When custom is not perfect..

[Kim N]

When people say that custom/handmade pieces are not perfect, what kinds of "flaws" are you referring to? I'm curious as to the extent of the flaws, if any, in most custom pieces. I know many PSers have eagle eyes like mine, so I'd like to know what's typical.

 

[klavigne]

Anything man made will be flawed, unless of course that person has no flaws Same can be said for cast rings, someone handmade the wax. But I''d say the biggest flaw on hand made pieces would be the solder work.

 

[fountainfairfax]

I don''t know if this is typical or not, but on the handmade portion of my ring the symmetry isn''t perfect- i.e. I have a handmade "X" under the bezel and if you took a millimeter ruler (which I do, since I work in the optical field

) and measured each side of the x, one is slightly longer. I have four suprise diamonds and on one side one is set in a slightly deeper bezel than the other. If I turn the ring over I can see that the opening under the culet is slightly out of round...NONE of this is noticable unless you study the ring for a long time, and I''m actually a fan of these little nuances because I didn''t want a ring from Tiffany or something exact for this omc- the slight variations in the design suit the slight variations in shape and cut that my stone has (it''s not a perfect cushion and it has extra facets.) I''ve never seen a Mark Morell in person and wonder if his rings have slight asymetric tendencies, too. And as a platinum owner, I also wonder how well they hold that polish, but that''s another topic......

 

[Kim N]

Thanks for your responses, KPL and fountainfairfax! I appreciate the input.

 

[Mara]

i can think of a few things that are typically not ''perfect'' with custom...the polish of the ring/finishing of the piece or bumpy areas of solder or similar...asymmetrical areas on the piece or a little uneveness in things like prongs or melee or even metal width or depth.

many ps''ers are picky but i am typically not one of them when it comes to rings and the like. i figure if things are super miniscule so that it takes me a while to notice them or similar, no one else will either...and it''s not worth fixing, esp if the vendor is not local. if it was just up the street then maybe i''d take it in for cleaning next time and ask them to fix something. but some things that bother one person does not bother another. i also figure that i will probably bang the rings around anyway while wearing them so why do they have to be perfect to begin with.

i also don''t mind small imperfections in general, maybe that is why i don''t mind SI stones where i can find the inclusion but it''s not visible to most either. i wonder what sort of correlations can be drawn between those who are super picky with craftsmanship and those who want clarity to be super mind-clean? i just thought of that one..hmmm.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/6/2006 1:45:55 PM
Author:Kim N
When people say that custom/handmade pieces are not perfect, what kinds of 'flaws' are you referring to? I'm curious as to the extent of the flaws, if any, in most custom pieces. I know many PSers have eagle eyes like mine, so I'd like to know what's typical.

It means things aren't "cookie cutter" perfectly spaced, or perfectly aligned to the 100th degree.

Think of handmade pottery in a craft shop. All the mugs look pretty similar, and they are painted similarly, but no two pieces are exactly identical. The handle dips a bit more on one, less on another. The flare of the lip of the mug is just to the right of 5'clock on one cup; just to the left of that on another.

Think of drawing a circle freehand instead of using a template. All will be circles, and most will even look fairly even....but upon 120x magnification scrutiny, you'll likely see little wobbles in the line from where the hand was just a hair off being steady.

Same thing with custom pieces in jewelry. Custom doesn't mean shoddy workmanship, but it doesn't mean all perfectly aligned to the 100th power either. Prongs will not be completely even like teeth that have been in braces.....one might be slightly below the next, etc.

Most of these things (in jewelry, anyway) aren't glaringly visible under "normal" viewing conditions. Sure, you'll see them in the bazillion mag photos we're all so fond of

, but you'd not notice them without expressly scrutinizing for them in person.

