I mention a lot on this blog how much I love making custom pieces. The eels aesthetic works so well for unique and interesting personalised jewellery and because each piece is hand-made, it is so easy to work with clients to customise something for them. I thought I’d make the process of commissioning a custom piece as transparent as possible to make you feel comfortable contacting me to chat about your idea! So here’s how I usually go about it.
- Send me an email! eelsjewellery@gmail.com. Just introduce yourself and tell me in your own words what kind of piece you are looking for. Is it a gift? Have you seen a picture on my blog/facebook site that is similar to what you want? What sort of material/colours do you like? Do you want a custom illustration? Deer/snake/peony/telephone...? And when is your deadline?
- I will respond, usually within 2 days, with a few options. If your request is pretty straight forward, I might be able to give you a quote straight away. For custom illustrations (a picture I haven’t scrimshanded before!) I will do some sketches for you to approve. Depending on the complexity of the drawing, I may need to charge a drawing fee.
- Emails may go back and forth until we’re both clear about what I will be making for you. At this point, I will officially quote you, email a commission agreement and ask for a 50% deposit. The commission agreement will include the deadline for the work and any other details specific to your piece. I usually take the deposit via direct EFT but will also accept paypal payments.
- Depending on the complexity of the piece, I may send you update photos or sketches, but usually I will just post the piece out to you when it’s ready! You can pay the remaining 50% when you receive the piece. NB. Most custom pieces are usually priced not much higher than my regular retail prices and you are under no obligation to pay anything until I give you an official quote and commission agreement.
It really is an easy process and could be as fast as 1-2 weeks from initial contact to delivery, depending on the piece. I hope this has taken some of the mystery out of commissioning custom work. It really is lovely to play a role in such a personal process and I thank all of my existing clients for the opportunity to make such meaningful work! TE x
