Are PSers more demanding, our expectations too high?

[Lovinggems]

After reading all the disappointments lately on stone purchases and customer designs. I do wonder whether PSers are more picky, and whether some of the 'demands' are justified.

Before I start participating on PS, I though my ruby pendant was wonderful, now I can see the faults with the bezels, the small window, and that the stone is not as vibrant as I would like it to be, enhancement issues.

My thoughts are that most of our expectations are within reason, I admit that I'm now more 'discerning' then before. Maybe vendors aren't used to this type of customers.

Thoughts?

 

[Indylady]

They probably are more demanding than the average consumer, but probably on par with other jewelry enthusiasts or collectors.

Are their expectations too high? It depends. Sometimes, yes. I see thread where people expect, or at least want, to pay peanuts for a gem that is in reality one that is should be more expensive. And then when they find one that is on sale for peanuts, they're disappointed. In many cases, I think you get what you pay for--we lose sight that fine gems are rare, and also often expensive. That's part of the allure of owning fine jewelry.

Other times, no, their expectations are not too high. In Lavatea's thread, she paid what I consider to be a substantial amount for a sterling silver ring, and in my opinion, it should have been done right since she's paying a fair amount for the labor and craftsmanship involved in the piece.

If an LOGR is not 'perfect', then I don't really expect better--you're paying more for the gold and diamonds involved than the craftsmanship, and that's something to take into consideration.

 

[Stonerocks]

This forum is giving me 2nd thoughts on my 1st online custom ring!
I compare some popular etsy crafted and noticed that they are quoting a rather high price for a mere silver ring!

 

[JewelFreak]

As you gain expertise in any field of collecting you become more discerning. Familiarity w/ market prices for levels of quality should come with that. Remember what deals it felt like you were getting when you first started buying online? Your baseline then was B&M jewelry where you paid the store's overhead. In time, we may forget & our baseline becomes internet pricing -- but we keep the expectation of a bargain. I notice myself doing it.

PS buyers don't seem "picky" to me. They just know what they are looking at re quality. Zillions of posts say, "The cut isn't ideal (or it has a window, etc.), but I could not resist the color!" PSers are even willing to pay more from vendors who support ethical mining than from those who don't, because they understand the business. It's newbies who ask, "Can you help me find a 2-ct. unheated cornflower blue sapphire for $1000?" They learn eventually too.

Settings are a little different. If you pay the premium for a custom job, you're right to expect more. Most of the complaints I see in that regard are due to poor communication, from one side or the other: it isn't as ordered, or the timing is longer than anticipated. If a job is really poorly done, this is definitely the place to say so & let others decide if they agree & want to use the maker. Same for mass-produced settings -- when quality goes downhill, enough postings about it help others avoid disappointment.

If you don't become more particular after being here, you're wasting your time. Also, different attributes of a stone are important to different people -- what one considers a great price, somebody else will think is way too much.

--- Laurie

 

[Pandora II]

Yes!

I think perfection is expected too often - especially for the price that is paid. I also think a lot of very nice stones which are very appropriately priced are ripped apart here on a regular basis.

Once people have been around a fair amount of time they seem to understand that you have to compromise to get what you want at a certain price - and that it probably won't turn up tomorrow.

Have to go and make lunch so finish this later...

On the other hand, I'm pretty picky too.

What I have learnt to do is:

- not compromise on colour (but be realsistic about how the stone will look in different lights depending on type of gemstone and type of lighting).
- enjoy natural inclusions.
- not obsess over every potential micro-window.
- understand that many stones will come with micro-scratches and tiny chips as that is the kind of material it is. If I can't see it without a loupe then I don't worry.

 

[mastercutgems]

LOL; this is so funny and it hits so close to home

I think you all are right in all matters of this subject; as you will all know us cutters are consumers also as we have to buy the rough or poorly cut gems to re-cut or cut to try and sell to the public.

So yes you all are picky but what can I say... I am also

I used to buy mine run when I first started; 10% cuttable 90% fishbowl material... It does not take long to figure out what will cut a good stone and what will not...

I know the rough miners/dealers used to hate to see me coming in some ways as I will pick them apart quite politely; but still it is my hard-earned money buying this stuff and I want my money well spent... But I do spend enough with them that they get over my being picky and everyone is happy at the end of the day... It has to be a give-and-take relationship...

It does not make me cry to have a person return an item for it not being the color they wanted as in other posts that is personal and you do not argue with personal opinions; we as cutters do our best to cut properly, test properly, and try to take an honest photo of the gem . You have the best return policy as one can have and let the chips fall where they may. You do not get upset over another vendor making the sell as that is life we are all here just trying to make a living from our craft...

