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