FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Custom/Remakes

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR A RE-MAKE/CUSTOM MAKE?

Most of the pieces you see made by us will have been customer commissions.

The process should be exciting, fun, and actually really easy!

Here are a few simple ways that you as the customer can make the process flow.

1: Have some idea - of WHAT you like and what you don't like.

Try to reference styles you like, colours you like, widths you like, surfaces-shiny, brushed, organic, rose gold, yellow gold, white gold...

Be a little flexible with the design, We will be creating a ONE OFF for you, hence it will not be EXACTLY the same as the one you saw on my Facebook, Instagram, or website.

Custom work is ALL about communication!

2: BUDGET - Knowing how much you want to spend can make life a whole lot easier. There is an extremely broad spectrum of options in grades of stones, carats of gold, and ways in which the jewellery can be made. Knowing how much you want to spend can make this process a lot easier.

3: Tell me a bit ABOUT YOU - or the person it is being created for.

Are they sporty, funky, traditional, ethical, conservative or boho - do they like green, blue, or violet? Or do they just love BLING!!!

That kind of thing really helps us out!

4: FINGER SIZE - If it's a ring this helps so much!!

Once we establish some basic ideas, we will run up some basic sketches - and yes, they will be quick and very simple, if your design requires a Digital design and render there will be additional charge up front and this is not refundable.

Once we both are comfortably on the same page a deposit is taken (deposits depend on the final cost of the work but on average is 50% of the final cost).

Then the magic begins...

Our turnaround can vary from 2-8 weeks - But if you need something urgently just ask.

RING SIZING - "How do I find out?"

By far the safest way of finding out your finger size or anyone else's for that matter is to head into a jewellery store or any local jewellers. They should use special sizing rings that are universal worldwide. Remember if the ring is wider than 3mm you are having made use a WIDE sizer - The jeweller should have these.

Want to gift as a surprise??

Gifting a handmade ring without knowing someone's finger size is somewhat tricky, whilst we can guess, you need to check with us first if the style you want is resizable or not.

If it's for your girlfriend a sneaky way to enlist help is to ask one of her friends to go shopping with her and "accidentally" come across a jewellers or jewellery store. They they can go in and try a few rings on and hence get the finger size.

Tying string around your finger or even measuring the diameter of an old ring is rather inaccurate (as are those online charts ) and could easily lead to costly resizing down the track.

HOW MUCH DOES RE-MODELLING COST?

This is a tricky question to answer without all the information needed. As its truly dependent on a number of factors such as

- How simplistic or decorative is the new design?

- How many of your stones can be used?

- Do you want to add more stones?

- Are we designing one piece or many?

- How long will it take for us to dismantle your jewellery?

The minimum fee for a gold remodel is around $1500 PLUS any additional materials needed.

The amount of work in a remodel can sometimes be 5 times longer than a piece started from scratch. Whilst every job is completely different, we find most gold remodels sit in the $1650-$5000 bracket (when crafting in a 9ct gold).

HOW MUCH DOES A CUSTOM MAKE COST?

Pricing on custom makes depends on a huge number of factors and each case is unique.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A RING?

It can take between 5 hours up to four days to craft a ring - it really depends on the complexity of the design

ARE YOU ABLE TO USE MY OLD GEMS?

Your gems will need to be of a decent quality to reuse. Often their size and quality determine how they can be set into a new piece. The GMW Team will outline options and risks before commencing with you.

We are often asked if we can say take a large gem and cut it into smaller stones, we are not a cutter so this is not possible.

Please note working with your gems is entirely at your own risk.

CAN YOU REMODEL STERLING SILVER JEWELLERY?

Whilst we can do this, it is not a very economical way of making jewellery.

WHEN I REMODEL AM I ABLE TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT GOLD COLOUR FROM MY OLD JEWELLERY?

Most definitely

CAN I RETURN AN ITEM IF IT ISN'T WHAT I EXPECTED OR IS IT TOO DIFFERENT FROM THE IMAGE I SAW ONLINE?

We do our best to make our pieces as close to the requested item as possible. However, because all of our jewellery is unique, there will be some natural variation between pieces and that is part of our magic. No two pieces are ever exactly alike so precise replication should not be expected.

We pride ourselves in satisfying our customers and want you to love wearing your pieces as much as we love making them. So please be sure to communicate clearly with us.

If you are truly unhappy contact us as soon as possible.

JEWELLERY CARE - OUR WARRANTY LIMITATIONS

All GMW Jewellery comes with a 12-month warranty that covers any manufacturing fault that is not the result of everyday wear and tear.

We do not cover

Chipped, cracked, or broken gemstones.

Broken chains.

General wear and tear including rings that have bent out of shape or oxidised.

We can generally tell exactly how a piece has been treated by examining it, which will show any major impacts.

As a general rule please treat your piece with respect - although diamond and sapphire set jewellery can handle most knocks other gems are not so hard wearing, sometimes a chipped gem cannot be replaced without a complete remake of the item so it is wise to be aware of your jewellery at all times.

It is best not to swim, garden, or expose rings to chemicals (eg: household bleach, strong cleaners etc). Moisturisers and tanning creams can tarnish sterling silver and dull gold - We Take extra care with stones as they can be damaged if exposed to harsh cleaners and chemicals.

Brushed finish will shine up with constant wear - but can be self-managed by gently scrubbing a damp green scotchbrite sponge over the work and drying off with a soft towel.

REMODELLING - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The minimum we charge for a gold remodel is $1500 plus materials.

The amount of work in a remodel can often take 5 times longer, than a piece started from scratch.

Whilst every job is completely different, We find most gold remodels sit in the $1500-$5000 bracket, when crafting in 9ct gold.

It helps if you can send a photo of what old materials you would like to use, plus a reference photo of one or more of our designs you would like made, your finger size and what colour gold you prefer.

From this we should be able to give you a "ballpark" figure - however sketches and a final quote cannot be ascertained until we have the old jewellery/gems in our posession.

Once we have agreed upon a design, Gina will send a remodelling contract through and ask you to sign and return to us before work commences.

Usually, we are happy to take your old gold as a deposit towards the new work, however if we need to purchase extra gems we may ask for a deposit.

THE PROCESS...

Reusing precious metal isn't quite so straightforward as it possibly sounds.

You may think all your various carat gold just gets melted together, but it does not quite work like that.

In fact melting together old gold of various carats from different manufacturers can create a whole lot of problems, including discolouration's in the metal, pitting, and cracking. This is because all gold has some form of alloy or various alloys mixed into it, and without expensive analysis we have no idea what they are.

There are Three main reasons to remodel - if the jewellery holds SENTIMENTAL value, for example from a grandparent's ring, for ETHICAL reasons, so no new mining has to take place or cost, you can save money if you have a significant amount of gold to contribute. Most of the old gold we view is VERY lightweight in comparison to our work eg: our rings can weigh up to 10 times more than a commercially made mass produced ring and often we must add a considerable amount of new gold into the mix. Which adds to the cost of your job.

Fancy a different gold colour?

This can be arranged.

We CAN reuse Sterling Silver - But as it is not economically viable, you will pay more then you would to purchase new silver.

REUSING THE GEMS

Your gems will need to be a decent quality to reuse - and often their size determines how they can be reused.

Some commercially made jewellery will have badly cut, very low-grade gems in them - which often makes setting and reusing them near impossible.

We cannot re cut them or change their shape.

We will let you know whether they are reusable or not, before we start. Although even then some stones just do not play ball in being re-set.

Working with your gems is entirely at your own risk. (you will be asked to sign a contract before work commences).