Frequently Asked Questions
“How does the custom design process work?”
“Can you help me find a diamond that is conflict-free?”
“Do you do jewelry appraisals?”
“Do you guarantee your work?”
“Can you duplicate this item I found on the internet?”
“Do you reset gems from old settings?”
“Can you melt down my old jewelry and make me something new out of it?”
"Where does your gold come from?"
“How does the custom design process work?”
The custom design process is not for everyone, as it requires a leap of faith to believe in the beauty of something that does not yet exist. But for those with a sense of adventure and imagination, the process great fun for both client and goldsmith, and will result in a piece of jewelry unlike any other.
Successful custom design relies on the abilities of both the client and the craftsman to articulate his or her vision. We start by asking a lot of questions and learning about your tastes and preferences, lifestyle, favorite things and activities. Perhaps there is a story you wish to tell through the piece. Some clients bring other favorite pieces of jewelry, sketches, photos, artifacts from past travels, lace from an old wedding dress… the sources of inspiration are limitless.
Next, we get concrete by showing you several finished pieces from our gallery and/or pieces in process in our workshop, to provide examples of different setting techniques, colors of metal, scale, form and mechanisms.
We discuss the wide variety of options in metals and gemstones, showing you examples from our showcases and our loose gem collection. Going back and forth between vision and object, we can usually narrow down the project to two or three possible ways to realize the vision.
So that we may be able to give you our undivided attention, appointments for design consultations are preferred, though not required, and are free of charge.
Next comes the design phase. At this point, the custom design process usually takes one of two avenues: either we are creating a customized variation of a design we have made before--a mosaic ring with an assortment of fancy colored sapphires instead of diamonds, for instance--or a truly original piece with no similar precedent, such as a neckpiece depicting the floor plan of a family’s beloved vacation retreat. (Yes, really.)
Fresh from the consultation interview, we retreat to our studio to distill the information down to two or three design options which will best achieve the goals of the client. We create to-scale, hand-drawn color renderings of the finished pieces as we envision them. Concurrently, we search for and procure any loose gemstones to be included in the piece. When you arrive for your second consultation, you will be presented with our sketches, a collection of stones to consider, and price quotes for each design.
Drawings and price quotes for variations on work seen in our gallery are provided free of charge. For truly novel projects, we may request a $200 nonrefundable design fee to generate a complex set of drawings, several design options, and/or a wax or silver model of the piece In some cases, this charge may be applied to the total price of the project.
Once a design is approved by the client, a one-third deposit of the total estimated price is required to begin work. A completion date is set, usually 4-6 weeks from the date of deposit, and the balance is due upon delivery. Working times less than four weeks are possible, but please be aware that handcrafting takes time, and we will not sacrifice quality for speed.
Please contact us to discuss your custom jewelry design needs and vision.
“Can you help me find a diamond that is conflict-free?”
Fairbank and Perry Goldsmiths enjoys long-standing relationships with a select few diamond and colored gem dealers, all of whom adhere to strict ethical codes in the sourcing of their goods. Our diamond suppliers have provided us with written confirmation of their compliance with the Kimberley Process, a United Nations-mandated program which guards against the entry of conflict diamonds into the legitimate diamond trade. Therefore, we firmly believe that every diamond we make available to our clients for purchase comes from conflict-free sources
For those clients seeking further reassurance, we offer certified Canadian diamonds of most shapes and sizes. These diamonds are traceable from the mine through all stages of cutting and polishing, until they reach our hands. They are laser inscribed and accompanied by certificates of origin.
For more information on the Kimberley Process, we recommend visiting www.diamondfacts.org.
“Do you do jewelry appraisals?”
Fairbank and Perry Goldsmiths provides written evaluations upon request for jewelry made by us and sold in our gallery. We do not perform appraisals on jewelry made or purchased elsewhere. We can, however, recommend others who offer this service.
“Do you guarantee your work?”
All of the jewelry we sell, whether made by us or by one of the artists we represent, is guaranteed against defects in materials or craftsmanship. Should an item fail at any time due to a defect in its construction or metal, we will repair or replace it at no charge.
This guarantee does not protect against normal or excessive wear, loss, or abuse. Although well-made fine jewelry can last for years without incident, precious metals do abrade over time, and gemstones--even diamonds--can break.
