Disappointed with custom project

[wolftress]

I recently commissioned a custom project from a designer that I have worked with before. On my previous project I supplied a photo and asked for a few minor tweaks and for the basket to be changed. I was ecstatic with the outcome and this gave me the push to start Project No. 2.

I was a lot more specific with my next project because there were quite a few elements I wanted incorporated in my ring. When the photos arrived, the shank was not tapered as requested so I asked for this to be fixed before posting the ring to me. This was done within a week with no extra cost and minimal fuss, and the ring was sent off. I received it today and I am so disappointed in it. The two key things I had asked for had not been done:

1. The basket should allow a variety of bands to sit flush. I gave the designer the dimensions of my highest band so that all my bands would work with this ring, but even my flattest, plainest band can''t be worn with the ring without a big gap.

2. I asked for the halo to be slightly tilted, not at right angles with the diamond. When the photos arrived, I could see that this had not been done, but figured the designer had a good reason for this. But now that I see the ring in person, the non tilted halo looks too big and clunky on me.

The diamond has also been set very high in the ring and catches on everything. I raised this concern when I first saw the photos but the designer recommended against lowering the stone.

I''m not sure what to do at this point

I have a lot of respect for the designer and feel she does beautiful work, but I think in this project our artistic views did not mesh. I don''t really want to spend any more money on this ring, but I am so disappointed that it is not my dream ring.

Does any one have any advice?

 

[atroop711]

sorry you''re not happy with the outcome. I think you should be honest with her. Tell her that the ring isn''t exactly what you asked for. Why should you stay with a ring you aren''t happy with? You shouldn''t. Discuss the changes with her and hopefully they can be done without an added cost OR at least for a minimal cost.

I hope it works out.

 

[loveloveloveit]

I do agree - I put up with a custom made ring for a while and although I raised my concerns, I didn''t push the issue at the time and in the end it cost me a LOT of money to get the whole thing remade a year later, not through that jeweller because I didn''t really feel she would do it justice. She had made me one previous ring as well and the workmanship was excellent, but design wise she added in a few of her own ideas that I didn''t really want but couldn''t be changed. So, I think you have to speak up now ... and perhaps get a second opinion too. someone else might give you a reasonable explanation of why things were done a certain way and then you may feel more comfortable with it.

 

[amyjokerette]

I''m sorry this happened, you shouldn''t settle until you are happy with your ring...

Can you post photos?

 

[Circe]

It sounds like a lot of the subtle details that you asked for, loud and clear, somehow got lost in translation. That is on the designer, and not on you: it is her *job* to take those things into account. Tweak this entry, e-mail it to her, and let''s hope she''s chagrined and apologetic and reaaaaaaaal quick to fix it ....

 

[oneandahalfrock]

I''d still like to see a picture- though I don''t blame you if you want to wait until your project is perfect... I have to agree, it does sound like a lot of little details were lost along the way.
Much luck and I hope you get your dream ring soon!

 

[elle_chris]

I would let her know how you feel. She may be able to modify some aspects of it without charging you. It doesn''t hurt to ask.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I agree that you should contact the designer directly. I know it is not a comfortable conversation to have, but you should be very direct about your concerns and see what she suggests. I am sure that she would like you to be happy with this piece. Also, I think it can sometimes be difficult to convey exactly what we are looking for via e-mails and drawings, which is how I assume communications occurred here (i.e., no face-to-face conversations.) Sometimes it takes a little more time to get things just right.

Also, I really don''t think you need to post photos if you are not comfortable doing so. It is enough that you are not happy with the piece. I also would not feel comfortable posting photos of a piece, if I was not happy with the way it turned out. This is really an issue between you and the designer at this point.

Good luck.

 

[wolftress]

Thank you for all your advice. I think the hardest part of this whole process is that I really do enjoy working with this designer and she does beautiful, ornate work. I feel that it is partially my fault for giving a halo project to a designer who doesn''t really work on halos.

I''ve posted some photos in the Lotus thread on SMTR but they don''t really show the height of the stone. There is nothing wrong with the workmanship of the ring... it is beautifully polished and finished. But it is not quite what I asked for

The designer informed me that it would cost an extra $85 to lower the diamond. I have a few options here: 1. Keep the ring as it is and set a semi precious stone in it; 2. Send it back and pay the extra to fix one issue but still not be able to wear the ring with my bands; 3. Get the diamond lowered locally (for less money) and risk damaging the prongs.

From looking at the basket, I think it would have to be completely re-worked to sit flush but would love some opinions on this.

Thank you again to everyone for the support and advice!

