Custom Jewelry

THE CUSTOM JEWELRY MAKING PROCESS

Introduction:

Having a custom piece of jewelry made is an exhilarating time! Custom jewelry allows you to create a unique, one-of-a-kind heirloom that displays your style and feelings through colored gemstones and artistry.

Making a piece of custom jewelry from Nicholas Alexander's gemstone cuttings will be new to most people and may initially seem a little daunting. Gemstones like the ones featured on this website are not commonly seen in the everyday retail market, and you may need help knowing where to begin. At Fantasy Gems and Jewelry, we are here to help walk you through the process and break it down into very simple and exciting steps.

If you have found a gemstone on our website that you would like to purchase and have made into a piece of jewelry, please read this article and reach out to us right before or right after you make your gemstone purchase so we can discuss the project.

1) Initial Consultation (30mins - 1hr):

Once you have found a gemstone on our website, or if you have one already and have reached out to us, we will begin the first stage of our jewelry-making process. The first stage will be an initial consultation directly with Nick Alexander.

This initial consultation usually takes around 30 minutes to an hour. During this meeting, we will discuss a few major topics. These topics are listed below for your reference.

1) What kind of jewelry piece are you looking to create? Ring, Earrings, Pendant, Brooch, etc.

2) Do you have any ideas or photos of pieces of jewelry or other objects that you like and would want it to resemble? Are you allowing us freedom with design?

3) What kind of jewelry do you like to wear? How do you envision this piece? Small, Large, Statement, conservative, Red Carpet, Business Wear, etc.

4) What is your budget?

5) What type of metal and accent stones?

6) Where do you plan on wearing this?

(If you purchased the stone we are designing around from us, then this initial consultation meeting is at no charge. If you bring us a stone to design around, the initial consultation and Sketch Designs will cost $300.)

2) Sketch Designs/ Estimates:

Once we have had our initial consultation meeting, Nick Alexander will begin constructing 3 to 5 sketch designs that perfectly fit your requests and Nick's artistic style. These sketch designs will show the construction of your piece, how the stones will be laid out, and the overall design.

3) Secondary Consultation (15mins - 1hr):

At this secondary consultation, we will review the 3-5 designs Nick designed. Nick will discuss his thought process behind each design and explain his concepts to you. During this meeting, you will choose a design that fits your desires and make any changes or critiques to the design before we finalize it. 

It is important to discuss any additional thoughts or ideas you may have about the concept at this time. This is will be the last time we are in the designing process.

4) CAD Design:

Now that we have finalized a design, we can build the piece in CAD. CAD allows us to draw out your piece perfectly to the dimensions we need. CAD will also allow us to render a pre-production photo of the piece for you to look at.

During this time, Nick will begin to look for accent stones, metals, and other materials that will be needed for the project. Depending on the intricacy of the project, this can take two weeks to a couple of months.

5) Final Consultation (15mins - 1hr):

This will be the last time we talk before your piece is all finished! At this meeting, you are going to review the CAD drawings that were completed. These CAD drawings will be exactly what your piece will look like, so any final critiques NEED to be made at this step. Otherwise, it can not be changed. You will be given a detailed explanation of the CAD so that you can be assured your piece will turn out exactly how you want it.

We will have a CAD rendered into the colors of metal and the colors of stones we are using so that you can get a glimpse of what your finished piece will look like, all put together.

6) Production:

Once you have finalized the CAD, we will go into production on your piece. This is when you can lay back and know all your hard work is done! Depending on the piece, the production time can range from 1 week to a few months. A more detailed timeline will be given to you when we finalize your project in stage 3 so that you are aware of the delivery date.

During the course of production, you may hear from us a few times through email to update you on how your piece is doing. When we are a few days from the ship date, we will call you and confirm the shipping address and delivery date.

7) Final Reveal:

THE FINAL REVEAL! On the delivery date, you will receive our package with special authentication forms inside to ensure your piece came from us and be able to insure your jewelry piece. We will be extremely excited to hear what you think of your new custom piece of jewelry. Within a couple of days of your delivery, we will give you a call to confirm everything went smoothly and that the piece exceeded your expectations.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Fantasy Gems and Jewelry is excited to help guide you through our Custom Jewelry Making Process, and we are here to help with any questions you may have.

As you can see, the process is pretty simple, and we focus on keeping you in the middle of the designing process and CAD process as much as possible so that you understand what you are getting and how it is being built. We want you to feel comfortable during the whole process, and we don't want any guessing on your side.

Please feel free to reach out to us at 480-302-0248 if you have any more questions on our Custom Jewelry Making Process.