As a designer | maker business, we make all of our jewellery by hand in our local studio. Due to our process of melting metal, many of our pieces are unique: Some are one of a kind and ready to ship, others are made to order. We also take bespoke orders. But what is the difference and is there overlap?
A one of a kind piece of jewellery or OOAK is one that only exists once as it is. Even if we created another piece from scratch, it would not be the same. Often, the process is complicated or there is fortuitous chance involved in creating the shapes in the flames, for example with the 18 karat yellow gold molten drop earring. The stones will be particular to the piece, as we only use unique gems. You would therefore not find another person on the planet wearing exactly the same piece. Many OOAK pieces in the shop are ready to ship without delay. Check the item description.
An OOAK piece that you would like but does not yet exist on our website would likely be a bespoke commission, which would include the design process from scratch. You would contact us first. You will then be sent an initial form to give us an indication of your direction before we arrange for a consultation with our designer | maker Alexandra, either in person in our Oxfordshire studio within easy reach of London or online via Zoom. We would then create a quote for you, half of which will need to be paid before the design process proper begins to cover the costs of the materials and is therefore non-refundable, and half on completion. Bespoke commissions can take around 12 weeks, depending on the sourcing of materials and the complexity of external processes involved.
A piece that is made to order already exists in one iteration, so the original design process is complete. Many rings are made to order, as sizing is so personal and so are some of the individual salt and pepper diamonds we use. You are therefore NOT buying the piece in our online shop and the price is more of an indication, but you are entering a conversation via our contact form around the possibilities of us creating a SIMILAR piece for you from scratch in our studio. This is where the lines to OOAK can get a little blurry. Depending on the complexity of the work, it may take up to 8 weeks. For example, individual settings will need to be designed and built for individual stones.
Ready to ship items are just that: Ready to be housed in our beautiful packaging and sent to you without delay. Many of our handmade ready to ship pieces will be one of a kind too, due to the processes we use.