Do customers prefer hand fabricated jewelry?

If a consumer is educated and realizes that jewelry is actually
handmade by a goldsmith, silversmith or otherwise a metalsmith or art
jeweler, and jewellery is available outside of chain retailers, mall
vendors and beyond the myriad cookie cutter designs available from
most “jewelery stores” that simply buy a lot of similar styles and
pop a stone into a pre-fabricated ( most often cast by the hundreds
on what is called a ‘tree’) setting- poorly at that- then yes, those
astute buyers will seek high end designer jewelery or have pieces
commissioned specifically for their purposes- gift giving, heirlooms
or personal adornment…

the difference in handmade jewellery and the mass produced low karat,
poorly crafted/designed garbage available from retailers (or rather
finished- as most stores “bench jewelers” simply polish pre-fab
settings and if one is lucky, can find a store that has someone
experienced enough to size rings, etc. and set a stone properly,
particularly beyond a round brilliant diamond) is it takes an artist
to design a piece incorporating not only the range of materials at
his or her disposal but then constructing it soundly -not only making
the piece interesting, desirable and saleable but having
characteristic elements that become one’s signature style. In the
jewellery market, being able to identify a piece’s maker by simply
observing it is the mark of a good craftsperson - one doesn’t need to
look at the maker’s mark, assay mark etc. A jeweler’s passion is
noticeable in the designs and collections he or she manufactures in
the studio. One can observe the materials used and how they are put
together or fabricated and be sure they are getting original one-off
work that is of the highest quality the artisan can produce.
Jeweler’s are recognized by their marks which are static worldwide,
but more so their design abilities and the marriage of materials
(the stones, metals, and construction) selected that confirm one is
purchasing an original piece by “x’ jeweler. The term jeweller is a
bit too constrained as the proliferation of stores that can order
semi-mounts, ring shanks with pre-drilled setting places, and other
ready-to-wear mass market intended items generally marked up 2.5 up
to 3.5 times the cost and that looks like the merchandise every
other store or chain vendor sells does not make the store’s owner a
jeweler- it is the ability to fabricate a piece from an original
concept and design with a set of skills that allow for a buyer to
translate his or her ideas to the craftsman and receive a unique one
of a kind piece of jewellery that is exactly what they had wished
for that make a jeweler, or more precisely a goldsmith (meaning one
who can use precious metals, or any metal at one’s disposal in the
fabrication of jewelry) or art jeweler. the term is used far too
loosely given the current state of the jewellery industry. For
instance, down the street from my studios is a mid-size jewelery
store that will not sell coloured stones, buys pre-fabricated lots
of anonymously designed and mass cast items and sets them with
diamonds according to the size of the settings that come on the
piece, whether a ring, pendant, or earrings. they also polish the
pieces and remove any burrs left over from the casting process and
any sprue marks that may have been missed when the vendor they buy
from mass finishes the lot in a tumbler. In my opinion they are not
"jeweler’s”.In this state a store must have 7 types of security to be
called a Jewellery store and become eligible to be licensed and
insured as such- that does not mean any single person in the shop can
make a ring from a length of gold or silver raw material (i. e. - a
shaped wire or more to the point, by forging an ingot of a karat gold
in a colour the craftsman may make from scrap or casting grain and
other metals into a usable piece of stock that can then be used to
draw down into wires, shaped wire or sheets with which to make a
variety of stock materials for use in jewelry designs), not to
mention the alternative alloys, speciality metals and metal processes
(like mokume gane or Damascus that are used by actual designer
maker’s with the skills to fabricate anything by hand from start to
finish. In my mind they should not be called Jeweler’s at all. Most
often these retailers send out any sizing, stone replacements, etc
not having the skills, artisan in their employ nor stock to be able
to do even a simple sizing job, much less changing a stone out to a
customer’s specification or desire. Just about every studio jeweller
I know has a large inventory of stones and metals from which to
choose, as well the skills and equipment to make what they need in a
matter of hours. No work is sent out unless, perhaps plating or in
some cases a production run of cast pieces if required, or
commissioned and it is cost effective to have a model (or master)
design cast by a specialist for a number of pieces of the same
design. Retailers may even buy cast-in-place items to resell- this
means the stones are actually set into the reproduced models then
cast in a “tree” to make, say 200 identical pieces, be they rings,
pendants, etc. Where is the jeweler in this process?Often it is the
person in some factory that remains unnamed and cranks out wax models
for the retail trade. Wal-Mart is the largest seller of gold jewelery
in the USA- that should tell you something!! How many of those
customers realise that for the same 1500 dollars they can have a
piece made for them by a professional jeweler/ metalsmith. with
higher quality materials and that will, no doubt, fit their exact
taste and sensibilities and perhaps with a symbolism, that may be
idiosyncratic but means something to the buyer- as “said” in stones,
or in the design and fabricated entirely by the same hand from start
with raw materials to end, with the finish and texture wanted. The
majority of the masses that buy at retailers don’t realize there are
studio jewelers that do far better work, or they believe the work may
be higher cost than what they can get at an “x” mart. Advertising by
the larger Jewelery Trade plays a big part in this mythology- they
advertise a certain style on TV and it becomes a fad for a year,
until the next big sales event comes 'round in a year. small studios
have far less budget for advertising and unless they want to travel
to major merchant market events (at which a large number of buyers
for niche market stores or boutiques go to the venue with the express
intention of buying inventory for a year’s worth of sales) which can
be expensive, particularly if out of one’s region and if one is an
emerging artist/jeweler/metalsmith. Locally, one is left to
advertising in newspapers, and building their brand through
word-of-mouth, winning awards, and promotional activities that can’t
compare to the budget chain stores have to market the mass produced
stuff to the public. Buyers that seek art jewelery and one-off pieces
are the minority of consumers, but they drive the small studio and
often ally with certain designers that meet their sensibilities,
design tastes and customer base with reasonable price points that
they know they can sell. while it is a business, small studio
jeweler’s are driven by a passion wholly lacking in large retail
jewellery stores bent on selling a quantity rather than the quality
one finds in a small studio’s offerings and in finding a studio
jeweller that can work with a person to deliver exactly what one
wants… rer