 

[Gypsy]

Okay... so ya'll are worrying me here (sorry just finished applying to jobs in TN and trying the southern thing on for fit) . There is this one little tiny ripple in each of the two bars of my setting that has been slowly driving me insane for the last four years. One of the things I was MOST looking forward to with my reset was getting rid of that tiny little flaw. I'm one of those mindclean folks Mara was talking about. And this setting isn't mindclean for me. And my custom setting is going to be complicated, and labor intensive, and there is lots of room for error or imprefection. That's why one of the reason's why I've been such a PITA (the main reason, of course is that its just my nature

) about finding the best jeweler for the job. Because I want Tiffany quality work.

Am I going to be completely disappointed with this projectr from Quest? Even under magnification their stuff seems to look great... and Isaku is getting her baguette halo first, so I'll be able to see how it goes.

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 6/7/2006 1:00:52 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay... so ya'll are worrying me here (sorry just finished applying to jobs in TN and trying the southern thing on for fit) . There is this one little tiny ripple in each of the two bars of my setting that has been slowly driving me insane for the last four years. One of the things I was MOST looking forward to with my reset was getting rid of that tiny little flaw. I'm one of those mindclean folks Mara was talking about. And this setting isn't mindclean for me. And my custom setting is going to be complicated, and labor intensive, and there is lots of room for error or imprefection. That's why one of the reason's why I've been such a PITA (the main reason, of course is that its just my nature

) about finding the best jeweler for the job. Because I want Tiffany quality work.

Am I going to be completely disappointed with this projectr from Quest? Even under magnification their stuff seems to look great... and Isaku is getting her baguette halo first, so I'll be able to see how it goes.

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

The most important thing in having a custom job go well is communication. Make a list of exactly what you want. Go over each point with the jeweler. Sometimes you have to pick your battles. Make sure he or she knows what is important to you. Certain things, I can over look, some things I can't. I was thrilled with my halo ring. But a lot of communication went into it and we were both on the same page. Same thing for the halo pendant I just had made. I was lucky enough that Aljdewey already had one made and I was copying it. But still there were certain things I wanted done and they were done per my specifications. I think problems arise when you don't articulate what you want and assume things will be done a certain way. The jeweler isn't a mind reader and only goes by what you tell him or her. HTH, you'll be fine.

 

[Kim N]

Date: 6/6/2006 3:40:47 PM
Author: fountainfairfax
NONE of this is noticable unless you study the ring for a long time,

Thanks for the detailed description, fountainfairfax. And like on yours, most of the imperfections I can see on mine aren't noticeable unless you really look at it and know where to look.

Date: 6/6/2006 11:04:26 PM
Author: Mara
i can think of a few things that are typically not 'perfect' with custom...the polish of the ring/finishing of the piece or bumpy areas of solder or similar...asymmetrical areas on the piece or a little uneveness in things like prongs or melee or even metal width or depth.

Yes, that's exactly what I see in mine. Small things in the polish/finishing, milgraining, and beads. Not huge imperfections by any means, but noticeable to me (even with the naked eye). That's why I asked what was typical, to see if the things I see in mine are common.

Date: 6/6/2006 11:04:26 PM
Author: Mara
i wonder what sort of correlations can be drawn between those who are super picky with craftsmanship and those who want clarity to be super mind-clean? i just thought of that one..hmmm.

Well, for me, at least, it's not a positive correlation.

My stone is an SI1, and actually isn't even 100% eye-clean from the side. It doesn't bother me, though, because I'd have to try really really hard to see it, and be at just the right viewing angle and lighting. And from the table the inclusions are fairly easily identifiable with a 10x loupe.

Date: 6/7/2006 12:43:49 AM
Author: aljdewey

Think of handmade pottery in a craft shop. All the mugs look pretty similar, and they are painted similarly, but no two pieces are exactly identical. The handle dips a bit more on one, less on another.

Yes, that analogy makes a lot of sense. Thanks, Alj.