 

[marcy]

I looked at your ring on the other thread. It does look very pretty. If you are like me you will never be quite happy with it until it gets fixed the way you wanted it to be. Do you have your original request/instructions? If so, I would push back at getting things fixed at no charge. If you have to pay, you have to pay but I would want it fixed. Good luck.

 

[Laila619]

Aww, so sorry that happened wolftress.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I think it is wise to pair a potential ring with the right designer. You can love a designer and love their work, and still some pieces don''t belong in their hands for whatever reason. I think it is natural for designers to say hey I can stretch myself and take this on and learn from it and add to my portfolio of things I can do - so I think it''s good to look at these portfolios and try to identify who is good at what exactly. This really isn''t meant as a criticism of you, it is actually a reflection on choices I''ve made for myself that are similar. I sympathize with you. I don''t think you should be charged more for having it done correctly, but you should go over what you sent to the designer and see if you really covered all of your bases. I think in the long run the designer would be happier with a happy PS customer than $85 richer. But I of course cannot speak for them lol

 

[D&T]

oooh sweetie! I so know what you mean! I really hope that you can get this resolved, it''s so hard to work long distance sometimes and online to convey what you wanted.

 

[wolftress]

Thank you to everyone for your opinions and advice.

Cehra, your cushion project came to mind when I was thinking about various PS custom jobs that turned out beautifully, but was not exactly what the customer had in mind. I was hoping you would chime in with your thoughts.

D&T the saddest thing is how difficult it was to go back to the designer and tell her I was unhappy with the end product because she is such a lovely person!

I emailed the designer yesterday and detailed what I thought had gone wrong with the project and she got back to me very quickly with an apologetic email that she had misinterpreted some of my instructions, and had tweaked the basket to make it lower because she knew from us working together previously that I dislike high baskets. But the low basket has resulted in none of my bands sitting flush with the ring.

She was very polite and professional, but the sad news is that it looks like I will substantially out of pocket if I want the ring to be fixed to look the way I had originally wanted. I understand this because her original quote was extremely low and this project ended up taking a lot more time on the bench than she had originally anticipated. But I don''t think I can afford to put much more money into fixing this ring. I wish I had asked to see sketches before proceeding with creation. This is my second custom project and I think because the first one went so smoothly with minimal input on my part apart from the initial instructions, I figured this one would as well.

I think I will have to chalk it up to experience and hopefully it won''t cost too much to make it look the way I imagined.

 

[packrat]

Aw, Wolftress, I''m so sorry it didn''t turn out the way you''d wanted! I hope it''s not too much of an extra expense to have it fixed!

 

[Cehrabehra]

(((hugs)))

 

[wolftress]

I have a happy update! I received two emails from the designer today. The first one had a quote to re-work my ring completely, and I thought the quote was quite reasonable considering how many hours of benchwork it would take. I went back to her to thank her for keeping the quote so low, and she came back later in the day saying she and her team had decided to take on the cost of redoing my ring. I am shocked and so humbled by this! They are going to melt down my ring and completely re-do it to make it perfect.

Thank you to everyone who pushed me to go back to the designer and discuss my concerns. This is an amazing outcome. I am still going to contribute towards fixing the ring as I feel bad knowing how much work will go into remaking my ring. I am so excited and relieved

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi Wolftress,

Glad to hear that everything is being worked out with this project. I did check the other thread and saw the photos that you had posted there. Would you by chance have any photos that you can post from the top-view? I''d love to see what the halo looks like with the lotus.

Thank you!

 

[D&T]

Date: 9/9/2009 6:45:17 AM
Author: wolftress
I have a happy update! I received two emails from the designer today. The first one had a quote to re-work my ring completely, and I thought the quote was quite reasonable considering how many hours of benchwork it would take. I went back to her to thank her for keeping the quote so low, and she came back later in the day saying she and her team had decided to take on the cost of redoing my ring. I am shocked and so humbled by this! They are going to melt down my ring and completely re-do it to make it perfect.

Thank you to everyone who pushed me to go back to the designer and discuss my concerns. This is an amazing outcome. I am still going to contribute towards fixing the ring as I feel bad knowing how much work will go into remaking my ring. I am so excited and relieved

yay! great news sweetie! glad it worked out, now I''m excited to see what the finished piece will look like

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 9/9/2009 6:45:17 AM
Author: wolftress
I have a happy update! I received two emails from the designer today. The first one had a quote to re-work my ring completely, and I thought the quote was quite reasonable considering how many hours of benchwork it would take. I went back to her to thank her for keeping the quote so low, and she came back later in the day saying she and her team had decided to take on the cost of redoing my ring. I am shocked and so humbled by this! They are going to melt down my ring and completely re-do it to make it perfect.