I have noticed that customers do like a story behind the handcrafted
work. We in the League of NH Craftsmen now say “handcrafted” rather
than “handmade”, I once had made a pair of earrings that were on
exhibit at the Currier Art museum, and then half a year later had
them in anotherexhibit. The customer who bought the earrings needed
a little reassurement that she was buying something of value, and
when I told her that they were on display at the Currier and seen by
many people, she was thrilled that the earrings were “famous”.

I am often encouraged to give a story to any of my exhibition
pieces, sonow I try to have the backstory of my special pieces. You
do get collectors and appreciators who does appreciate handcrafted
work. Just not as many as we would like, unfortunately. I can tell
you people get a real kick out of my Hedgehog Box, which is a
pear-shaped sterling box withactual hedgehog quills carefully
embedded into the box lid. My pet hedgehogs tend to drop their quills
like hair and I save the quills, and then incorporate them into my
work. The odder the story, the better it is.

Joy (known as the Hedgehog lady or Spoon Lady)

Hello,

Perhaps it’s in the nature of my designs and where I show my work,
but I have found that my collectors do want to know how I
constructed my pieces, and, occasionally, they want to know each
detail of that process. They are not so much concerned with whether
or not I am casting my work (which I’m not), but how I brought my
designs to a finished jewel. Since I don’t use CAD, this has not
been an issue either.

I do think that needing to understand a process does depend on the
type of audience, as has been described by others who have posted to
this thread. An audience that expects to understand what it is
viewing is different from one that does not have that desire. I
behave as if an audience that does not understand or have the desire
to understand, is an uninformed audience, so I tend to launch into
descriptions of my process even when there may only be the least
indication of interest by a prospective collector. I want my
collectors to know how I make my pieces. and why I make them. I want
that understanding to be present when the jewels are being worn.

