Waiting to Exhale, or, the Joys of Custom Work

[Circe]

The saga continues!

I love my jeweler. He''s going to be setting my beautiful pear in a platinum bezel engraved with the same star pattern that''s on my wedding ring with a crescent bale in yellow gold - wearable with everything, and doubtless to be beautiful.

Seriously, he''s incredibly talented and he''s just generally awesome, but ... it takes SO LONG. I handed my stone off to him before Christmas - I know, all jewelers are swamped at Christmas. We has THREE attempted meetings last week that fell through, but this week I dropped by and saw the wax for the bezel (thicker than I''d envisioned, but it does make the stone look huge ...), and Friday I''m due to see him so we can consult on the bale.

He swears it''ll be done by V-Day.

Nevertheless, so frustrated! I feel like a whiny little kid who''s all "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaant!" about the latest cool toy. (Not that I wouldn''t love an iPad, too.) But I figured that since misery loves company, maybe y''all could assuage my impatience?

Alternately, can any of you give me tips where to find on good chains?

 

[gemgirl]

Circe, I haven''t ordered anything from this website personally, but I saved the site from back when Gypsy was looking for a chain for one of her pendants. Their prices still seem reasonable even with the inflated price of gold lately. Have a look and then compare their prices to others. At least it will give you a starting point. The link below is for Spiga chains but they pretty much have everything. Spigas are just my favorites.

http://www.sarraf.com/jewelscart2000/store/jewelscart2000_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=2567

 

[Circe]

Oh, cool - thanks! I don''t think I''d ever heard the term Spiga for that kind of chain! So thanks twice over, for the link and for the info ....

 

[Laila619]

Circe, it's hard trying to be patient I know.

VDay is right around the corner thankfully!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Circe, I know this must be killing you! Can''t wait to see your pear though, I really hope it''s done soon.

 

[yssie]

Oh my, that''s a wait!



Almost there, almost there

You''re going to have a fantastic valentines this year!

 

[rhbgirl24]

You dont have long to wait, but understand completely! Custom can take FOREVER.... and it just plain stinks to have to wait. I'm extremely impatient and know exactly how you're feeling!

Oooooooo and I second the wheat chain (never heard it called spiga) I just love them!

 

[PumpkinPie]

I only waited a week between ordering my studs and receiving them - and that was hard enough

 

[Dreamer_D]

Both times I have upgraded my diamond it was close to a month between the time I sent my stone off and the time I got the new one back.... it is a horrid wait!! At least you get to visit your pretty though, right?

 

[Circe]

Thanks for the moral support, guys! You''re right - V-Day IS right around the corner, and I DO get to visit (

): today I''ll get supervised visitation with The Precious.

I will say, doing this, I am so glad I didn''t go custom with my e-ring. The impatience of wanting my pretty thing = bad enough. Waiting for my pretty thing + the emotional significance of wanting that symbol already? I''m instant-gratification enough that my head would have exploded.

 

[gardengloves]

Circe,

Try and get some pictures on your visits. Then we can see the work in progress and finished product.

As my grandma used to say "good things are worth waiting for".

You bought this stone before Christmas right? Hang in there, it''ll be here soon.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Waiting is so hard, but boy will it be worth it!

 

[Circe]

Stood up again and she don''t know why, to paraphrase a great song''s lyrics ....

Or, to be fair, not stood up, but when I got to my lovely jeweler''s office on my lunch break, he looked at me blankly and said, "Oh, I''m so sorry, the mold isn''t in from the casting house. Can we do Monday after 5?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Couldn''t he have called? Or picked up when I called en route to ask if he wanted an espresso?

[deep breaths]

It will all be worth it when it is in my greedy little hands (or rather, wrapped around my hot little throat, but in the meantime?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 1/29/2010 7:19:10 PM
Author: Circe
Stood up again and she don''t know why, to paraphrase a great song''s lyrics ....

