Ready made or made to order?

No, this is not a to be or not to be question or to cover or not to cover as discussed in a previous blog. It is a personal choice, and both can be good ones when it comes to purchasing jewelry. Most of websites selling jewelry offer a set of ready-made jewelry that you can select. Choices can be very large, and you can always find what you desire. Some websites offer 3D visual representations of jewelry that physically is not in stock but manufactured when ordered. I already discussed the 3D representation of jewelry in a previous blog.

Comparing ready-made jewelry with made to order is like comparing apples and oranges. They both can be good, and they serve the same purpose but in a different way. You would buy a very nice ready made item that fits your style, and that you can cherish through generations. For a more personal look, a more distinctive style  you can order a piece of jewelry to be made specifically to fit your taste and liking. Such jewelry can give you a unique feeling and makes you stand out. When you order a bespoke jewelry item, you are putting your signature into it, your personal taste. It also gives you a sense of gratification and success. Such feeling reminds me of the movie Cast Away featuring Tom Hanks. When he made fire, he was so happy and felt success as he achieved something he never tried before but knew about it, and when he did it, it gave him gratification and feeling of victory:

Look what I have created ! I have made fire ! I... have made fire!

I have made fire!

When you buy a ready made jewelry piece, you can say that it took you some time to look for the perfect item that you had in mind. From the thousands of items readily available online, you could pretty much buy a unique item that can make you stand out. After all, you scowered the net to look for the perfect item that you wanted to have. That's also is somehow a personalized experience. You could find similar items, but it can take some time and that what makes your picked item almost unique (you can even try to find your look-alike if you visit this site). The below dome ring is currently under production. It is not a made to order item but will be ready made for sale. How many of such design can you easily find on the net? You can, but you won't find many; therefore, such ring can look like a made to order item that you will associate with.

MW dome ring, side view

MW dome ring, front view

MW dome ring, profile view

I will not start my sentence here with a "However" or a "But" because as I said at the beginning of this blog, it is not an article about which is better. Therefore, when you buy a made to order jewelry piece, you can pretty much say: Look what I have created, I have made my jewelry!

Very few online sites offer such bespoke service because it might be an expensive experience to the consumer. It is not necessarily as a costly decision, but a very rewarding one. You will have the choice of the design, the metal, the diamonds and gemstones and their qualities. In the end, it will be made for you and only you. How more personal that can be?

Some interesting facts about bespoke jewelry I grabbed from this blog:

The spectacular necklace with largest pear-shaped White Nacreous Pearl ‘La Peregrina’ was sold for $11.8 million. The giant natural pearl belonged to eight generations of Spanish kings between 1582 and 1808. Elizabeth Taylor received it as a Valentine’s Day gift from Richard Burton in 1969. Inspired by a 16th century portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, Taylor commissioned Cartier to design a new mount of matched natural Pearls and Rubies. It was designed by Taylor with Al Durante of Cartier to offset La Peregrina.

Yes, the above necklace was a hefty financial experience but the owner could afford it. Regardless of the price of the bespoke ordered item, what matters most is that the owner will wear something made specifically for him/her and according to his/her input on design and specifications. We produced the below made to order pendant requested by one of our business partners Tesori and commissioned by one of his clients.It is a very simple gold pendant engraved with the letter "O" and we followed the exact measurements the client requested.

As you can see, not all the time it costs a small fortune to order a bespoke piece. Once again, not all companies offer such service because they look into the feasibility of such projects from the financial benefits. Since we do not mass produce and we consider ourselves the extension of our client's business, we do offer such special services regardless if it is lucrative or not. Tesori, who sells high-end ready made jewelry, also offers custom made orders. They offer excellent personalized services to their clients, so we share the same values hence making our partnership  a perfect business match.

"O" pendant with client's requested measurements. Courtesy of Tesori Norway

"O" pendant rendering. Courtesy of Tesori Norway

So whether you decide to buy a ready made jewelry piece or design your own, make sure that item will be a precise fit for you or your loved ones. Make it fulfill you with that "I have created fire" kind of feeling of achievement.

Watchmakers assembling the Constant Escapement movement - Girard-Perregaux's new movement with new escapement. Photo courtesy of Luxury-Insider

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Quality comes at a price. I think most of you agree with this and look no further than Apple products as an example. The price of the iPhone can be double of a Samsung phone or any other good mobile out there. iPhones are not only expensive and not necessarily better than an Android phone but despite their price, people queue by the hundreds and even thousands to get one when a new model is out. The iPhone reflects style and quality of the make. The materials used are the best, and the design is as perfect as it can be. I use a Note 4 due to personal OS preference, but I consider the iPhone the most beautiful phone ever built.

Such design and materials used are a result of hundreds if not thousands of hours of R&D. Why rounded corners and not square? Why aluminum and not plastic? Why thin but not too thin? Why the buttons here and not there? Many why’s that cost a lot of money to produce the many because’s. When you flash your iPhone you feel different in front of people looking at you, you feel your product has character, identity, uniqueness. It is a product you can identify as an iPhone from a distance. It makes you feel different.