 

[Kim N]

Date: 6/7/2006 1:27:17 AM
Author: kaleigh

Date: 6/7/2006 1:00:52 AM
Author: Gypsy

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

The most important thing in having a custom job go well is communication. Make a list of exactly what you want. Go over each point with the jeweler. Sometimes you have to pick your battles. Make sure he or she knows what is important to you. Certain things, I can over look, some things I can''t. I was thrilled with my halo ring. But a lot of communication went into it and we were both on the same page.

Lisa, I agree. Communication is key. I actually reiterated my important points and asked lots of questions to confirm details each time I talked to the jeweler. He knew what I wanted, and though he may have been exasperated with me

, at least there were no misunderstandings. I also agree about being able to overlook some things and not others.

 

[Mara]

Date: 6/7/2006 1:00:52 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay... so ya'll are worrying me here (sorry just finished applying to jobs in TN and trying the southern thing on for fit) . There is this one little tiny ripple in each of the two bars of my setting that has been slowly driving me insane for the last four years. One of the things I was MOST looking forward to with my reset was getting rid of that tiny little flaw. I'm one of those mindclean folks Mara was talking about. And this setting isn't mindclean for me. And my custom setting is going to be complicated, and labor intensive, and there is lots of room for error or imprefection. That's why one of the reason's why I've been such a PITA (the main reason, of course is that its just my nature

) about finding the best jeweler for the job. Because I want Tiffany quality work.

Am I going to be completely disappointed with this projectr from Quest? Even under magnification their stuff seems to look great... and Isaku is getting her baguette halo first, so I'll be able to see how it goes.

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

I also think part of custom work is to have a realistic customer. So many people have this image in their mind of the finished product and sometimes it doesn't come out that way and then there is hell to pay. Or it's not finished just as perfectly as the customer wants...but it's finished to the standards of the crafter.

You may get Tiffany quality (whatever that means!)....or you may not. However, you won't really know til you are working on the project, communicating and seeing images, and you have a finished product. If you are that picky, you may not be happy with custom. You mention a tiny ripple bugging you for 4 years. Girl that's pretty particular. Sometimes people aren't. I don't think of custom meaning perfect. I really do think that if someone is SUPER particular about their little details, they might as well just go with the original, like mrs salvo is planning on doing for her DK. Then you know that the maker has done lots of those settings and you know what level of craftsmanship to expect. But with custom, you are still relying on someone who is not that familiar with the setting to create a replica in essence, when you already have the real thing you could be buying. It's hard IMO to compare something like a replica from someone who makes GREAT settings but who isn't that crafter for the original brand and have it be 'perfect'. I think that 'perfect' is misleading.

Gypsy, you may not be a good candidate for custom work...the fact that you are distressed by the small ripple makes me go hmmm on the custom-mindclean-thing. Or it could turn out fabulously and you could be ecstatic. But that is the deal with custom, you don't REALLY know what it's going to be like until you have committed and are doing it. If you don't feel comfortable with that uncertainty, maybe you shouldn't go custom.

 

[strmrdr]

where I draw the line is eye perfect.
Do I notice it in the first 30sec to one minute of intense study without magnification?
If so it needs fixing.

Then I will look at it under 10x to see what kind of job was done on it :}

 

[Kim N]

Date: 6/7/2006 2:42:40 AM
Author: strmrdr
where I draw the line is eye perfect.
Do I notice it in the first 30sec to one minute of intense study without magnification?
If so it needs fixing.

Then I will look at it under 10x to see what kind of job was done on it :}

That''s an interesting definition, Storm. Just curious: What if I saw it first in photos (magnified photos) and then went back and looked at the real thing and saw it with the naked eye? Because I didn''t think to study it intensively before without magnification?

 

[londonblue]

all this reminds me of an old wise saying...

"don''t fix it if it ain''t broke!"

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/7/2006 2:57:57 AM
Author: Kim N

Date: 6/7/2006 2:42:40 AM

Author: strmrdr

where I draw the line is eye perfect.

Do I notice it in the first 30sec to one minute of intense study without magnification?

