Commissioning jewellery is super exciting - but it can also be nerve wracking if its the first time you’ve done it. Commissions are a big investment and often done for very emotive reasons - putting your trust in another person, to interpret your thoughts and create the perfect piece of jewellery is a big deal. This guide talks you through my commission process, step by step, so you know what to expect. It’s worth noting that other jewellers may have a slightly different process, the key to success is to ask questions!
1) Find the right jeweller!
Jewellery is incredibly personal and each jewellers style is different. Do your research, ask around your friends and family if you don’t have someone in mind already and make sure the person you are commissioning is someone who’s style you love. If you’re not sure about ‘style’, have a think about the following:
Is this going to be an everyday or occasion piece of jewellery?
Do you lean more towards a chunky or dainty style in terms of accessories?
Do you prefer a high shine, crisp finish. Or are you more organic?
Thinking about these things will give you a starting point.
2) We’ll have an initial chat
Whether thats face to face (in real life or via Facetime/Zoom) or via email in order to establish the basics:
Who is the piece for?
Do you have a specific piece in mind or are you open to suggestions?
What is your budget?
Am I a good fit for the piece you want making?
At this point, if you are happy to proceed in the process with me, a £40 design fee is due.
3) Inspiration - this is where the fun starts.
We’ll turn to Pinterest (or Google images/your camera roll if you don’t have a Pinterest account - although I also strongly recommend opening one if you’re able and I’ll apologise now for the hours you might loose falling down various Pinterest ‘rabbit holes’!) and start an inspiration board. You’ll pin everything and anything that is inspiration, it can be pieces of jewellery that you already own or like (though I’ll ask you to keep this to a minimum because we don’t want to simply recreate something you’ve seen elsewhere), it might be significant places, poems, verses or song lyrics, foods or fragrances. You can’t pin too much here. It gives me an insight into the relationship between you and the person you are commissioning for (even if thats yourself) and helps me understand the backstory. This part of the process can take an hour or a week - you might want to go back and edit the board adding things in or taking them out - when you’re ready you’ll invite me to share the board, then it’s my turn to get creative.
4) I’ll review the board and pull out some key themes
Depending on the amount of content you’ve pinned. Then I’ll get scribbling some designs. I’ll settle on between one and three designs - the number of designs I present is based 100% on my gut feeling about the commission!! Then I’ll shoot a short video, showing you the designs on paper and talking you through my thought process. I’ll tell you about the key themes I took from your Pinterest board and explain any other elements that brought in. I like to take a wholistic approach to designing commissioned jewellery - thinking outside the box and drawing on things like (for example - though each commission is different) my Science background to provide you with something truly unique.
5) Stage 5 is back over to you - time to pick a design
If there was more than one and feedback any tweaks you’d like me to make. We can go back and forth as many times as necessary to get the piece just right. When it is just right, we move on to the next stage.
6) Time to pay the deposit.
Right at the start we agreed a budget - we do this at the start of the process so we understand what we’re working towards. Commissions from Hannah Weston Jewellery typically start at around £300. When we’ve agreed on the design I will give you an estimated price, the deposit payable is 50% of the higher value. Once the deposit is paid I will start work and update you at regular intervals with pictures to let you know how the piece is coming along.
7) Completion
Once the piece is finished and hallmarked you’ll receive a video of your new jewellery. Assuming you’re happy, the final cost is calculated and the balance (final amount - design fee & deposit) is paid. At which point, the piece can be collected (if you’re local) or it will be posted to you.
And thats it! Job done :)
I hope this information is helpful in shedding light on the commission process and encourages you to commission your own piece. It’s such a special way to mark an occasion. If you have any questions about commissioning jewellery please do not hesitate to get in contact with me