Or, to be fair, not stood up, but when I got to my lovely jeweler''s office on my lunch break, he looked at me blankly and said, ''Oh, I''m so sorry, the mold isn''t in from the casting house. Can we do Monday after 5?''

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Couldn''t he have called? Or picked up when I called en route to ask if he wanted an espresso?

[deep breaths]

It will all be worth it when it is in my greedy little hands (or rather, wrapped around my hot little throat, but in the meantime?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I''m so sorry Circe! I know it can be frustrating. At least your jeweler is open on Mondays. Mine isn''t. He''s very old fashioned. We''ll wait with you.....

 

[Circe]

Monday didn''t work out either (cue aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!), but today did!

While I may have been frustrated by the wait time, damn, but the man does good work. It is going to be stunning! The proportions are absolutely perfect: the bezel is thicker/wider than I thought it would be, so that the engraved stars will be visible face-up, but it makes the stone look enormous.

Cross your fingers for me: he thinks I''ll be able to pick it up Friday. And you know what that means ...

Pictures on Saturday! Fingers AND toes, people!

 

[laurenfischer5]

Can''t wait to see it!

 

[Echidna]

Date: 1/29/2010 8:07:05 AM
Author: Circe

I will say, doing this, I am so glad I didn''t go custom with my e-ring. The impatience of wanting my pretty thing = bad enough. Waiting for my pretty thing + the emotional significance of wanting that symbol already? I''m instant-gratification enough that my head would have exploded.

Circe, I will help commiserate because my head is currently about to explode from similar waiting!

I''ve been liaising with Pearlman''s to get my engagement diamond set in a Sholdt setting. My precious is sitting in Lesley''s safe at BGD and it wants to see the Australian sunlight! I can''t even get Pearlman''s to respond to an email without prompting. What am I doing wrong?!?! Where is Pearlman''s famous customer service?! I just WANT MY ENGAGEMENT RING on my finger NOW. FMIL called about an engagement party this evening and I refuse to discuss it without my precious

Thank you for letting me vent with you. I will sit on the edge of my seat and await your precious instead!

 

[Circe]

Oh, Echidna - graaaah! That sounds so frustrating. It''s bad enough with a random pretty, but with an e-ring, I''d be climbing the walls. Do you have a thread on your setting, or a pic to paste in? I adore Sholdt settings, so it''d be a nice example of pain shared being pain halved.

I will also admit, I''ve spent an undignified amount of time this week holding fakey earrings of about the same size up to my throat and going "Hmmmmmmmmm ..." - whatever gets you through the day, right?

P.S. - Have you tried calling them? Sometimes a company can be awful at one type of communication but awesome at the rest ....

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 2/2/2010 11:09:56 PM
Author: Circe
Monday didn''t work out either (cue aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!), but today did!

While I may have been frustrated by the wait time, damn, but the man does good work. It is going to be stunning! The proportions are absolutely perfect: the bezel is thicker/wider than I thought it would be, so that the engraved stars will be visible face-up, but it makes the stone look enormous.

Cross your fingers for me: he thinks I''ll be able to pick it up Friday. And you know what that means ...

Pictures on Saturday! Fingers AND toes, people!

Circe, I think the most important thing is that the piece comes out right and if it exceed your expections? All the better. That''s what we hope for. I''m in a little bit of the same boat with a custom piece I had made before Christmas. Something flukey happened between CAD and tangible reality, and it had to be remade. I''m getting a little anxious too, but what matters the most is that when I open that box a second time? It''s perfect. I''m looking forward to seeing your pics this weekend!

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 2/3/2010 8:04:39 AM
Author: Echidna

Circe, I will help commiserate because my head is currently about to explode from similar waiting!