If so it needs fixing.


Then I will look at it under 10x to see what kind of job was done on it :}

That''s an interesting definition, Storm. Just curious: What if I saw it first in photos (magnified photos) and then went back and looked at the real thing and saw it with the naked eye? Because I didn''t think to study it intensively before without magnification?

interesting question.
I have my local guy do all my setting work so havent ran into it.

Have a jewelery crazed friend look it over and see if they spot it without promting other than check this out do you see any problems?

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/7/2006 2:17:40 AM
Author: Mara

You may get Tiffany quality (whatever that means!)....or you may not. However, you won''t really know til you are working on the project, communicating and seeing images, and you have a finished product. If you are that picky, you may not be happy with custom.

Gypsy, you may not be a good candidate for custom work...the fact that you are distressed by the small ripple makes me go hmmm on the custom-mindclean-thing.

I really strongly second Mara''s comments above......folks who are uber picky likely aren''t really great candidates for custom work. What''s good is that you know that about yourself in advance, so you know what it will take to make you happy.

I agree with Mara that going with the original may be the best course for you.

 

[zdrastvootya]

Date: 6/6/2006 1:50:15 PM
Author: KPL
Anything man made will be flawed, unless of course that person has no flaws Same can be said for cast rings, someone handmade the wax. But I''d say the biggest flaw on hand made pieces would be the solder work.

To the originator of this thread, this is a very good question!

What I noticed was there was a slight gap on solder work on one side of the crown of the ring. When I inquired about it, the jeweller described it as such and just kind of shrugged. I didn''t push the issue.

Z.

 

[Rod]

This is an interesting thread. My ring is custom, and I think Mara captured how I feel pretty accurately. There are things I''ve noticed with my ring that aren''t absolutely flawless, but I had to study the ring long and hard to notice them and no one else on the planet would ever see them just by looking. I like custom. I designed my own setting, though there''s nothing super unique about it. It''s just exactly what I wanted and represents my taste perfectly. There is room for imperfection in custom, so if you are driven ''batty'' by minute details, custom may not be the way to go, but it is the way to go if you are expressing your creative side and are having something made that reflects your unique sense of style.

Good luck..........

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/7/2006 10:57:36 AM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 6/7/2006 2:17:40 AM
Author: Mara

You may get Tiffany quality (whatever that means!)....or you may not. However, you won''t really know til you are working on the project, communicating and seeing images, and you have a finished product. If you are that picky, you may not be happy with custom.

Gypsy, you may not be a good candidate for custom work...the fact that you are distressed by the small ripple makes me go hmmm on the custom-mindclean-thing.

I really strongly second Mara''s comments above......folks who are uber picky likely aren''t really great candidates for custom work. What''s good is that you know that about yourself in advance, so you know what it will take to make you happy.

I agree with Mara that going with the original may be the best course for you.

Unfortunately, and original of the setting I want isn''t an option. No one makes it. LOL. I designed it myself with a great deal; of PS help.. .splicing together parts of other rings with everyone on here''s help. I''m not copying anyone else work, you see. If I was, then I''d agree. And now, having designed the ''perfect'' setting. I can''t settle for anything else.

So I think that I''m just going to have to talk to Quest when I get it done, have a stern talking to about myself about realistic expectations, and hope for the best.

But at least now I''m forwarned! Great thread!

 

[decodelighted]

Didn't a custom jeweler recently say to someone "Do you want EXPOSITION quality work or SALEABLE quality work?"

This is a VERY helpful subject to discuss -- since so many people come to Pricescope & decide to "recreate" designer-style pieces with arguably mixed results. And the "mixed" I'm referring to is probably a combo of

1) Skill of the artisan
2) Expectations of the customer
3) Communication of said expectations
4) Confusion of "custom" with "cheaper-&-PERFECT"
5) Over-confidence of the artisan to re-produce complicated, trademarked designs
6) Incorrect assumption that artisan will "redo" work until the customer is satisfied
7) Even the most skilled artisan has "off-days" & human error

After over a year on Pricescope I've seen custom jobs fall short from almost every extremely talented craftsman out there. Those with the best reputations have "met their match" with a customer -- and I've seen people who got IMO shoddy work, roll-over like pigs in mud - pleased as punch about seeing their vision come to life -- and NOT seeing obvious "flaws".

