Custom Pieces - How often do they get it right?

[HopeDream]

In the past year I commissioned what I hoped would become my favorite piece of jewellery. When it finally arrived, it was noticeably different than the dimensions I had specified, and as a result it makes me unhappy and I never wear it.

Being the shy cat that I am, it’s taken me almost a year to find the courage to contact the customer service department of the vendor and voice my concerns.(I’m not sure what they’ll say )

This situation has made me wonder :

How often are PSer’s custom projects successful, and how often are they a flop?
Was your custom project perfect the first time, or did it take a remake (or two?) to get it right?
Was it worth it?

 

[aljdewey]

I'd suspect the success rate for custom projects increases sharply when the client and vendor both communicate without reservation. It's the client's job to provide as much detail as possible about what she envisions in her head, and it's the vendor's job to communicate as fully as he can about what is/isn't possible or practical structurally AND to keep asking questions to make sure he understands what you want instead of assuming.

A few things I've seen derail custom projects:

* expecting a project to look exactly like the inspiration piece. It seldom does for many reasons - copyright is one; another is when your stone isn't actually the same dimensions as the stone in the piece that inspired you.

* not having a clear enough vision of what you want to see. People tend to communicate the major things, but don't express much preference on some of the smaller details and then feel unsettled when the picture in their head doesn't match what the designer created. Specificity is your friend in custom design.

* lack of decisiveness can lead to over-tweaking. Think of this one like a haircut.....if you start messing with a little on this side, a little on that, before you know it, the cut is all haphazard because the primary structure of it wasn't established firmly.

* not having tried on something similar before going custom. This is like "that dress looks amazing on the rack or on that other girl, but somehow doesn't flatter me." I just love LOVE those vertical 3-stone vintage rings, but man, my fingers are just too short to pull them off. Not the designs' flaw - it's my shortcoming.

Even the best details up front and the best communication can still miss the mark a bit, but the likelihood goes way down if you can keep the above in mind.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I am so sorry that you weren't happ but after a year ... I am not sure if there is much they will do.

How often are PSer’s custom projects successful, and how often are they a flop?
I must say that I am rarely completely blown away and I had far more failures than successes. Prior to PS, almost all my custom projects were failures but I accepted it because I thought that's just how it is. My first PS project was an utter failure and I was so disappointed (it was my e-ring). I would say that the only project that was perfect from begining to end was my wedding band from Steven Kirsch. The re-hab he did for me was pretty close too .. the failure was due to me changing my mind. My Leon e-ring was very close - he made the wrong thing first time around but it was corrected painlessly.

Was your custom project perfect the first time, or did it take a remake (or two?) to get it right?
Other than my wedding band, none of my other projects were perfect the first time around. My Leon e-ring took one remake and there are things I can still pick on but they are very very minor. My Maytal ring was an utter failure the first time around - the second time was greatly improved with a completely different design but I wanted it set lower (didn't do anything). I have a CAD/CAST project that has been in the works for half a year. CADs were all wrong after 3 tries and I decided to take a break for the past month while I thought through what they can do as I still want to give them my business due to their effort.

Was it worth it?
Yes - absolutely worth it for me. I only custom make pieces that I cannot buy ready made that is when I have a specific vision in mind. There is no other option. When I do get that compelete piece, I am extremly happy and I will do it again and again. I would only indulge in custom work with our top vendors here unless I wanted to go cheap and didn't care as much. I have a vintage setting that I completely adore and I wanted to remake it again for another stone (this is the CAD/CAST project above). I find it is really difficult to replacte the detail and amazing work of truly stunning vintage pieces. Modern work can't compare in my mind which is baffling in some ways because of how much technology has improved then again .. modern workmanship can't really compare to the old time ways (applies to furniture too).

 

[flamingoezz]

I think making a custom piece raises your expectations. quality is often on par the first time, but a small detail can be missed, which is what happened in my project.

keep in mind that changes to an inspiration piece, like making the ring thinner or using a larger stone, can affect the appearance of your ring in other ways...so try to think everything out. I'm pretty pleased with my end-product.

If you are very particular, be ready for some stress in the process..but try to be as descriptive as you can be and don't hesitate to ask questions or ask for revisions.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

So much depends on who is making it!!! I expect anything I'd send to Victor Canera to end up being an heirloom piece and perfect. There are not many custom makers that I'd take a chance on. Steven Kirsch would be another that I'd feel confident about.

I see no reason to contact a vendor after a year. Complaints need to be make within the first couple of weeks. I don't think they have any obligation at this point unless the item has fallen apart due to poor construction.

 

[Aoife]

Aljdewey gave a good summing up, but as CharmyPoo and DS indicated, I think a major aspect of "getting it right" is whether or not the person you chose to do the custom work is a good match for what you want to accomplish. If you are wanting flawless pave, you need to work with someone who has those skills, not some random jeweler in your home town. If you want intricate engraving, make sure you've seen multiple examples before you commit, and so on.

When I was first commissioning custom settings, years ago, and had no clue what I was doing, I had a local jeweler make a split shank halo ring with possibly the worst pave I have ever seen. I still have the ring, and every once in a while take it out as a horrible reminder of how badly things can go wrong.

 

[yssie]

I'm sorry it didn't work out lots of us have been there done that, though that probably doesn't make you feel any better about your piece!


How often are PSer’s custom projects successful, and how often are they a flop?
I think it depends on expectations, whether or not the client and vendor are a good fit, whether or not the vendor and project are a good fit, exactly what the client is looking for and how similar it is to pieces the vendor already has expertise in making...

Was your custom project perfect the first time, or did it take a remake (or two?) to get it right?
It sometimes does take me multiple iterations to get it perfect, even with the same vendor/same style of manufacture - it's much easier to tweak a 3D model to perfection than to try to extrapolate nuances from drawings and CADs. I'm doing a piece now that I'm very excited about because the artist I'm working with knows exactly how nitpicky I am and has no problem discussing expectations and practicalities, receiving and providing input, drilling down into as much detail as I want on every part, and communicating every step of the way. Since he's making the entire piece himself there's no chance of anything getting lost in translation from sales/bench/etc. - I didn't appreciate that last nearly as much as I do now.

Was it worth it?
Does this mean "do you have regrets"? If so, for most absolutely not, but for a handful... yes, I do. I don't regret making mistakes and not knowing exactly what I wanted at the start... I regret forging ahead despite seeing the flags, and I regret not taking other PSers' advice to heart.

One of Charmy's standby bits of advice: consider whether the jeweller has made the type of piece you're looking for before. It doesn't matter how talented he may be in other areas, how "high end" the rest of his portfolio, how highly recommended he comes - if he hasn't proven that he can do what YOU want, there's a very real chance that being the guinea pig will lead to disapointment.

One of Gypsy's standby bits of advice: let the vendor determine the best way to go about it, and if you really don't like it choose a different vendor. This ties back to Charmy's - pick the right vendor for the job and let the vendor choose the right tools for the job. The same tools that are ideal in one vendor's hands may be terrible in another's... and the only way a vendor will know for sure is if he's successfully executed it before!

One of Dreamer's standby bits of advice: there's always another one out there! If it doesn't feel right, if the communication and trust isn't there, move on and you'll always find something/someone else who's a better fit!