Custom Jewelry, or Fraud?

Fraud—a harsh word, but it’s important when you define what is custom-made and what is not custom-made. After being in this business for more than twenty-five years, I am tired of people telling me that they had a ring custom-made at XYZ jewelry store when it is clearly a production bauble—I even know which factory made it!

Late one night during the holidays, my kids made a frozen pizza to which I added a little extra cheese and a few banana peppers. It was tasty, but I was not under the illusion that I had a hand-tossed freshly prepared pizza. And production jewelry can be good quality, too. In fact, some of it is made very well. There is nothing wrong with ordering ring mountings and setting a stone into it—but that is not custom. Those one-day shows that pop up in the mall every month are not custom either, and the salesperson is not a designer. Selecting a mounting in a case and having someone set a few diamonds into it is a little “having it your way,” but again, so was our pizza. It is not custom.

A custom piece of jewelry starts with a drawing or a sketch. If a jeweler does not have anyone on staff who can draw, they probably don’t make much custom jewelry. Next, a wax mold is used—not a wax mold that is mass produced and already sitting in the back room, but one that is carved by a human or a computer-aided design machine. If a store cannot tell you who is carving the wax, you are most likely not dealing with a true custom jeweler. Sitting with a true designer or wax carver allows for minor or major changes before the ring is made. It allows for you to have the piece made exactly your way. This is custom.

Before giving a jeweler your business for custom jewelry, ask to see what is already in their cases that is made by them. Examine the items and look at the workmanship to see if you would approve the quality for your own jewelry. Ask the jeweler if he or she has ever won any awards for design. Ask if there are pictures of any pieces that they have done that are similar to what you are looking to make.  Ask if the jeweler will duplicate your design for anyone else. Ask what happens if you are not satisfied with the result. Get an independent appraisal done by a professional appraiser when you are done. Do not ask a jeweler to make something with a company logo (e.g., Harley Davidson) on it. That isn’t legal.

Custom jewelry also does not always mean “more expensive.” Often, fine-quality custom can be less expensive than similar mass-production pieces because some jewelers use high markups because of overhead costs or corporate structure.

Custom-made also does not mean better, but great custom jewelry is fantastic.  If you don’t know jewelry, know your jeweler.