But then again there've been hassles/mis-communication/unhappy experiences with major brands: Tacori & Ritini most recently.

What I haven't seen is people who've purchased Tiffany, Harry Winston, Daniel K or the like coming back to complain that they've been ripped off or that the quality has been lacking.

Which is why I've come to this amateurish & personal & certain-to-change-by-the-end-of-the-day conclusion: Unless you are a very realistic artistic visionary with amazing communication skills & a lot of patience ... keep saving for that Daniel K!

ETA: Okay, so one of our Tiffany-gals is experiencing some DSS today. Duly noted. Everything has its PROS & CONS. Wish there was a "magic" solution & that I held the patent & you all had to shower me with $$ to get it --

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/7/2006 1:27:17 AM
Author: kaleigh

Date: 6/7/2006 1:00:52 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay... so ya''ll are worrying me here (sorry just finished applying to jobs in TN and trying the southern thing on for fit) . There is this one little tiny ripple in each of the two bars of my setting that has been slowly driving me insane for the last four years. One of the things I was MOST looking forward to with my reset was getting rid of that tiny little flaw. I''m one of those mindclean folks Mara was talking about. And this setting isn''t mindclean for me. And my custom setting is going to be complicated, and labor intensive, and there is lots of room for error or imprefection. That''s why one of the reason''s why I''ve been such a PITA (the main reason, of course is that its just my nature

) about finding the best jeweler for the job. Because I want Tiffany quality work.

Am I going to be completely disappointed with this projectr from Quest? Even under magnification their stuff seems to look great... and Isaku is getting her baguette halo first, so I''ll be able to see how it goes.

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

The most important thing in having a custom job go well is communication. Make a list of exactly what you want. Go over each point with the jeweler. Sometimes you have to pick your battles. Make sure he or she knows what is important to you. Certain things, I can over look, some things I can''t. I was thrilled with my halo ring. But a lot of communication went into it and we were both on the same page. Same thing for the halo pendant I just had made. I was lucky enough that Aljdewey already had one made and I was copying it. But still there were certain things I wanted done and they were done per my specifications. I think problems arise when you don''t articulate what you want and assume things will be done a certain way. The jeweler isn''t a mind reader and only goes by what you tell him or her. HTH, you''ll be fine.

This is definitely why... even though Mark at ERD put so much time and effort into the project proposal and came in with a qoute $800 lower than Quests, I''m going with Quest. Mark and I had serious communication difficulties. Pete seemed to immediately get what I was saying. Funny thing is on Friday I was all for Mark doing it, but since I now have time to think and reflect... that was just my frugal nature rearing it''s head and ignoring my gut ... and the communication thing was raising serious flags in me the whole time. Before the 800 lower qoute (Thursday was when he gave it to me) I was set with Quest exactly BECAUSE I had that great experience with Pete and had confidence that the setting would be done the exact way I wanted it done. So... this confirmed what my gut already knew. Thanks Kaleigh. I think my having Quest do it and communicating very clearly with them things will be okay. I won''t assume anything, and will ask Pete about anything I have concerns about.

 

[CaptAubrey]

I will go a step further and say that custom work is simply not for nickpickers. You cannot compare mass-produced perfection with handmade artistry. You''re talking about two different products.

You have to understand that many mass-produced pieces are designed entirely by computer and created by machine. The start-up costs are very high but you re-coup it through economies of scale.

Custom work may not be "perfect" but the right jeweler can acheive artistry no machine can match.

Ask yourself if you want a photograph or a painting. Is the Mona Lisa "perfect"?