Jewelry is not maintenance-free. We strongly encourage you to bring in your jewelry at least once a year for a complimentary cleaning and inspection. At that time, we can assess the condition of your jewelry and recommend any repairs before further damage or loss occurs. Repair costs are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Please be aware that some matte finishes, especially those applied to rings, are not permanent and will transform over time into a burnished patina with its own charm. Satin and brushed finishes can be reapplied, but will result in the removal of small amounts of metal each time, and so frequent refinishing is not recommended.
“Can you duplicate this item I found on the internet?”
As designer goldsmiths focused on producing original work, we will not duplicate designs found on the internet or in other stores. Those pieces should be purchased directly from the producer, both to ensure that copyright laws are respected and that the customer gets exactly what he or she wants.
However, we have considered photos and web images brought to us by potential clients as a starting point for the design process. During the design consultation, we discuss with the client specific attributes of the piece that are appealing and can be incorporated into an original design. For instance, we may identify a particular style of stone setting or surface texture that the client desires for the new piece. In this way, a piece of jewelry seen outside of our shop serves to inform the design process rather that direct it.
If the idea of this type of journey intrigues you, we urge you to visit the shop and speak directly to one of us about the many possibilities attainable through custom jewelry design.
"Do you reset gems from old settings?"
Yes! Clients regularly come in with jewelry they have inherited, or simply had for a long time, of a design that does not suit their personal style. Often the piece is too sentimentally valuable to consider selling, yet it seems such a waste to let it languish in a jewelry box unworn. Other times, customers come back from a trip with a loose gem they purchased while abroad, and would like it to be the focus of a new ring or pendant. These are all cases full of potential for creating new treasured items that will be worn and admired daily.
We begin by asking questions and listening to the client's vision for the stone. We show examples from the diverse array of finished jewelry in our shop, as well as portfolios of past work, to identify setting styles, shapes, textures, dimensions. After this discussion, the client may decide on a variation of a piece we have created before, customized to accept her stones. Another option is to follow two or three design directions into the sketching and/or modeling phase, before the final decision is made. Either way, our goal is to give new life to gems that tell the unique history of the wearer.
Once in a while, we will decline to reset gems based on their condition, for instance if we suspect a high probablitlty that unsetting and restting the gem will result in breakage. Similarly, we may not use smaller diamonds and colored gems that are poorly cut in settings that require well-proportioned stones. During the initial consultation, we will carefully inspect the gemstones in relation to the type of piece to be designed and judge their suitability on a case-by-case basis.
“Can you melt down my old jewelry and make me something new out of it?”
There is a limited range of designs that can be executed successfully by melting down finished jewelry. Considerations from a craftsmanship standpoint include the unknown composition of the alloy and therefore the unpredictability of its working properties. Due to these unknowns, we very seldom will create a new piece directly from the previous piece. In the rare cases that we do, those designs tend to be very simple and rustic in nature. Furthermore, the settings for the gems often must be remade.
That said, we frequently reset clients' gemstones in new pieces of jewelry--for instance in a custom pendant--using gold and platinum that we purchase specifically for that purpose. This allows us to control the quality, amount and dimensions of our starting materials, thereby ensuring that the result is as excellent as we expect it to be. We then offer a credit toward the purchase price determined by the refined value of the old settings. This means your old settings would be included in our next scheduled shipment of scrap metal to be refined and recycled by a precious metals refiner. The amount of the credit you receive would depend upon the market price for gold and platinum at the time of delivery of your order.
"Where does your gold come from?"
We are often asked this question, and also about the wider issue of the impact our work has on the environment. People are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that every purchasing decision is an opportunity to put our beliefs and values into practice, by supporting businesses who share our concerns and follow an enlightened decision-making process.
Because we understand the devastating impact the mining industry has on the environment, we use only recycled precious metals in our jewelry. We purchase gold, platinum, palladium and silver exclusively from a precious metals refiner. The refiner has the capacity to extract the pure metals from scrap bits generated by the jewelry making trade, then realloy them into stock of consistently high quality. Purchasing this recycled material ensures that no freshly mined metals are used in our fabrication process. The result is a jewel that is treasured not only for its inherent beauty, but also for its contribution to the effort to conserve energy, preserve habitat, and protect the health of the earth's inhabitants.
Furthermore, we encourage our clients to recycle their old, unwanted jewelry through us, in return for credit toward a new piece. Though the metal in their old jewelry won't be used for the new design, it will be made available for the pool of recycled metals, and ultimately be used to create the next generation of heirlooms. Small scale goldsmiths, like ourselves, have been involved in this regenerating circle for centuries. That said, it is not such a stretch to imagine that a tiny part of the gold contained in one of our rings was present in an artifact from ancient Egypt!