There is a fine line between being demanding and being educated; just always have a polite disposition and do not settle for less than you desire; but stay in reason of what is real and what is fantasy. I honestly think 99% of the PS shoppers I have dealt with were professional, educated , and realistic. I applaud all those that honestly try to help others educate themselves on colored gems. That is how we all got here; someone tried to help us learn more about the subject and I am thankful to all that lend a hand in true education.

So if being educated is being picky; be picky and make the best purchase you can for yourself; do not let another steal your thunder by not liking the color or mineral you have chosen; remember they have a personal opinion also and it will normally not be the same as yours... Color, cut, and mineral type is also personal and just because one person does not like it does not mean it is wrong for you. Choose for yourself... But be educated in proper price per carat for the said gem mineral... That should be a standard; the rest is just personal preference...



I still love you all; picky or not

Most respectfully;

Dana

 

[marcy]

I think I become more picky all the time. I have about 24 colored stone rings and only wear a few of them because I like the color and cut on them. However one of my favorite rings is a pale pink sapphire with a big window. It's just a pretty gem. I felt picky and knowledgable about gems before I found PS but was uneducated other than the basic 4 C''s on diamonds. Since being here I know my tastes in styles have changed but I still like the same gems I liked before. I have certainly learned many tips and tricks on evaluating gems My wish lists have certainly expanded. My pickiness for diamonds has vastly increased. I had a .81 ct. GIA EX that just wasn't good enough. DH and friends didn't see any issues with it but my previous diamond was a AGS000 and the larger diamond just wasn't as good. I upgraded that diamond in less than 6 months after getting it and now have another diamond I love.

 

[kenny]

When it comes to choosing gems expectations cannot be too high.
What's the downside? . . . You don't buy anything . . . No harm done really.

Then if you still want something you change, yes lower, your expectations.
It's a balancing act I constantly play with my little FCD collection.
Sure, I have high hopes but must adjust my expectations to the reality of what's available and what I can afford.

IMHO, expectations can only be too high when it causes harm, such as with your children or employees.

From a vendor's perspective, again, if expectations are too high a sale does not happen.
No harm done; (s)he still has the gem to sell to another customer.
I guess it would be annoying to ship many gems to a customer who returns everything; then I can see how the vendor would say that customer's expectations are too high.

 

[T L]

I think expectations should be based on the price paid. I would have very high expectations on a piece of jewelry or a gemstone that was very expensive, but not so much on a much more inexpensive piece. I buy a lot of LOGR's and lan.b04's, so while I do have some basic expectations, I don't mind if it's not perfect. The same goes with gemstones. When I see someone spend thousands of dollars on a gem that looks like it's worth hundreds, I get really However, if I see a gem that isn't the best color in the world, but it is pleasant looking and had a fair price, and the buyer is happy, I'm happy for them. To me, that is always a good consumer experience.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I think we're more discerning, but for the most part reasonable in what we expect. And if not, the community usually lets us know we're being a little crazy, haha.

 

[Arcadian]

PSers ARE more demanding, but its because we're more educated than the average consumer. I think that it goes hand in hand tbh.

Now the flipside of that is that there are good and bad things to that education. Some can become TOO picky, others well, they learn what they like, what they don't like, and stay within the niche of what they're ok with.

I also think that at times PSers do alienate vendors. There's a lot we can learn from vendors and that they can learn from us. They learn from us by stocking quality rough and cutting quality stones, we learn from them based on the type of inventory they have to offer.

I've seen some vendors basically get sick of dealing with the group think mentality of PS, and just don't want to deal. It can get nasty here, there's no denying that.

At the end of the day, you have to like what you buy. We are all influenced by outside forces here, Be it the opinions of others or what others have. But I think that we also need to from time to time take a step back and bring it down a notch. What may be perfect one person is mediocre to another and so on.

-A

 

[K9]

It's been said, but I'll reiterate - the more educated you are, the more discerning you are about what you like and what you buy. It's that simple.

I don't believe that means more demanding, I think it means that there is an expectation of quality products and quality craftsmanship.

What are my standards?
- A piece that is symmetrical and consistent in design with stones that are set properly and securely - regardless of how much I paid.
- A craftsman who can take my vision and replicate it without interjecting his/her own personal taste.
- A craftsman that will stand behind his/her own product with outstanding customer service now and in the future.

