THE BESPOKE DESIGN PROCESS

Designing a bespoke piece with KLJ is a special process, but if you’ve not been through it before then it might feel a little bit daunting.

This blog post is here to guide you through the bespoke process, from start to finish. If you’re considering choosing Katie Lees Jewellery to design your future heirloom, read on to find out exactly what’s involved.

Consultation:

Consultation is the first part of the bespoke process and probably the most important part for you as a client. This is your opportunity to discuss all your ideas with Katie and seek her advice on creating your bespoke piece.

We offer face to face consultations in our Glasgow studio, however if you’re not able to travel to us then we are more than happy to arrange an appointment over Zoom. Consultations are free and can be booked online through our website here. Before your appointment, it’s helpful to have a rough idea or plan of what you are looking for. Have a think about what design style you like and feel free to bring along some pictures for inspiration - the more information we have to work from, the better.

During the appointment, we will discuss the various metals, carats and stone options that are available to you. You will be able to see examples of stones and metals, as well as having the opportunity to try on our sample rings in the workshop. Trying things on will help us and you get a better feel for your desired style.

The type, size and shape of stone we use will depend on your budget - as does the carat of your metal. Whilst talking about budget may feel a bit uncomfortable at first, it’s necessary to ensure we can create your perfect bespoke piece that’s affordable for you. If you’d like some more help with deciding on a budget, read our budget blog post here. Our minimum budget for a bespoke commission is £2,000.

If you are looking to incorporate heirloom stones or metals into your bespoke piece, it’s recommended that you bring them along to the consultation. This will allow Katie to inspect and advise on what’s possible. It’s also important that a permission slip is signed when heirloom pieces are involved. We require your written permission for the piece to be altered and reworked as there is no going back once it has been melted. The timescale for working with heirloom pieces is longer than the average bespoke design, so it is important to note that it will not always be the most affordable option.

After your consultation

After your consultation, Katie will send an email confirming everything that was discussed. If you want to change anything or ask any questions that weren’t covered in the consultation, this is your opportunity to do so.

Once everything has been agreed upon, Katie will send out an invoice for the deposit. The deposit amounts to 40% of the budget for your bespoke piece and once paid, confirms that you would like to officially commission us to create your bespoke piece. Please bear in mind that our minimum spend for commissioning a bespoke design is £2,000.

Designs

With your deposit paid, we can move on to the most exciting part - the designs! Katie will digitally sketch up 3 designs based on your brief, consultation discussion and any other details you have provided. We’ll then send these to you for your consideration. You may fall in love with a design straightaway or want to combine certain elements from different ones or make other adjustments, all of which Katie will guide you through to make sure your final design is perfect.

Dependent on the brief/specification of the design, we may create a CAD drawing. This is not necessary for all designs but Katie will advise.

Once we have received your final approval on your chosen design, it’s all systems go!

Stone approval

If your chosen final design incorporates stones, we will discuss with you the different options available according to your brief and budget. This stage looks different for all clients but it’s normal for us to email pictures/videos of stone choices for approval.

You also may prefer to visit the studio to see the stones in person which you are more than welcome to do - you can schedule this by booking on our website in the first instance but if no slots are suitable, please let us know and we can arrange something for you.

Final costing

You have given your approval for your design and stones which means that we can now give you an accurate final costing for your piece. Once you have confirmed that you are happy, we can move into the fabrication phase.

Fabrication

This is where we bring your piece to life! The timeframe for this stage is approximately 6-8 weeks as we assemble, cast, hallmark, clean, set stones, polish and finish your bespoke design.

6-8 weeks can be a long time for some to wait but it’s important to emphasise that no news is good news when it comes to communication from us during this phase. As a small independent team we’re working hard and focussing on making your piece picture perfect.

If you have any questions during production you can email katie@katieleesjewellery.com but rest assured we’ll be in touch the minute your piece is ready!

Final payment and collection / delivery

When the day is here and your piece is boxed up and ready, we’ll get in touch to let you know. We’ll send you a final invoice for the balance amount and you can choose whether to pay in advance or at the time of collecting your piece. Collection appointments can be booked on our website but if you can’t find a slot that suits, just let us know.

We are also more than happy to post your piece to you if you supply your address. For UK orders we use Royal Mail Special Delivery which is fully insured. For international orders we will contact you to advise.

Timeframes

Our normal timeframe for bespoke commissions is 6-8 weeks after your design has been approved. We can sometimes accommodate shorter timeframes but this must be communicated to us as early as possible and we cannot guarantee them. So if something is urgent, please let us know.

It’s important to note that, like any small business with bespoke production processes, there may be occasions where we experience unavoidable delays. This can be due to things like failed castings, stone delays, Brexit, illness, holidays or closures due to Covid. Should anything like this arise during the commission of your piece, we will do our best to advise you in the most timely manner possible.

Size not quite right?

Don’t worry! Ring resizing is gratuitous for 6 weeks after completion. Please get in touch as soon as possible if your ring needs an adjustment.

If you have any questions at all about the bespoke design process, you can contact us here.