I''ve been liaising with Pearlman''s to get my engagement diamond set in a Sholdt setting. My precious is sitting in Lesley''s safe at BGD and it wants to see the Australian sunlight! I can''t even get Pearlman''s to respond to an email without prompting. What am I doing wrong?!?! Where is Pearlman''s famous customer service?! I just WANT MY ENGAGEMENT RING on my finger NOW. FMIL called about an engagement party this evening and I refuse to discuss it without my precious

Thank you for letting me vent with you. I will sit on the edge of my seat and await your precious instead!

Oh Echidna, vent away! Forget email please. Call them until you get the info and answers you''re waiting for.

 

[Echidna]

Date: 2/3/2010 9:23:12 AM
Author: Circe
Oh, Echidna - graaaah! That sounds so frustrating. It''s bad enough with a random pretty, but with an e-ring, I''d be climbing the walls. Do you have a thread on your setting, or a pic to paste in? I adore Sholdt settings, so it''d be a nice example of pain shared being pain halved.


I will also admit, I''ve spent an undignified amount of time this week holding fakey earrings of about the same size up to my throat and going ''Hmmmmmmmmm ...'' - whatever gets you through the day, right?

P.S. - Have you tried calling them? Sometimes a company can be awful at one type of communication but awesome at the rest ....

Yeah, the situation is clearly improved by me acting like a four year old and screaming "WANT" to everyone I encounter

I must stop hijacking other people''s threads and post my own, but I''m not entirely sure where to post my so-far-imaginary ring! I''ll put a pic and a link below for your Sholdt-y pleasure

Gemgirl, it must be so crushingly disappointing when you wait and wait and then still don''t get what you want and have to wait some more. rhbgirl24, didn''t you have to get your custom Celtic e-ring remade too?

Circe, I can''t believe you''ve been stood up so many times! GAAAAHHH. I have everything crossed for Friday/Saturday. Keep working those fakey earrings until then! I may or may not have a picture of my diamond permanently open on my computer so I can admire it until it arrives...

 

[Echidna]

My gorgeous fiancé just purchased me this from BGD. It''s a 1.232ct F VS2 signature H&A.

We''ve decided to set it in the Sholdt semi-bezel. I''ve never even seen the setting (not available in Oz) so I''m a bit nervous but I can''t wait!!!

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/sholdt-jewelry/rings/08ZZ1/7/

 

[Echidna]

And yes, I should call, but with the cost of international calls and the time difference from Australia to the States, I was hoping email would suffice! I think I have to bite the bullet soon and stuff the cost and inconvenience

 

[Circe]

And now I am dithering, dithering, dithering: the way I original designed the pendant, the chain knots through the crescent, but the obvious occurred to me overnight; this way, I''ll only be able to use the thinnest of chains! I think I''m going to call him, to ask him to add a loop for a bale ....

(I am sure this is going to make him love me.)

Gemgirl, you had to have your piece remade completely? How frustrating! What went wrong with it!

Echidna, this is what I started the thread for - mutual support! You have a *gorgeous* stone and a *gorgeous* setting chosen (seriously the Sholdt semi-bezel is one of my favorites: if I was going to pick another setting, that would be *it*). So it''s just a matter of getting Pearlman''s attention - semaphor flags? Carrier pigeons?

Seriously, though, given that their CS has such a great rep: any chance your e-mails aren''t getting through? It might be worth trying from another address, with all apologies, if it''s been more than a few days ....

 

[Maisie]

How frustrating for both of you! I am the worlds worst at waiting (ask Lesley at BGD). I hope you both get your beautiful pieces soon!

 

[FancyDiamond]

Date: 2/3/2010 9:35:09 AM
Author: gemgirl

Circe, I think the most important thing is that the piece comes out right and if it exceed your expections? All the better. That''s what we hope for. I''m in a little bit of the same boat with a custom piece I had made before Christmas. Something flukey happened between CAD and tangible reality, and it had to be remade. I''m getting a little anxious too, but what matters the most is that when I open that box a second time? It''s perfect. I''m looking forward to seeing your pics this weekend!

gemgirl, I am in a similar boat. I purchased a pear diamond in mid November and arranged to have it set in a pendant necklace 1st week of December, but to this date I have not seen the pear. Like yor situation, something flukey happened twice along the way. I am still anxiously waiting. Just hope that the piece will exceed my expectation.