(Still lurking, just too busy to post these days.

)

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/7/2006 12:00:25 PM
Author: decodelighted
Didn''t a custom jeweler recently say to someone ''Do you want EXPOSITION quality work or SALEABLE quality work?''

This is a VERY helpful subject to discuss -- since so many people come to Pricescope & decide to ''recreate'' designer-style pieces with arguably mixed results. And the ''mixed'' I''m referring to is probably a combo of

1) Skill of the artisan
2) Expectations of the customer
3) Communication of said expectations
4) Confusion of ''custom'' with ''cheaper-&-PERFECT''
5) Over-confidence of the artisan to re-produce complicated, trademarked designs
6) Incorrect assumption that artisan will ''redo'' work until the customer is satisfied
7) Even the most skilled artisan has ''off-days'' & human error

After over a year on Pricescope I''ve seen custom jobs fall short from almost every extremely talented craftsman out there. Those with the best reputations have ''met their match'' with a customer -- and I''ve seen people who got IMO shoddy work, roll-over like pigs in mud - pleased as punch about seeing their vision come to life -- and NOT seeing obvious ''flaws''.

But then again there''ve been hassles/mis-communication/unhappy experiences with major brands: Tacori & Ritini most recently.

What I haven''t seen is people who''ve purchased Tiffany, Harry Winston, Daniel K or the like coming back to complain that they''ve been ripped off or that the quality has been lacking.

Which is why I''ve come to this amateurish & personal & certain-to-change-by-the-end-of-the-day conclusion: Unless you are a very realistic artistic visionary with amazing communication skills & a lot of patience ... keep saving for that Daniel K!

Decoded....the funny thing is I asked two very good jewelers about the exposition versus saleable... and both were horrified and offended. They were both of the opinion that they would do the absolute best quality job they could-- irrespecitive of labels-- and that any jeweler who had two different catagories like that wasn''t doing their job. BUT if I remember correctly the jeweler who asked that question works with GOG... and that tells me they aren''t a jeweler to do shoddy work. I will have to talk to Pete about this.

I agree with you about the Daniel K... but I don''t like any of the Daniel K''s for myself, honestly. Or any other designer''s settings for a 1 carat asscher. I''ve been looking for 4 years. So custom with extreme communication is my only hope.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/7/2006 11:59:13 AM
Author: Virginia

Date: 6/7/2006 1:00:52 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay... so ya'll are worrying me here (sorry just finished applying to jobs in TN and trying the southern thing on for fit) . There is this one little tiny ripple in each of the two bars of my setting that has been slowly driving me insane for the last four years. One of the things I was MOST looking forward to with my reset was getting rid of that tiny little flaw. I'm one of those mindclean folks Mara was talking about. And this setting isn't mindclean for me. And my custom setting is going to be complicated, and labor intensive, and there is lots of room for error or imprefection. That's why one of the reason's why I've been such a PITA (the main reason, of course is that its just my nature

) about finding the best jeweler for the job. Because I want Tiffany quality work.

Am I going to be completely disappointed with this projectr from Quest? Even under magnification their stuff seems to look great... and Isaku is getting her baguette halo first, so I'll be able to see how it goes.

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

Gypsy- I am sure Quest will do a great job for you, but as the others have said you need to be SUPER specific about what you want so you leave no room for error. When I went in to design my custom setting (at Quest) I went in with a power point presentation and a two page word document. Overkill? Insanity? Perhaps, but to tell you the truth they were HAPPY I outlined what I wanted so well, both in pictures and in language. I can rest easily knowing that they were very clear about what I wanted and always had the documents to go back to if there were any questions. My setting should be done, just waiting for the proposal...I will let you know how it turns out!

Oh, and the guys at Quest are very detail oriented, if you tell them what details are important to you they will do everything possible to make it happen. Don't worry. Better yet, talk to Pete about your concerns and after you do write out a summary and send it to him, it will be helpful--not annoying!