What has an iPhone to do with jewelry? Well, nothing. However, the quality of any product comes at a premium, and the iPhone was a simple way to illustrate this reasoning. You cannot possibly get a high-end product for bargain prices, at least not in the conventional shopping way. In jewelry, this concept is not only a de-facto but a necessity. Jewelry is a commodity, and it is only called jewelry because it is supposed to be made of expensive materials. Real jewelry needs to have character, an identity. A real piece jewelry should talk to you and call you to buy it. It should tell you: Hey, I am expensive and not in vain but for a reason. Buy me, and you will be investing in something that will worth every penny because I will become part of your heirloom. I will make you feel good when you wear me because people will give you compliments, and some of them will envy you because you will stand out.

On many occasions I received requests for manufacturing jewelry with some conditions or requirements: We want it bold, beautiful and cheap. We want the best and the cheapest. We want it to look valuable, but we want it cheap. This mentality in the business can work with companies that produce en masse. Those who do not care much if the ring was well polished from the inside, if the prongs are round or if there are some diamonds with chips and nicks. It works for people asking for the bold and beautiful for the price of the bald and ugly. People who don't care much about detail because their customers are not that knowledgeable about how real jewelry should look like-I am bald by the way, but my wife finds me handsome, lucky me.

You want to wear Prada, Gucci, Dior, LV, Dolce & Gabanna?- I am not talking to you Elton, I love your music but also would not boycott D&G- or any other couture brands out there, you need to pay the price. You need to pay the price, and you will get what you pay for, and that is: Quality. You want to pay peanuts you will only get replicas, and it won’t feel the same, it won't look the same, it won't make you stand out.

Genuine Happy Diamond Icons watch by Chopard. 18k white gold and diamonds. Retailed at approx. $35,000. Ladies will be very happy to have one

Cheap make replica of a Happy Diamond Chopard Icons watch. Sold for $250, just google it. This watch won't make you happy even as a desk ornament.

I am not implying that one must only buy branded jewelry, no. If you can most definitely do it. What I am trying to convey is that if you need good quality jewelry you need to be ready to pay the price. You want luxury then you need to accept paying for its value. When you go to drink and get drunk, you don’t count the glasses right? There is so much “jewelry” out there that is sold so cheap and at the same time real jewelry is only known by the few.

A superb ring (I don't know by who) and excellent photography by EpicMind Studio. The design and the quality of the make expose the full beauty of this wonderful center diamond.

In my humble opinion, this is an equally poorly executed ring. This center diamond is expensive, but the mounting's design and quality only diminish its value

Women would say that they know a man by his shoes. I totally agree with this because the shoes reflect in a way the style of the person and his personality. For women, I can say the same by looking at her shoes and bag. A stylish lady with beautiful clothes, shoes, and bag but wearing some low-quality jewelry will just demolish her looks. If you need to wear any, wear one good piece rather than many that do not reflect quality. Real jewelry will be the icing on the cake.

Since the days I could afford to buy my stuff or spending at leisure, I have a principle that I follow. If I cannot afford quality, I wait till I can but I don’t accept anything close just for the sake of having it. When I bought my home theater, I had in mind to get quality audiophile equipment. I had a budget, but that budget did not allow me to buy even the entry level audiophile equipment. I could buy a very nice home theater from any commercial brand out there, but I decided not to because I demanded quality. When I had enough to be able to purchase the equipment I wanted I built a very nice home theater that kept impressing me till today. I am talking about 15 years ago when I bought my home theater, and I still have it until today and it still does not stop impressing me and my friends on the quality of sound it produces. I paid a hefty price for it (well substantial for what I could afford) but I did not regret one minute, and every penny I spent on it was worth it. Some of the equipment might be a bit outdated compared to what is available now but still it stands out and is an excellent setup. If you are curious to see my setup, you can visit my humble home theater page.

Last week I went on a trip to the north of the country and I wanted to buy a toy car for my son since he is obsessed with cars. I fell into the very illusion trap that consumers fall into. I saw two cars, one costing $50, and another that was very similar and looked good and all but cost only $10. I went for the cheap saying to myself that my son will break it anyway after a few days so for 10 bucks is worth it. Besides, it looked good and looked as good as the more expensive car. When I reached home and gave my son the car, after only 5 minutes of play he came to me waving some signs with a look of despair and disappointment. The wheels broke, the tires were off and one of the lights was not flashing anymore. He was looking at me with the hope that I could fix his car and put a smile on his face. Little he knew that daddy paid peanuts for that toy and if he knew, he would rather enjoy eating real peanuts than playing with a worthless car.

My father always tells me that expensive is cheap, and it is so true- Dad I did not listen to you only when I bought that cheap toy for Vito :-). When you want to buy a piece of real jewelry, save until you can purchase one good high–end quality piece. An expensive item that is worth the money you are paying will stay with you for long time and can be passed from generation to generation. Look at the vintage jewelry made by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and many other renowned jewelers for example. They are worth even more nowadays and are coveted by collectors.

Vintage Alhambra Van Cleef & Arpels necklace. Simplicity makes beauty and quality expose it. I think it retails at $15,000.

A picture worth a thousands words. Selling at $15 (hanger excluded).

Meanwhile and until then, you can indulge in wearing some faux-Bijoux but don’t spend on cheap jewelry. Save for that one unique piece that will make you stand out and give you a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. After all, fashion is a style, an attitude, a character, a way of life and identity, and so is jewelry my friend. Monkeys do not have style, and peanuts are not caviar.