FAQ
Answers to some frequently asked questions
1. HOW CAN I PLACE AN ORDER?
There are three options for placing your order. You can request a piece of jewelry that I have in stock, a custom piece similar to one I have made before or custom piece mixing aspects of pieces I have made before to your own preference. Click here for a full guide of all three options.
2. HOW CAN I SEE WHAT PIECES YOU HAVE IN STOCK?
Sometimes I have a small stock of pieces that are ready or almost ready to be purchased. If this is the case, I will update about that on my social media channels and in the news letter. Other than that, I work on request so that you won't be paying for a stock and everyone will get the piece that fits their personal taste and circumstances
3. WHERE CAN I SEE AN OVERVIEW OF YOUR RECENT WORK?
The best overview can be found on my Instagram account. Pieces usually only stay with me for a very short amount of time before they go to their new owners. I put a lot of work and effort in these photos and making the jewelry look as close to reality as I can.
4. WHAT GEMSTONES DO YOU HAVE AVAILABLE?
I have a big collection of gemstones that I have sourced around the world since I founded my business in 2014. I do not currently choose to photograph and list them all but you can click here to find all information you need.
5. WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THE JEWELRY?
The price of the jewelry is calculated with the price of the metal en gemstones needed for a piece and the amount of work. As the prices of precious metals fluctuate, the price of the jewelry also changes. Read more about this here.
7. HOW CAN I BEST TAKE CARE OF MY JEWELRY?
It is important to take good care of your jewelry. This way, it can last a lifetime or longer. Avoid contact with strong chemicals and rubbing or bumping it against objects that might scratch or break parts of your piece. Every metal has different ways to take care of. Click here to read my full care guide.
8. HOW CAN I DETERMINE MY RINGSIZE?
The only way to determine yourring size is to try on a ring with a similar model and width to the one you are looking to acquire and measure the inner diameter. Other tips and tricks will unfortunately not give you the perfect fit. You can find my full size guide here.
9. HOW CAN I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?
I currently work on request only so I don’t have a showroom filled with finished pieces to try on but I do offer appointments for those who like to discuss options in person, select gemstones and / or choose dimensions, materials and finishings for important pieces. You can find the current available dates and the information on how to make an appointment here
10. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CRAFT A PIECE OF JEWELRY?
Theoretically many pieces of jewelry can be finished within 24 hours. In reality that is hardly ever the case when it come to my work. A lot of time goes in to sourcing the materials, designing and plotting the technical construction. I like to take my time and work on every part of the piece separately to make sure that the outcome is exactly how I envisioned.
When you order a certain piece of jewelry, you will most likely enter my waiting list. When I'm home and healthy, the list tends to be 3-6 weeks. This is longer in busy periods. When I need time to design and source your materials, it can take up to 12 weeks for your piece to finish.
11. HOW CAN I PAY YOU?
I currently accept payment through bank transfer only. I do not have any deals with third parties. I will send you all information when you place your order.
12. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR MY PACKAGE TO ARRIVE?
I use the services of postnl for all packages. They estimate delivery 1 day within the Netherlands, a few days in Europe and 1 to 3 weeks to other destinations around the world. Of course there can be delays depending on your local postal services and in busy periods like December I advice you to take into account that there are world wide postal delays.
13. WHY DO YOU MAKE CERTAIN PIECES ONLY IN GOLD OR ONLY IN SILVER?
Silver and gold have different qualities that make them suitable for different designs. 14k gold is a lot stronger than silver and allows for thinner work.
Also, for some designs I depend on the availabilaty of parts such as chains and tubes. Gemstones of a certain value might be more suitable for work in gold than in silver.
14. WHY DO YOU PREFER CONTACT THROUGH INSTAGRAM?
I do not have a more convenient way to comunicate than Instagram direct messages. Our whole conversation is displayed in chronological order so we can scroll back to what we discussed easily. It is also very easy to share posts and photos in chronological order and it allows for short and efficient direct communication. I haven't found an other medium that gives such clearity for both parties.
15. CAN YOU 'MELT' MY OLD JEWELRY INTO ONE OF YOUR DESIGNS?
This is a question that is asked frequently in Dutch, using the word 'omsmelten' which translates to 'to melt into'. It doesn't make much sense in English and unfortunately it also doesn't make much sense in the reality of my work.
I currently do not make wax models for casting, I only work with metal and my pieces start with wire and sheet metal which I hand forge. This technique allows for pieces that are both delicate and strong. Casted jewelry needs to be thicker to have similar strength and will therefor have a different style.
16. CAN YOU COPY JEWELRY I SAW SOMEWHERE?
I can and will not copy any (parts of) work of others. This is plagiarism and an illegal act I do not want to partake in. However simple a design might seem, years of training, investing and experience go in to the work of any designer. I believe they deserve the full credit for their work so you always need to seek out the original designer. If they don't offer alterations to their design, that is their artistic choice.
Showing me photos of jewelry by others is never a good inspiration to me. Photos of my own work are a good starting point. Reasons for this are not only artistic and legal but also technical./
17. DO YOU GIVE WORKSHOPS?
I currently do not offer any classes, workshops or internships. My workdays tend to be very long and full already and I do not have the space and the amount of tools to give workshops.
18. WILL GOLD PLATING WEAR OFF?
Any kind of plating on jewelry consists of a microscopically thin layer of metal that is bonded to the base metal and will most definitely wear off. The period this takes varies from a fraction of a second to a few years.
The longevity of the layer of gold can be enhanced by avoiding anything that will sand the layer down like playing with the jewelry, washing with it or handling hard or coarse objects.
The pH level of the skin and (natural) chemicals in beauty products can be factors that influence the wearing off of the layer.
Gold plated silver will eventually be silver.
I do not offer any silver plating or rhodium plating.
19. DO YOU WORK WITH ASHES / BREASTMILK / TEETH?
I don't feel comfortable working with any human materials or similar animal materials.
You can find artists that do feel comfortable with this on Google.
20. DO YOU HAVE STUDY / CAREER ADVICE FOR ME?
I really don't have the expertise to give you any advice.
I followed my own path and chose to learn things by myself instead of going to a school. This helped me to be concious about every step I take and to have my own style and set of techniques. If school is your prefered way to learn, you should seek out a professional career councelor or talk to people who went to school.
Having a successful business means working extremely hard, putting the business before everything else in life and living without a lot of money for personal use. A lot of the actual work goes unnoticed by others. Only do it if you're prepared for the blood, sweat and tears.
I encourage everyone to be authentic.
21. WHY IS THERE NO WEBSHOP?
The short answer is that things sell quickly, there is always a waiting list, I'm happy with the amount of work I have and my work is a lot more efficient, diverse and flexible without a webshop. It gives you way more options for purchasing a unique piece.