A girl after my own heart! When I first querried quest I sent them a two page email with embedded pictures to illustrate my design and Pete GOT IT the first time. No one else did that except Greenlake (but their qoute was 2.5K higher than Quests). So I think you are absolutely my idol. As soon as I figure out Power Point (haven't used it in 2 years) again I"m going to do exactly what you said... or I will just make up a Microsoft Word Doc with embedded pics and give them a quality (kinko's) color version of it and an e-copy on a CD as well. Plus, I will make a note about saleable v exposition quality in there.

Can't wait to see your project completed!! And Isaku's since she will be 'breaking them in' with baguette halos.



SORRY SORRY SORRY FOR THE COMPLETE AND UTTER THREADJACK!!

 

[Mara]

Capt so good to see you around here again...

Gyp I think that the person who asked about saleable vs expo was actually Garry as in Garry Holloway. Or maybe I am remembering it incorrectly. But I think Jade Leaves said that and I thought she was working with Garry.

I actually found that comment interesting because if it IS Garry he does work with tons of types of clients and he is very respected. To me it's not like he is saying 'oh do you want crap or something really nice' but rather a 'just how picky are you, tell me now' kind of thing, this is giving the opportunity to the customer to go 'oh i will settle for nothing less than expo quality'...*expectations* of the vendor and the consumer being on the same page. If the polish (just an example) of the ring sucks to the consumer but the vendor goes 'well that is my typical finish, i'm sorry i didn't realize you wanted something else'...then to me it's just miscommunication. Possibly the vendor could have given the customer that higher polish if they had just known that is what the customer wanted.

Important to add that vendors cannot read your mind!!! They have no idea what sort of image is living in your head. It's the customer's responsibility to ensure that the picture that the vendors GET from you is what you really want. 2 page powerpoint? That sounds PERFECT to me. I am all about details and if I am going to be particular, I am going to set myself and my vendor up for SUCCESS from the beginning, give them the tools to succeed. Don't give them a one paragraph description of the ring and then go OH well that's not what I had in mind when you see the wax. Hello they are not mind readers. Be as specific as possible.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/7/2006 11:56:52 AM
Author: Gypsy


Unfortunately, and original of the setting I want isn't an option. No one makes it. LOL. I designed it myself with a great deal; of PS help.. .splicing together parts of other rings with everyone on here's help. I'm not copying anyone else work, you see. If I was, then I'd agree. And now, having designed the 'perfect' setting. I can't settle for anything else.

So I think that I'm just going to have to talk to Quest when I get it done, have a stern talking to about myself about realistic expectations, and hope for the best.

But at least now I'm forwarned! Great thread!

Hee hee - good idea!

Honestly, I did the same thing. I love elements of rings by Mark M., Leon M., and some other elements that were important to me.

My biggest fear was that all the things I wanted together wouldn't look good as a whole. Kinda like cooking projects.....I love chocolate and asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't combine well in a single dish. LOL (At that time, we didn't have our resident genius Ana to photoshop for me!).

When I received the finished product, I noticed things that I hadn't noticed in the pictures. The space between the center diamond and one side seemed a bit larger than the space between the center and the other side stone. The heart prongs, while hearts, weren't defined quite how I'd expected.

I thought about calling the vendor, and then I decided to wear it for the 10-day return period and see how I felt then. Why? Because I knew the piece was handcrafted, so it wouldn't be stencil-perfect, and I also remembered a conversation I had with Brian about what the eye gets used to.

At the time of that earlier conversation, we were talking about how I HATED any gap between e-ring and w-ring. He very wisely told me that there will always be some slight gap because a ring on the hand is in motion, so unless I soldered them, there would be movement. More importantly, he said "your eye picks it up (the gap between rings) because you are looking at it for the 2 minutes you try on a w-ring, and it looks foreign. If you were to wear the w-ring for 2 weeks and get used to the look, it wouldn't be glaring at all then." He was totally right; so much so that now my e-ring doesn't look right to me without my w-ring next to it.