Of course, I’m not making a production line of jewels which may
require different processes than I am currently using. my work is
all one-off, hand-fabricated. When I first began to make jewelry, I
denigrated those jewelers whose work appeared to be cast. Silly me,
what did I know! Casting, CADCam, metal clay, etc., are just
tools/techniques to get where we want to go with our work. Mastering
our techniques and understanding how to use our tools will produce
work that is worthy of being worn by our collectors. Uniqueness and
quality do not reside in process, but in the completed jewel.

Hope reading this has been interesting,
Linda Kaye-Moses

In my experience, the customers couldn't care less how it is made
- they trust me to make that decision based on the nature of the
product. All they care about is that it is a one-of-a kind piece;
made specifically for them. 

Cameron touches on the real point of it all.

Customers very much appreciate having something custom made just for
them. What they don’t generally care about or even understand (or
want to, usually) is exactly HOW it is done. Without turning it into
some sort ofcrisis, the people I encounter who made a big deal about
“fabrication” are college students, and often they are taught that
there is something mystical about “Fabrication”. And, almost
generally, what that means is two dimensional, sheet metal and wire
work. Nothing wrong with that, there’s a place for it, but it’s when
you can transcend that and work truly in 3 dimensions then you’ll
really have something going on. It’s at the point that arises the
questions, such as: I can take a $500 piece of heavy platinum stock,
file 2/3 of it away to get the contoured shank I need in 1 1/2 hours,
or I can wax it in 20 minutes and have my weight delivered to me, and
nobody will ever know the difference.It’s all custom made, there’s
just a certain snobbery in some circles about how it’s custom made. I
don’t share that, myself, I just make stuff.

It's all custom made, there's just a certain snobbery in some
circles about how it's custom made. I don't share that, myself, I
just make stuff. 

I couldn’t agree more with that. I think all of us who do the making
need to avoid becoming jewelery snobs who expect everyone to be
fascinated by what we think of as the wizardry of metalsmithing.
Ideally you will see the whole project through your customers eyes
and work to give them exactly what they want, rather than what you
think they should want. In my experience, the customer has at most a
very superficial interest in how their object is being made. It’s
the makers job to figure out what the customer wants and determine
the best way to make it. You could go on and on about exactly how it
was done but all you would get was polite nods and glazed over eyes
from the customer. We have to avoid mistaking the fascination of
hearing our own voice for deep and genuine interest from our
customer.

One of the ways the Creative Metal Arts Guild, (CMAG), of which I am
a member tries to educate the public about hand fabricated jewelry,
is to have ongoing active demonstrations of various techniques
during our yearly show. Some do forging, stone setting, wax
modeling, anticlastic raising, form folding etc… We get an excellent
response from the public who can see that our work is all hands-on,
not mass produced in some factory.

techniques I use. After the piece is cast, I still do a lot of hand
work on it—setting stones, etc., and take pride in the fact that
It is hand=made, from start to finish, and I am delighted that I
have recycled my scrap into an object of beauty.

Alma

I think all of us who do the making need to avoid becoming
jewelery snobs who expect everyone to be fascinated by what we
think of as the wizardry of metalsmithing. 

And then I have a friend, who lives in another state (and who
doesn’t have the internet) who asked me how I “get away with such a
huge mark-up on metals.” He, like many others not in the trade,
imagined that all jewelry is machine made.

Paf Dvorak

Ideally you will see the whole project through your customers eyes
and work to give them exactly what they want, rather than what you
think they should want. 

while a customer may want something fast, I won’t compromise my
standards to make a piece with shortcuts to push the delivery date up
a few days. A hinge takes x amount of labour, setting a stone takes x
amount of time, getting a stone i don’t have in stock or in the exact
colour wanted may take a day more than I planned on- So what the
customer may think he wants is not the same as what I know is
required to make it correctly. If he or she comes to me for a hand
fabricated and original one of a kind piece of jewellery I will make
the best quality piece I can do and charge for it accordingly. If
that makes me a snob, so be it !!! I know far better than the
customer (generally as some of my clients make jewellery themselves)
what is required to give them what they want. If they want an
explanation I’ll happily tell them about the construction involved,
however I agree that rambling on about how a piece was made is boring
to 70% of clients- they come to me because they know it will be made
correctly the first time, and although they get a guarantee for
workmanship and most materials I can’t recall any failures or
returned pieces that have taken advantage of that guarantee!

