How perfect should the craftsmanship of custom work be?

[bleeblue]

I have just had my erring custom made. I love the finished design and the diamonds, however, there are just a few issues that really bug me about the ring. My ring has a 0.76 EC centre which is surrounded by my chunky halo – I guess it''s a modified cluster ring design. Here is the link to the SMTR thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bleeblues-ering.131449/

The issues I have with the ring are:

1. the prongs used to set the baguettes are not all level ie, when I look at the profile of the ring on one size the prongs are different heights.

2. The prongs don''t line up – when I''m looking straight down at the ring the prongs aren''t lined up length ways or width ways; and

3. When looking at the ring on my finger I can see a hint of the unpolished ''seat'' (don''t know the correct term) that the round diamonds are sitting on. It is a crescent moon like shape extending beyond the round diamonds.

These issues aren’t really noticeable when looking at the ring from at least a foot away and I know that my eyes are quite good and I tend to pick minute things up more than the average person. However, now that I''ve noticed these little things they distract me from the beauty of the ring.

The ring was made completely by hand and that no CDA or waxes were made for it – but is this acceptable for custom work? Is this normal for a completely hand made piece or am I being too picky?

I have made an appointment with the jeweller to discuss what can be done about the issues for next year. I just want to make sure I approach this with realistic expectations and not demand something that is impossible. Therefore, I''m posting here to get everyone else''s opinions on their experience with custom work and how ''perfect'' their projects ended up being.

 

[Liane]

Unfortunately I''m not able to make out these issues from the photo so I''m just going by what''s described in your post.

It is normal for custom work to have some small idiosyncrasies that show it''s handmade. These should not affect the durability or structural integrity of the piece, and should add to rather than detracting from its beauty. Uneven and clumsy prongs are a problem (and a pretty common one; if you go through old threads here you''ll see a lot of people unhappy with their prongs. I think it''s probably the most common complaint), although I can''t opine on whether that''s a reasonable complaint as to your ring since I can''t see the details from the pictures.

When it comes to custom work, my views are:

1. You get what you pay for. Better jewelers will, and should, charge more, and if you''re getting a super cheap deal it is probably not reasonable to expect top-end work;

2. References are crucial, since you generally can''t get refunds and once the project starts you''re pretty much stuck with that jeweler, so it''s critical to work with someone that you know is good at whatever type of project you''re considering; and

3. You should be happy with a custom piece. If you are not happy, you should articulate these concerns clearly and politely and the crafter should adjust the project to accommodate, insofar as is possible. If the jeweler can''t do whatever you want, or the adjustments will cost extra, s/he should explain this to you and also explain why it''s not possible or will cost more.

So yes, there will be some small imperfections; the more you''re paying, the smaller these should be. If you have to view your ring from a foot away to make it look "right," though, those would not be "small" imperfections IMO. It''s not unreasonable to expect that the prongs should be of the same height, unless we''re talking about tenths of millimeters here.

 

[oldminer]

I think the above reply is excellent. If you can articulate the problems wto the jeweler I feel sure they will be able to make some improvements. What I have found is that jewelry made for delivery just before Christmas oftens is just not finished quite as well as it might have been a few weeks earlier in the year due to pressure for delivery on a timely basis. This may not be the case with your particular ring, but the Season often creates lesser workmanship to be passed along. If you don''t notice, and many never do, no one says anything to you.

Take your concerns to the jeweler. Maybe wait until January to get them addressed when things are less busy and there is just more time to get it right. Let the jewelr know now about your problems even if you intend to wait.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 12/14/2009 1:11:52 AM
Author:bleeblue
These issues aren’t really noticeable when looking at the ring from at least a foot away ...

The ring was made completely by hand and that no CDA or waxes were made for it – but is this acceptable for custom work? Is this normal for a completely hand made piece or am I being too picky?

Whether this is acceptable all depends on what your requirements were up front AND how you and the jeweler arrived at the price of the ring. This sort of workmanship is entirely acceptable if you didn''t specify some higher level of detail going into the initial discussions with your jeweler. The base level of workmanship for most custom jewelers, (and this includes the best that I know), is that the piece looks as good as possible at normal viewing distances, which means about 12 to 18 inches away. If you are going to be concerned about how something looks when looking closer, particularly if you are going to be using a loupe to inspect the piece, then you need to let the jeweler know this and expect to pay a higher price. The reason for this is that making things look perfect at a closer level can take two or three times as long and in this business time IS money. The expectation for having a "loupe perfect" piece delivered when you are ordering a custom piece is not realistic unless it''s specified at the start.

 

[yssie]

I really think the key here is that you're not thrilled.


No matter how much you paid, whether all expectations were clear at the beginning of the project, what your expectations are supposed to be, who's really "at fault" - the fact is, now, you aren't thrilled. I don't think it would be at all rude to go back to the jeweller and explain the issues, and see if the two of you can come to some agreement on moving forward. You're obviously not expecting loupe clean, or similarly unreasonable workmanship, and I think it's very courteous of you to consider that your expectations may be too high and not automatically blame the jeweller.

I will also submit that there may be other reasons for the unevenness that you're seeing that aren't obvious at first glance - check out Tgal's thread (https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-ps-gift-finally-my-amelia-ring-pad-by-richard-wise-setting-by-leon-mege.127094/), she talks about the uneven prongs on her gorgeous LM Amelia setting.


ETA: I forgot the most important thing! Your ring is so unique, and really lovely in the pictures!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Those are all issues I would not accept. I expect that looking at my ring *with the naked eye* I expect that I should not see imprefections, and I also expect the constuction to be symmetrical.

ETA I should add that this is within reason of course. Small assymmetry is fine, as is small imperfection. That is why I make a point of never louping my ring.

Better not to know.

 

[bleeblue]

Thank you everyone for the very helpful responses.

My camera isn''t very good so I''ve failed miserably at taking pictures of what I am describing (it''s over 5 years old and has no Macro mode).

The issues I have described I can see with my naked eye. I do not expect the ring to be loupe clean. I remember there was a post by Garry H (Cut Nut) about the difference in craftsmanship in "show" pieces of jewellery (which takes at least 3 times longer) and general custom work jewellery.

I was not expecting a "show" standard piece but I''m not happy with the craftsmanship on the ring either. I wanted to have some idea of other people''s opinions/experience before I go back to the jeweller as this is the first piece that I have had completely custom made.

I think there is some truth in David''s comment that the work load gets a bit much in the time leading up to Christmas and my ring may have been rushed a little.

I believe that the jeweller I went to is a reputable jeweller and I wasn''t tempted by the "cheap" option (I obtained a few quotes from different jewellers and the jeweller I went with was right in the middle in terms of the amounts quoted).

I have made an appointment to discuss the issues with the jeweller in January. Hopefully something can be sorted out at the meeting.

As I said in my first post, I''ve over the moon in terms of how the design turned out

- I''m just a little upset with the craftsmenship. And I guess I''m also feeling a little guilty for not being completely happy with it.