Back to the e-ring.........so, I wore the engagement ring for several days and realized that I really focused on its beauty and not on the minor variance I initially noticed. Both Mara and I are both fairly laid back about that stuff, so custom represents a great option for us. Conversely, some folks wouldn't be able to rest at night without that little stuff eating at them, and those are the folks I worry about when they contemplate custom.

I guess for me, the custom thing is similar to the eyeclean test. If you are bothered by an infinitessimal inclusion because your MIND knows it's there (even though you can't see it), then eyeclean isn't enough for you -- it has to be mind-clean. And, if you're bothered by a minute detail (even though it's not strikingly noticeable otherwise), I'd either steer away from custom OR accept that it may take a few revision/iterations and a lot of patience (to work out the kinks that bother you).

As long as you know what you can live with and accept, that's the key.

ETA: I think it's GREAT that you've felt the connection with Pete and decided to prioritize that in selecting your vendor. When I spoke to LM, I could tell right away that we wouldn't work well together, and accepting that is half the battle. You need someone who will listen to YOUR vision and create it....and it sounds like you've found that in Quest. YAY.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/7/2006 12:09:48 PM
Author: CaptAubrey

I will go a step further and say that custom work is simply not for nickpickers. You cannot compare mass-produced perfection with handmade artistry. You''re talking about two different products.

You have to understand that many mass-produced pieces are designed entirely by computer and created by machine. The start-up costs are very high but you re-coup it through economies of scale.

Custom work may not be ''perfect'' but the right jeweler can acheive artistry no machine can match.

Ask yourself if you want a photograph or a painting. Is the Mona Lisa ''perfect''?

(Still lurking, just too busy to post these days.

)

WOO-HOO, Capt! SO good to see you......and as usual, VERY well said! Precisely on-point.

How are those gorgeous boys doing?

 

[Odilia]

Date: 6/7/2006 11:59:13 AM
Author: Virginia

Date: 6/7/2006 1:00:52 AM
Author: Gypsy
Am I going to be completely disappointed with this projectr from Quest? Even under magnification their stuff seems to look great... and Isaku is getting her baguette halo first, so I''ll be able to see how it goes.

Do you TELL a jeweler that you are a complete PITA and picky beyond all reason?? Or will that just make them hate you in advance??? Argh!

I would HATE to have me as a client. Sorry for the threadjack.

Gypsy- I am sure Quest will do a great job for you, but as the others have said you need to be SUPER specific about what you want so you leave no room for error. When I went in to design my custom setting (at Quest) I went in with a power point presentation and a two page word document. Overkill? Insanity? Perhaps, but to tell you the truth they were HAPPY I outlined what I wanted so well, both in pictures and in language. I can rest easily knowing that they were very clear about what I wanted and always had the documents to go back to if there were any questions. Oh, and the guys at Quest are very detail oriented, if you tell them what details are important to you they will do everything possible to make it happen. Don''t worry. Better yet, talk to Pete about your concerns and after you do write out a summary and send it to him, it will be helpful--not annoying!

This is a helpful thread, as I am seriously considering a custom ring by Quest, and I''m pretty picky, so I''m glad to hear these ideas on how to make it as specific as possible!!

 

[Odilia]

Date: 6/7/2006 12:42:58 PM
Author: Virginia

Date: 6/7/2006 12:39:48 PM
Author: old-fashioned girl

Poor Pete! He he.

Virginia you had me chuckling here!

 

[widget]

Author: CaptAubrey

Ask yourself if you want a photograph or a painting. Is the Mona Lisa ''perfect''?

I love this!

This is a great thread.

I have a question...which method of manufacture, casting from an original wax, or hand fabrication, is more likely to be near perfect?

(It occurs to me that the big difference in cost estimates that Gypsy received might be due to the jewelers talking about different methods of manufacture...)

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