custom design.
“I don’t have enough money for custom design.”
It’s true, with enough time and money just about anything is possible. But we understand budgets and
are able to create jewelry that fits your parameters. There are money saving shortcuts like ordering a standard mounting so we aren’t starting from scratch. We call this a partial custom design. We can also change the metal or use beautiful lab created stones to cut cost without diminishing quality or style. If there is a way to keep cost down without impacting quality, we will find it.
Often, we are asked to redesign or repurpose a customer’s existing outdated piece. This can be very cost effective if you are still able to use the stones. Let us do what we do best! A consultation doesn’t cost you a dime and you can leave our store with a better grasp of the options available to you.
“I’m not creative and wouldn’t even know where to begin. I can’t draw and I have no idea what I like.”
We hear this time and time again. The truth is you don’t need to be creative to design a gorgeous piece of jewelry. You do need to know the particular elements that you like or don’t like. Often, it’s this frustration in not finding all the elements you like in one piece that leads our customers to custom design. We also take into consideration elements such as lifestyle and fashion preferences. Don’t worry…we’ve done this a time or two!
“It’s too time consuming.”
Depending on the amount of actual custom work we are doing, most custom jobs take about 4 -6 weeks. This includes design meetings, sketching, CAD designs and at times a wax mold. In comparison, it isn’t uncommon for a new item to take up to 8 weeks to be sent in from a manufacturer. You want to love your jewelry so don’t just buy the one in the showcase because it’s available. Create and purchase the item you absolutely adore that truly reflects your style.
“What if I don’t like the finished product?”
It would be highly unlikely that you aren’t 100% happy with your custom piece as you are a part of the design process every step of the way. We only approve the work per your request. However, if the custom design isn’t to your liking we are here and willing to work through the process until we get it right.
So there you have it: custom design is not as intimidating as you might think! Stop by Argo & Lehne today to see how we can help you create a piece of jewelry as unique as you are.