If those things mean I'm more demanding, then I guess I'm demanding. If I don't feel like I get those things during my project - I won't return as a customer.

 

[T L]

What are my standards?
- A piece that is symmetrical and consistent in design with stones that are set properly and securely - regardless of how much I paid.
- A craftsman who can take my vision and replicate it without interjecting his/her own personal taste.
- A craftsman that will stand behind his/her own product with outstanding customer service now and in the future.

I think those are good high level expectations, and they even apply to my cheapie settings. However, some people look at the really really really minute details with a microscopic eye, and for those people, that's why I think vendors like Leon are more appropriate, even though he does tend to interject his personal taste. For me, I don't care if my millgrain on one notch is off my a nanometer, but for some people, that matters, and I can totally understand that. Precision cutting is another thing, some people must have a precision cut stone, and others don't care. It's all about what is important to us. In the end, I think the most important aspect is that you paid a fair price, and you didn't get ripped off. I think that's what PS is all about, and why we try to educate others. I really feel this forum does a great job, and to you all!!

 

[K9]

I think those are good high level expectations, and they even apply to my cheapie settings. However, some people look at the really really really minute details with a microscopic eye, and for those people, that's why I think vendors like Leon are more appropriate, even though he does tend to interject his personal taste. For me, I don't care if my millgrain on one notch is off my a nanometer, but for some people, that matters, and I can totally understand that. Precision cutting is another thing, some people must have a precision cut stone, and others don't care. It's all about what is important to us. In the end, I think the most important aspect is that you paid a fair price, and you didn't get ripped off. I think that's what PS is all about, and why we try to educate others. I really feel this forum does a great job, and to you all!!

Well said. The point is for sure that everyone has their own, different expectations. I think mine are pretty reasonable, others might be more stringent, others more loose. It's subjective.

For me, it should pass the naked eye test. Certain pieces must also pass the "macro mode test", but that depends on the piece and what I paid for it.

 

[Arkteia]

I am trying not to be demanding but my "golden ratio" is quality/price.
I would never criticize a vendor who charges a good premium on a well-cut stone of a beautiful color,
nor would I criticise a vendor selling a widowed well-colored stone at a lower price. But I do not like it when a huge premium is charged for inferior material. To me there are no "cheap" or expensive vendors but the ratio stands. Of course there may be exceptions and a vendor would suddenly decide to charge exorbitant prices and get in a different ratio group. But usually I am very faithful as a buyer and tend to stay with my favorite vendors. I do not consider myself having high expectations at all but I think they are getting higher. It does not come with looking at other peope's photos, however. It comes with purchasing a stone and then looking at it on your hand.

 

[Arkteia]

And someone has to start a thread about indoor lighting. Type of lamps, placement in the rooms, everything.
This whole gemmy business may be facing a catastrophe. I am typing these lines in a hotel with many lamps in the room but they all use fluorescent bulbs. I took photos of my stones yesterday. Mud, mud and mud. These are very bright stones. I hope someone will start a thread on the "tricks" he/she uses indoors, at home or in the office, to make stones look good.

 

[T L]

And someone has to start a thread about indoor lighting. Type of lamps, placement in the rooms, everything.
This whole gemmy business may be facing a catastrophe. I am typing these lines in a hotel with many lamps in the room but they all use fluorescent bulbs. I took photos of my stones yesterday. Mud, mud and mud. These are very bright stones. I hope someone will start a thread on the "tricks" he/she uses indoors, at home or in the office, to make stones look good.

I know people hate fluorescent lighting for most gems, but there are some gems that look fabulous in sunlight, fluorescent light and incandescent light for the same gem. I know some people don't believe it, but it does happen!! One of the criteria I require is that a gemstone at the very least, looks good in fluorescent lighting because that is what I sit in all day at work. Red spinels don't look as good in fluorescent lighting as it was stated by some people familiar with them earlier in this forum. However, I have seen examples that look beautiful in fluorescent as well as other light sources. They're very rare and costly, and as a result, if anyone is spending a great deal on a gem, they should hold decent saturation (not necessarily color) in various light sources.

In my house, we have this awful yellow lighting that tends to make the walls look horrible. It's a type of fluorescent lighting my husband installed to save energy. I have some gems that look awful in it, but for the price points paid, I'm not expecting as much out of those gems. I often take sunlight photos as my camera can't focus under poor lighting conditions, but this is my mahenge spinel under the worst possible lighting conditions. I think it still looks nice, and it's more vivid IRL, even under this poor lighting. It took a lot of mahenge spinel buying/returns to finally find one like this. It was very frustrating, but I think it was worth it in the end. It is always good to deal with vendors that have good return policies as a result.