Circe, just hang in there. We both bought pears around the same time. Let''s see whose pendant/necklace gets fininshed first. I am dying to see how yours turns out. Do you have a photo or sketch of your design, so we can take a peep now? I have a spare RB waiting to be put in something, either a pendant or a broche or something like that. Trying to get some inspiration from PSers, perhaps you.

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 2/4/2010 9:08:55 AM
Author: FancyDiamond

Date: 2/3/2010 9:35:09 AM
Author: gemgirl

Circe, I think the most important thing is that the piece comes out right and if it exceed your expections? All the better. That''s what we hope for. I''m in a little bit of the same boat with a custom piece I had made before Christmas. Something flukey happened between CAD and tangible reality, and it had to be remade. I''m getting a little anxious too, but what matters the most is that when I open that box a second time? It''s perfect. I''m looking forward to seeing your pics this weekend!

gemgirl, I am in a similar boat. I purchased a pear diamond in mid November and arranged to have it set in a pendant necklace 1st week of December, but to this date I have not seen the pear. Like yor situation, something flukey happened twice along the way. I am still anxiously waiting. Just hope that the piece will exceed my expectation.

Circe, just hang in there. We both bought pears around the same time. Let''s see whose pendant/necklace gets fininshed first. I am dying to see how yours turns out. Do you have a photo or sketch of your design, so we can take a peep now? I have a spare RB waiting to be put in something, either a pendant or a broche or something like that. Trying to get some inspiration from PSers, perhaps you.

You know? Now I know this can happen. Something flukey happened, and I don''t know what, between CAD (which looked great) and actual finished piece, but I am lucky that my piece is being made by the nicest people on the planet and they chose to start over again from scratch. I''m keeping my fingers crossed.

FancyDiamond, have you checked with your jeweler to see what''s going on with yours? I know Christmas is the busiest time of the year but now we''re into Valentine''s Day.

LOL! We''re all already planning our next project

. They''re slowing us down! (I''m laughing at myself).

 

[Dreamer_D]

Gemgirl I am glad they are making it right. Was this your bow? What was the problem anyways? Just curious!

 

[FancyDiamond]

Date: 2/4/2010 11:34:57 AM
Author: gemgirl

You know? Now I know this can happen. Something flukey happened, and I don''t know what, between CAD (which looked great) and actual finished piece, but I am lucky that my piece is being made by the nicest people on the planet and they chose to start over again from scratch. I''m keeping my fingers crossed.

FancyDiamond, have you checked with your jeweler to see what''s going on with yours? I know Christmas is the busiest time of the year but now we''re into Valentine''s Day.

LOL! We''re all already planning our next project

. They''re slowing us down! (I''m laughing at myself).

gemgirl, I got the photos of the completed jewelry today. This means the piece will be in my hands tomorrow. It is hard to tell from the photos if the necklace will look good on me. Somehow the pendant looks heavy, and it seems to pull down the necklace (V-shape formed).

Hope yours works for you.

 

[Circe]

I called my jeweler today, to ask him to put a loop on it, after all: while on the one hand, I love the idea of the purity of the crescent over which I would loop my chains ... I think I would need a wardrobe of slender white and yellow chains in differing lengths to make it work.

And, hey, maybe someday! But in the meantime, I have a great lot of beautiful chains, so it only makes sense to adapt the pendant to them rather than vice versa, so ... loop!

+ side, he was quite amenable to this when I called.

- side, he also said, "2? Tomorrow? Sure, drop by ... I ought to have got the crescent back from the caster by then ...."

I am not, mind you, bitching about my jeweler here: I love him, he is awesome, he is talented, etc. But if I did not bitch somewhere, I would EXPLODE.

I want my necklace. Is that really so much to ask?