I am also a snob when it comes to good work vs. poor work being sold
at high end prices though and will point that out when and where I
see it as I am all for consumer education. I have been at many a
fair or festival and have seen many a customer considering a piece
that is around 5-6 hundred dollars. I am the first to tap them on the
shoulder, or introduce myself and offer my expertise to help them
make a decision. Others that don’t get a "real"receipt with valid
contact on it at similar venues I have also warned (yes,
I have seen a number of substantial cash sales with no business card
attached and a drug store receipt book used for receipts !).If the
piece, or rather when the piece fails, I feel that any expenditure
more than 50 or 100 bucks should have some recourse for getting the
piece fixed- without knowing where or how to contact the maker one
is throwing away their money, and the fair or festival looses it’s
reputation for having quality artisan craftsmen selling things. I
think the un or undereducated public deserves a fair buying
experience. it also irks the hell out of me when I hear a maker
mispronouncing the name of a stone, or worse a metal ! or worse,
misrepresenting a metal. so If that makes me a snob, I’ll own that
too- erring on the side of the consumer that needs to know that the
piece will not hold up on the cord the maker has used and they
better buy a chain, or an alternative to the single strand of cord a
pendant will cut through rapidly being of an incorrect weight. or I
see the beads strung will fray the cording, or some problem that they
should be aware of is represented. As for pronunciations that will
probably remain a pet peeve my entire life- I simply don’t understand
how someone can use a material and not be able to pronounce it
correctly, much less sell it by an incorrect name further propagating
that misSo I suppose I am a materials snob as well.

I actually don’t like the term “snob”- educated metalsmith works
better for me. rer

If he or she comes to me for a hand fabricated and original one of
a kind piece of jewellery I will make the best quality piece I can
do and charge for it accordingly. If that makes me a snob, so be
it !!!" [...and a whole bunch of other sensible stuff.] 

That is the type of ‘snob’ I aspire to be. Understanding what is
good work and being able to make it isn’t snobbery. It’s good
craftsmanship and artistry. Or, as R. E. Rourke also said…

“I actually don’t like the term “snob”- educated metalsmith works
better for me.”

Understanding what is good work and being able to make it isn't
snobbery. It's good craftsmanship and artistry. Or, as R. E.
Rourke also said... "I actually don't like the term "snob"-
educated metalsmith works better forme." 

I don’t think anyone said otherwise? What was said was that it’s the
makers job to figure out what the customer wants and then
determinethe best way to make it and that we who do the making need
to avoid becoming jewelery snobs who expect everyone to be
fascinated by what we think of as the wizardry of metalsmithing.
Nobody said anything about not doing good work, not using the proper
materials or not taking the needed time to do the job right?

The discussion was more about whether the average customer is as
interested in the techniques or methods that produced thepiece as we
the makers are. Not usually, was my answer to that. For me that
means that I shouldn’t overload them with details of a process that
they aren’t that interested in anyway. If they are in fact
interested, then by all means tell them as much as they want to
know. The term snob was used in the sense that we may expect every
customer we meet to be very fascinated with our views, choices and
“vast knowledge” on the subject and that we would expect them to
always agree with us.

I find that people are moreinterested in their own lives and unless
the work that the maker has done overlaps with the buyers personal
interests, they are not very much interested.

This has been an interesting thread, having given it some thought, I
ve come to the conclusion that,

1, the question is not properly asked.

To me the definition of hand fabricated implies soldered together
from many parts.

This requires acertain level of technical skill in achieving the
desired end product, but nothing really special.

for example, a simple parrallel sided beaker made from sheet. You
just need to take a course in sheet metal work.

It is what it is and nothing more.