Crasru,
I'm sorry about your disappointing gems, but we all learn. I think it's best to be honest, and ask vendors lots and lots of questions, and lighting is really important to ascertain a gemstone quality.

 

[Arkteia]

Ah! But this s spinel belongs into "gems, not Prozac" book.
Sorry for typos, I do not know well how to use Droid for some functions.

 

[Michael_E]

- A craftsman who can take my vision and replicate it without interjecting his/her own personal taste.
- A craftsman that will stand behind his/her own product with outstanding customer service now and in the future.

One thing about these two requirements are that they have the potential to be opposing requirements. A craftsman of quality will always have a personal requirement to guide a client away from things which they may want, but that will not work very well in use. You need to be careful to make sure that the craftsperson you choose is not trying to inject their own sense of taste when they may be trying to save you from making an expensive problem.

Back to the original question about PS'ers being too demanding. Of course they are, that's what makes then so much fun!

 

[Lovinggems]

- A craftsman who can take my vision and replicate it without interjecting his/her own personal taste.
- A craftsman that will stand behind his/her own product with outstanding customer service now and in the future.

One thing about these two requirements are that they have the potential to be opposing requirements. A craftsman of quality will always have a personal requirement to guide a client away from things which they may want, but that will not work very well in use. You need to be careful to make sure that the craftsperson you choose is not trying to inject their own sense of taste when they may be trying to save you from making an expensive problem.

Back to the original question about PS'ers being too demanding. Of course they are, that's what makes then so much fun!

What if the craftsman designed a project claiming a crucial element is executable but cannot execute it in the end. Do you think it is acceptable that the customer refuses to accept the project as is at the price quoted and considered giving a price adjustment for the simpler project? Or rework the design to satisfy the customer?

 

[Lovinggems]

I agree with Crasru's golden ratio rule in principle, but everyone has a different benchmark when it comes to pricing so sometimes it's really hard to say what's acceptable and what is exorbitant, would that depends on the individual customer? I find it hard to gauge pricing for some Etsy vendors especially they no longer use Etsy as their selling platform and pricing is no longer transparent.

IndyLady mentioned Lavatea's custom silver ring to be a substantial amount of money for a silver ring. What sort of pricing do you expect for a custom silver or gold ring with varying degrees of complexity?

 

[Michael_E]

What if the craftsman designed a project claiming a crucial element is executable but cannot execute it in the end. Do you think it is acceptable that the customer refuses to accept the project as is at the price quoted and considered giving a price adjustment for the simpler project?

Of course not. The problem with your hypothetical situation is that a competent craftsperson will nearly always know if something will work or not before they ever start. If they can't make it work one way they can try another or get someone with more skills to take a shot at it. If it can't be done, then it shouldn;t be made in any way. The client should be informed and given some alternatives, one of which should be the option to cancel the project and get a refund. That said, unless the client has something REALLY weird in mind, I have never seen any request that couldn't be made. Those which are impossible just take a little longer.

Or rework the design to satisfy the customer?

Well only if the client approves of the rework. By rework I mean redesign, since it should never get to the point that something is shipped to a client that doesn't look like the sketches or renderings. The whole object of making jewelry is that the client is happy with the end result. If a jeweler is not focussed on that as THE primary goal then they should be doing something else. That said, it is sometimes impossible to make a client happy, for any number of reasons, and in that case you end up doing the best you while trying not to lose your shirt in the process.

This is why it's so important to prequalify the person that you're dealing with from both sides of a project. If a client is acting too demanding right off the bat it is often better to let someone else deal with them, (since it's often a personality thing and someone else may be better suited to them). If you, as a consumer, are dealing with a vendor who is not listening to you and has no apparent desire to find out what you really want or is pushing their preferences and agenda onto you, then maybe you'd be better suited dealing with someone whose ears are still functioning. Most bench people who have been at this a while can make whatever you want. Getting one who can dance with your personality and not act like an old mule may take more time.

 

[Michael_E]

What sort of pricing do you expect for a custom silver or gold ring with varying degrees of complexity?