Thank you to everyone who pushed me to go back to the designer and discuss my concerns. This is an amazing outcome. I am still going to contribute towards fixing the ring as I feel bad knowing how much work will go into remaking my ring. I am so excited and relieved

Wolftress - I''m glad your project is going to be reworked. I agree that you are more likely to be satisfied if you select a designer who specializes in what you are looking for in the first place. But, I''m curious as to why they are melting down the first design. If it isn''t flawed, then someone else might like the design even if you don''t. I have had custom rings remade from scratch before, and the designer simply took back the original and sold it to another customer. This way they were not out any time and money.

Best of luck to you on your redesign project.

 

[Circe]

Now that''s customer service! Good on them.

I did visit the thread to see what I could of the ring, and my interest is piqued! I can''t wait to see more.

 

[wolftress]

Date: 9/9/2009 9:14:28 AM
Author: Loves Vintage
Hi Wolftress,

Glad to hear that everything is being worked out with this project. I did check the other thread and saw the photos that you had posted there. Would you by chance have any photos that you can post from the top-view? I''d love to see what the halo looks like with the lotus.

Thank you!

Hi LV, I have some pics at home so I''ll upload them tonight. It''s very pretty from the top down but I think the best angle is from the side where you can see the lotus design on the basket.

The designer and I have agreed to go with an open basket so it will no longer look the same, but unfortunately it is the only way for the ring to stack.

 

[wolftress]

Date: 9/9/2009 9:33:28 AM
Author: Fly Girl

Date: 9/9/2009 6:45:17 AM
Author: wolftress
I have a happy update! I received two emails from the designer today. The first one had a quote to re-work my ring completely, and I thought the quote was quite reasonable considering how many hours of benchwork it would take. I went back to her to thank her for keeping the quote so low, and she came back later in the day saying she and her team had decided to take on the cost of redoing my ring. I am shocked and so humbled by this! They are going to melt down my ring and completely re-do it to make it perfect.

Thank you to everyone who pushed me to go back to the designer and discuss my concerns. This is an amazing outcome. I am still going to contribute towards fixing the ring as I feel bad knowing how much work will go into remaking my ring. I am so excited and relieved

Wolftress - I''m glad your project is going to be reworked. I agree that you are more likely to be satisfied if you select a designer who specializes in what you are looking for in the first place. But, I''m curious as to why they are melting down the first design. If it isn''t flawed, then someone else might like the design even if you don''t. I have had custom rings remade from scratch before, and the designer simply took back the original and sold it to another customer. This way they were not out any time and money.

Best of luck to you on your redesign project.

Hi Fly Girl. I think this ring has to be melted down because I supplied all the diamonds in the halo and there would be no way to remove all the diamonds for re-setting without mangling the ring. It''s also a very small 2.75 so it''s unlikely that anyone would be able to wear the ring without considerable resizing.

 

[Allison D.]

As a point of interest, most jewelers aren''t able to reuse the ''melted'' metal in the recast; the risk of impurities in the metal is too high.

Instead, they melt it for scrap value which helps to offset the newly casted replacement.

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 9/9/2009 10:13:53 PM
Author: wolftress

Date: 9/9/2009 9:33:28 AM
Author: Fly Girl

Date: 9/9/2009 6:45:17 AM
Author: wolftress
I have a happy update! I received two emails from the designer today. The first one had a quote to re-work my ring completely, and I thought the quote was quite reasonable considering how many hours of benchwork it would take. I went back to her to thank her for keeping the quote so low, and she came back later in the day saying she and her team had decided to take on the cost of redoing my ring. I am shocked and so humbled by this! They are going to melt down my ring and completely re-do it to make it perfect.

Thank you to everyone who pushed me to go back to the designer and discuss my concerns. This is an amazing outcome. I am still going to contribute towards fixing the ring as I feel bad knowing how much work will go into remaking my ring. I am so excited and relieved

Wolftress - I''m glad your project is going to be reworked. I agree that you are more likely to be satisfied if you select a designer who specializes in what you are looking for in the first place. But, I''m curious as to why they are melting down the first design. If it isn''t flawed, then someone else might like the design even if you don''t. I have had custom rings remade from scratch before, and the designer simply took back the original and sold it to another customer. This way they were not out any time and money.

Best of luck to you on your redesign project.

Hi Fly Girl. I think this ring has to be melted down because I supplied all the diamonds in the halo and there would be no way to remove all the diamonds for re-setting without mangling the ring. It''s also a very small 2.75 so it''s unlikely that anyone would be able to wear the ring without considerable resizing.

Since you supplied all of the little diamonds, that explains it. I was assuming it was only the center stone. Thank you, wolftress.

Best wishes on your replacement ring!

 

[packrat]

Yay! I''m SO glad there''s a good outcome to this, and I can''t wait to see your new ring!