2, However if you ask the question, Is it wrought?, ie forged up with
hammers, from a flat piece, ie raised, then the mystique of the metal
smith is fully justified and needs to be mentioned.

The level of skill needed to do jewelley making or anything else,
this way is an order of magniture greater than a fabricated piece.

As all my work is wrought, I just like making things this way,
consequently I do make it an essential feature of my sales
technique.

The first thing the customer sees is a 4ft bt 2 ft board with all
this mentioned Its called The fire and the hammer.

.I dont have to explain it.

Apart from the fact You can do things “wrought” you cant do any
other way.

Therefore my exhibition unit is designed to highlight this way of
making.

Its 20 ft long by 10 ft deep, half is the sales display area and the
other half is a small working version of my workshop back home.

Whatever I make has to speak for itself.

The public can buy it or leave it of course.

There is obviously a confusion between goldsmithing and the world
oldest profession. No goldsmith worth his or her salt is going to
become obsequious fool to any customer whim. Do we go to restaurant
and tell chef how to cook ? Do we go to winemaker and tell how to
make wine ? Obviously not. Nobody is forced to buy from me or anybody
else. But if I decide to take your business, it will be on my terms.
This is not snobbism, but client connoisseurship.

Leonid Surpin

2, However if you ask the question, Is it wrought? 

I don’t believe the vast majority of the American public has ever
even heard the word “wrought” much less knows what it means.

Paf Dvorak

HI Leonid,

Ever read Cellini?

Better yet, some of the correspondence between Faberge and the Tzars?
The Easter Eggs just happened because Faberge wanted to have a dozen
guys working on one project for 6 months of the year.

Regards,
Brian Meek

No goldsmith worth his or her salt is going to become obsequious
fool to any customer whim. Do we go to restaurant and tell chef
how to cook ?... Nobody is forced to buy from me or anybody else.
But if I decide to take your business, it will be on my terms. 

I’m a bit reluctant to reply because you seem to be deliberately
missing the point? We are talking about seeing the whole project
through your customers eyes and working to give them exactly what
they want, rather than what you think they should want. Then to use
your analogy, it’s got nothing to do with telling him how to cook.
The question would be, do we go to a restaurant and order a steak,
medium rare, and are then happy to be served beef stew because the
“chef” thinks because we are in his restaurant it should be on his
terms?

Hi Guys

There is obviously a confusion between goldsmithing and the world
oldest profession.

I suppose with the price of gold these days anyone going to the
jeweller is going to be F… :smiley:

When we want to make money we “all” prostitute ourselves on
occasion, even you take the opportunity to promote your DVD’s when
you can, nothing wrong with a little self promotion.

A jeweller wanting to make money listens very carefully to his
customers, and makes recommendations.

Don’t you sit down with a drawing pad and listen to what your
customer wants? You still have a lot of creative license when you do
this.

Do you tell the customer what they want? That’s not my idea of
customer service.

Leonid, I always love your analogies :smiley:

“Do we go to the restaurant and tell the chief how to cook?” We don’t
tell him the cooking procedure, but we tell him what we want, and
sometimes how we want it done. I ask the chief to cook me a steak,
and how I want it done (medium rare), he doesn’t tell me “You’ll have
a creme caramel or get out!”

This is the same with jewellers that want to make money, they listen
to their clients wants and needs, and manufacture that.

The wine analogy can get can be compared with jewellers that make a
stock product or items they want to make, if they miss the market
they don’t sell anything. However the best wine makers listen to what
their clients say, this is why they are successful.

Listening to customers isn’t prostituting yourself, it’s just good
business sense.

Regards Charles A.

P. s. I really like this comment, “But if I decide to take your
business…”, is this why you don’t sell jewellery anymore?

Listening to customers isn't prostituting yourself, it's just good
business sense. 

You post prompts further thoughts, One can make a series of products
based on ones experience of this trade that you think the public will
buy, if this works for you, like it has for me, then its a viable
business method.

Or you can work to comission, where as has been explaind in many
previous posts, your at the whim and behest of the patron.