Pricing anything as a custom piece is going to be much more expensive than something which is commercially produced. Hand making or CAD modeling anything takes the same amount of time whether the piece is gold, silver or platinum. Since the base cost for the time put into the piece HAS to be recovered and that base cost is a much larger percentage of the total cost with something of lower the material cost, it tends to make custom stuff produced in silver look outrageously expensive. You need to remember though that the cost of anything is only relative, in your mind, to the average costs of other tings that you see in all of the markets that you review. If you're looking at E-Bay or even Etsy all the time, the price of a custom piece in any metal may seem nutty. If you're looking in B&M shops at the same things, then the cost of custom pieces sourced online may seem much more modestly priced. If you're loaded with money and want a personal interaction then you may not care what something costs as long as it's exactly what you want.

 

[Aoife]

What sort of pricing do you expect for a custom silver or gold ring with varying degrees of complexity?

Pricing anything as a custom piece is going to be much more expensive than something which is commercially produced. Hand making or CAD modeling anything takes the same amount of time whether the piece is gold, silver or platinum. Since the base cost for the time put into the piece HAS to be recovered and that base cost is a much larger percentage of the total cost with something of lower the material cost, it tends to make custom stuff produced in silver look outrageously expensive. You need to remember though that the cost of anything is only relative, in your mind, to the average costs of other tings that you see in all of the markets that you review. If you're looking at E-Bay or even Etsy all the time, the price of a custom piece in any metal may seem nutty. If you're looking in B&M shops at the same things, then the cost of custom pieces sourced online may seem much more modestly priced. If you're loaded with money and want a personal interaction then you may not care what something costs as long as it's exactly what you want.

This is one of the best and most concise explanations I've read, and anyone who comes to PS contemplating custom work should be linked to this post. I just recently read a thread on one of the PS forums (it may have been referencing JKT's pricing) and some of the posters couldn't understand why the price for custom silver work was so high. Here it is, in a nutshell.

 

[FrekeChild]

I have certainly criticized JKT's pricing in regards to my project. Seeing as how I figured the stone configuration, I decided on the actual outline of the shape of the key, really the only thing left for her to do was put it into metal and set the stones. I don't think that much actual design work was done. Worth the price paid? Not for me. Especially after having seen the finishing level on the piece itself.

As far as our demands being too high? Yeah, I think they are. Unless it's something that is integral to the piece (setting a stone with the wrong orientation, for instance) I tend to not care. Metal not perfectly polished? Don't care. Shape of something not perfectly spot on? Not worried. U prong ring looking a bit more like V prongs? Hell, as long as it's pretty, I don't really give a rats booty.

Especially if it's something handmade. I don't expect jewelers to be like robots, I don't expect them to be perfect every single time. I sure as heck know my work isn't perfect 100% (or even like 90%) of the time. Thank goodness my boss knows that with our high volume of clients and with the population we're working with, perfection is something that we rarely, as a business, achieve. Humanity is, fundamentally not perfect....or even close.

This philosophy, I suppose, makes me pretty easy to work with.

Now, on the other hand, some people expect perfection, no matter the circumstances. I think that those people probably have to take the time to learn which jewelers will make items up to their expectations...and they should probably expect to have to pay more for it.

Having said all of that, if it's truly shoddy workmanship, I'm going to have a problem.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/speaking-of-jkt.161089/

 

[Aoife]

Freke, thanks for posting the link, I knew it had been a recent thread, but since my reading of PS threads recently has been spotty, I couldn't quite place it.

Regarding the specific workmanship issues you had with your JKT key, that was undoubtedly subpar bezeling. And the bottom line was that you commissioned a custom piece that you were unhappy with, and that was never brought up to standards you could feel happy with. That equals an unhappy client, who will never come back, and that's never good. I don't remember if you had asked JKT to correct the bezels or not, but in any case, it was not a good representation of her work, and it shouldn't have passed her own inspection in the first place.

From a design viewpoint, though, it really doesn't matter whether the design work is going to be executed in silver, gold, or palladium: the amount of time and effort spent on that phase of the project is the same. It also doesn't matter if the client presents a rough sketch, or even a less-rough sketch, the artist/jeweler/artisan still is being paid for the time they spend thinking about the design/problem-solving about the design/calculating what is feasible, etc. Time spent tweaking a design for a client is time that can't be spent completing a project for another client. Time spent tweaking a design for a client who then chooses not to proceed with the project means lost income, and I don't think there are many (or any) etsy-based jewelers who can afford to do that often. Michael E. or one of the other professionals could probably speak to that, but it's also why I tend to only approach either a cutter or jeweler/goldsmith if I am reasonably certain about what I want, and that I am going to actually proceed with the project. And, why I feel so guilty when a project I had planned on runs into an unexpected glitch on my end.

