Expired! Winner Announced -Free Jewelry Giveaway - Celebrating Jewelry Makers and Custom Orders

Genuine Pearl Ring with White Zircon Hearts

Starting now until January 15th, I am holding a Giveaway for the beautiful ring shown above!  A genuine white freshwater Pearl ring with 2 natural White Zircon heart gemstones set in lovely 14K white gold plated ring, size 8.  The Pearl is 7mm round button style and the Zircon hearts are 6mm each, giving this ring a bold sparkly "get noticed"  style.  To enter, keep reading!

Pearl Love Heart Ring 14K White Gold Plated

The purpose of this blog post is to applaud all of the jewelry makers that I have met or yet to meet that work so hard to develop skills and techniques, produce unique designs and pour their hearts and souls into making beautiful jewelry.  Many of us truly enjoy the pleasure of creating designs, bringing ideas and inspirations to life and sharing our work with each other and anyone who enjoys quality handmade jewelry.

Our abilities and skills attract the attention of buyers who are interested in having a custom piece created just for them or an item customized to their taste.  As long as their is agreement on the custom work and details including price, most jewelry makers are very happy to create customized jewelry for clients. 

My shop has a section for policies, most shops do.  Details on shipping, returns, exchanges, etc. are laid out for anyone to see.  It is good business to provide these details as a service to customers to answer questions even before they arise.  Specifically, my policy states that there are no returns for custom orders.  Why?  Simply put, I use the customer's money to purchase the materials for their custom item.  The money is no longer available for refund as it was spent to make their jewelry.  Example, customer wants my earrings, but made with 14K gold.  I use the money to make the earrings with gold.  If the customer wanted a refund, it would be from my wallet because her money was already spent. 

There are other arrangements for custom orders including deposits, paying the balance once the work is complete, etc.  I would love to hear how other jewelry makers handle their custom orders and what policies protect the seller and buyer.

On the flip side of custom orders, is the Feedback!  Happy customers who leave feedback that is warm and wonderful just makes my day!  Unhappy customers who simply want a refund and leave negative feedback in retaliation are just behaving shameful.  Trying to sway me to make an exception to a policy they agreed to and posting nasty public comments that are false will not work.  I will always stand by my work and my policies and applaud those jewelry makers that stand strong and will not be held hostage.  I will do whatever possible to please a customer, because I truly want them to love their jewelry.  Most buyers understand and are great to work with and I appreciate them!

Genuine Pearl Heart Love Ring

Here's to custom orders and lovely buyers!  Here's to jewelry makers that take so much care with each step, no shortcuts, producing beautiful art that is wearable!  Here's to the buyers who appreciate and understand and leave wonderful feedback!

Giveaway Entry Details:

No limit on the number of times you may enter.  Limited to persons 18 and older with a US shipping address.  The winner will be announced on January 16, 2012 and the winner will be contacted for mailing details.  I will ship the ring as is, size 8 to the winner.  Drawing will be random using a random number generator.

Ways to Enter:
1.  Leave a comment below this post with your thoughts on custom orders and/or feedback.
2.  Follow my blog and leave a comment.  Current followers will not be automatically included this time unless you leave a comment below this post.
3.  Post about the Giveaway on your site or blog and let me know a link to find you
4.  Tell a friend to mention you in their comments, both will get an entry
5.  Visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment about something that caught your eye

Feel free to email me directly in case you would rather not post below.

I hope you enjoy this Giveaway and good luck on winning the Pearl Ring!
Kathy

New! Fall/Winter 2011 Collection Revealed

Dream Cloud Ring with Citrine by York Avenue Studio

I'm so happy to show off my latest line of designs!  This collection is all about genuine gemstones and bold silver settings.  This Dream Cloud Ring has puffy swirls that showcase the delicate colored Citrine.  I've added blue hues with a patina to the prong setting, which reflect thru the stone, very unique!

Dream Cloud Ring by York Avenue Studio

Each design is completely fabricated in my studio by hand giving me the freedom to customize the design according to customer preference of gemstone, ring size, etc.

Genuine White Opal Heart Earrings by York Avenue Studio

My goal was to produce genuine gemstone jewelry that is affordable and durable.  The design style for this collection is Shabby Chic and Rustic.

Pearl Engagement Ring by York Avenue Studio

The gemstones I've included in this series are delicate and light, with Pearls, Opals, Citrine.

Pearl Silver Ring by York Avenue Studio

This collection includes matching earrings and rings.

Pearl Silver Earrings by York Avenue Studio

I love working with Silver Art Clay and Sterling Silver.  Every design in my collection for Fall/Winter 2011 is made with precious metal and genuine gems!

Steampunk Silver Heart Ring by York Avenue Studio

The entire collection is available in my shop on Etsy.  Custom orders are always welcome! 

Sterling Hoop Earrings by York Avenue Studio

Each piece is priced at a great value for fine silver and gemstone jewelry.

Spider Web Ring by York Avenue Studio

I'd love to hear your comments and which piece you like and why! 
Thanks for looking and sharing this big reveal moment with me!
Kathy

Jewelry Tags by the Charm Factory - My Review

I was selected to review the Charm Factory Custom Engraved Metal Jewelry Tags.  Super excited, I looked at the choices of sizes, shapes and metals.  My logo is detailed and I was thrilled to get the chance to test out jewelry tags with my logo.  My final selection was Sterling Silver Ovals:

The tags arrived very quickly and I was so surprised that as tiny as they were, they made a big statement about the quality of my handmade jewelry.  These sterling tags bring my designs up a notch and give my jewelry a sophisticated genuine feel, very professional!

I would highly recommend the Charm Factory Custom Engraved Metal Jewelry Tags!

There are several metals, sizes, shapes, letter fonts, etc.  These are truly custom!

The detail of the engraving is amazing!  This is my logo and I haven't polished the tag or darkened it with a patina.  The words are super tiny but very clear.  Click the photo to see it even bigger!

I love the look of my new jewelry tags!

Guess what else I can do with them?

I can clip off the little loop and solder them onto the back of pieces!

The little logo looks great on the back, and we all know that customers flip over items to see the back!

Please visit the Charm Factory website to see more about ordering your own tags:
http://www.charmfactory.com/engravedtags.aspx

Kathy

Disclosure: I received custom-made jewelry tags from The Charm Factory at no charge in exchange for a review of my opinion. The opinions expressed are my own personal and honest thoughts. No other compensation was given.