So it would make sense to manage your business in the way that suits
you the best.

I also do comissions, these are for the minting work I do and
involve extended discussions with the customer, especially if he is
planning on selling the product after I have made it for him. These
production runs go from 100 to 5000 items, which involve tooling
costs, lead times and part payment in advance, once the design
details have been finalised. As the customer pays for the tooling its
his copyright and ownership.

This is always universal so can be used by any other minting
operator.

The customer always knows the total cost of such a project before he
signs the agreement to proceed.

There should be a line of respect between jeweler and customer. what
they want with input from the jeweler on what is possible, what is
not possible and how to make it. I am not sure why this is becoming
argumentative.

Better yet, some of the correspondence between Faberge and the
Tzars? The Easter Eggs just happened because Faberge wanted to have
a dozen guys working on one project for 6 months of the year. 

I wonder where this idea came from ?

Tsar Alexander II was killed by political terrorists tossing bomb
under his carriage. His legs were completely blown off, but he was
still able to give an order to take him to the palace where he bled
to death on palace steps. This was shockingly tragic event for the
whole family.

Maria Fedorovna, wife of his successor Alexander III was especially
influenced by the tragedy. On top of the assassination, prior to
coronation tsar family received basket with pained eggs made of wood
as Easter gift. When one of the eggs was open, it was found to
contain 2 ivory skulls and silver dagger.

There was also a note clarifying symbolism of the gift. This plunged
Maria Fedorovna into deep depression.

Alexander asked Faberge to make a gift for his wife to take her mind
of sense of gloom hanging over the palace. Maria Fedorovna wasn’t her
real name. She was princess Dagmar of Denmark. Faberge shrewdly
reasoned that recreating her childhood experiences could accomplish
the task. So he travel to Denmark on fact finding mission, where he
saw large ivory egg in the collection of Denmark Royal Jewels. He was
told that princess Dagmar was very fond of that egg. That was all
that Faberge needed. The very first Faber Egg was almost exact copy
of the Danish egg. The only difference was in hidden surprise. Maria
Fedorovna loved the gift and Alexander ordered Faberge to produce
different egg for every Easter.

Leonid Surpin

There is obviously a confusion between goldsmithing and the world
oldest profession. 

This statement makes me truly smile. I’m a proud adherent and
practitioner of the “World’s Oldest Profession” I’d even shout it
from the hills if there were hills in Florida.

Where was it claimed the World’s Oldest Profession was prostitution
(bet you thought I was going to claim to be a prostitute!) Was it not
via the Bible? Well folks time to read your Genesis again. Before
there was even a mention of Eve, there was just Adam. He needed the
proverbial rib removed. God didn’t say he used an anaesthesia. The
Bible states in plain words, “And God caused a great sleep to come
upon Adam.”

Now what profession is about causing others to go to sleep without
chemical aid? If you guessed hypnosis you would be right on the
money.

Watch out here comes another story. First pregnancy there was
problems but nothing the Dr’s could pinpoint Second pregnancy I was 5
months along when they discovered what the trouble was. I had a heart
problem that only happens when I’m pregnant. Each pregnancy is worse
than the last. Joy of joys. I’m also one of those ladies who has to
not by choice have a C-Section. Unlike the first time I was told I
should limit any chemical intervention to aide them in doing a
C-Section. Well being stubborn and not wanting an abortion I learned
hypnosis. I did the whole C-Section without anaesthesia.

It was quite the operating room. The doc was worried about my
methods, and to assure him we all started telling jokes as he cut.
Now I hadn’t eaten in two days. I was very hungry, and it was
something to focus on other than the sounds of those darn scissors
making a awful sound.

My son was born. Once he was out, The doc said, “Looks good.” I in
turn being the hungry smart ass I am said, “While you have me open,
how about ordering in a pizza and shove it in me while you have me
open!” They recorded my responses in my medical files.

Next time you talk about the Oldest Profession, remember which one
it really is.

Aggie waiting for a great sleep to come upon me!