 

[FrekeChild]

Oh I understand, but I do not agree with paying someone for their creativity and giving them two ideas, and them executing exactly what you've given them, with no actual creativity or ideas put into the project. With someone like JKT, we are paying for their design effort--their ideas, their innovation. When they add nothing to the project, we might as well go to someone else who is cheaper and just executes client's ideas.

Since we are specifically talking about my situation with JKT, I feel the need to address statement "Time spent tweaking a design for a client who then chooses not to proceed with the project means lost income, and I don't think there are many (or any) etsy-based jewelers who can afford to do that often." I refute with, that's why JKT makes you pay $100 before she'll even talk to you about a project. I don't agree with that policy of hers, but I can see why she does it.

I have talked to Daniel M and Caren about many many many projects, and quotes on them for all of them, and I'm taking my sweet time to figure out which one to work on next. Those quotes are still floating around, the projects are still in the works on my end, and I don't consider their time wasted because I'm going to use the information they once gave me...eventually.

As for Daniel M, whose work seems to have spurred the commentary on this thread to begin with--his etsy site is not his day job. Nor is it Caren's. They both work full time jobs during the day, and work on the etsy site and with etsy customers at night.

Bottom line:
I want what I'm paying for. If I'm paying for design, I want design. If I'm paying for perfection, I want perfection. You get the idea.

I feel like I was kind of taken advantage of with JKT--I didn't get any of her world famous design input, although I'm sure it was built into the price paid for my key. And she didn't actually incorporate much of what I gave her in regards to what I wanted (I don't feel like elaborating). With Daniel M, I feel like I've gotten a good deal for my money. Other people have felt the opposite of me, and that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

 

[Aoife]

I agree that that is probably why JKT requires the $100 design or time fee. It makes sense to me, and I don't mind paying it, since if you proceed with the project, it's deducted from the price of the finished piece. It does make me wonder how many people had convo-ed her and then failed to proceed, for whatever reason, that she felt she had to sort out those who were serious from those who were not. I suspect enough that her bottom line was seriously affected, but I don't know.

I don't design jewelry, but I have done custom work for clients in another area, so I will just make a general comment about the whole design issue: some of the most difficult projects I've worked on were ones where the client had given me a sketch, and then expected me to translate their sometimes nebulous idea into something that worked within all the other parameters they wanted. Such. a. headache. I wanted the client to be happy, but the design also had to work, and do what it was supposed to do, and be something that I personally could execute. So, I do stand by my comment about a client -supplied drawing doesn't necessarily mean that all the hard work of design has been done.

Aside from that, I think the overall lesson of this thread is that PS'ers should have realistic expectations going in to a custom project, and also read the policies carefully before they commit to a given vendor. I really love the Heart of Water pieces that I've seen posted, but the logistics of shipping, and what a pain it would be to get something corrected stops me every time I get ready to contact Sally.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I hear you Aoife about the shipping to sally, but on the other hand, part of me is thankful that it's so inconvenient because it means less PSers are inclined to send their stones to here which leaves more spots for me!

I actually just heard back from her in regards to a pendant I commissioned. So excited!
I've always asked for extra photos from her if I see something I"m concerned with, and so far she's been very nice about taking them for me. For my last pendant, the end product didn't really look at all like what we had designed, and so she redid the bail and tweaked the design at no extra charge until we were both happy with it, and I appreciated it. Which is why I continue to go to her with my favorite gems, even though there is the occasional small hiccup.

 

[FrekeChild]

I don't design jewelry, but I have done custom work for clients in another area, so I will just make a general comment about the whole design issue: some of the most difficult projects I've worked on were ones where the client had given me a sketch, and then expected me to translate their sometimes nebulous idea into something that worked within all the other parameters they wanted. Such. a. headache. I wanted the client to be happy, but the design also had to work, and do what it was supposed to do, and be something that I personally could execute. So, I do stand by my comment about a client -supplied drawing doesn't necessarily mean that all the hard work of design has been done.

I can see how that could be a problem. I think that with a lot of PSers, this isn't such a problem because, lets face it, we've all seen a lot of jewelry.

Having said that, I have designed a lot of my own pieces. I've designed jewelry for other people as well. I know that I'm better versed in what is possible with metal and what isn't. So far, I've been spot on. In my situation I gave JKT many images to work from as inspiration and there was very little effort put into it by her. (Perhaps I really should just pot a thread with all of the images exchanged. It would likely explain better.)

Of course, I can only speak for myself. Other people may not know the mediums they are working with as well...and then the burden falls on the jeweler/designer/whatever. And that translates into time and money.