Frequently Asked Questions

I make almost all items to order and by hand, so please allow 6-8 weeks from ordering until dispatch. Bespoke and commission items are likely to take longer - I will advise on the time for these during the design process.

Due to the unique nature of bespoke orders and commissions, the time required to complete them can vary dramatically. As a general guide, a single piece of jewellery will take approximately 12 weeks from receipt of deposit until completion. This does not include the time it takes to discuss and agree upon a design, which may take another 2-6 weeks depending on the complexity of design and whether a fully rendered design is required.

Due to the unique nature of bespoke orders and commissions, the cost can vary drastically. As a rough guide, commissions start from £150 for silver items and £250 for 9ct gold items.

SMO stands for "Single Mine Origin" and means just that - the gold has been mined in one specific location and has been protected by a chain of custody from the mine to the customer. From the SMO gold website: SMO gold "is produced by a legitimate mining operation which holds no ties to conflict, where miners are being paid a just wage under secure employment." Mines that are approved for SMO gold must demonstrate best practices in employment rights, health and safety, environmental stewardship, community engagement and corporate governance.

Visit singlemineorigin.com for more information.

Ecosilver is another name for 100% recycled silver. It is produced from scrap generated in the jewellery industry, as well as other silver-bearing items such as old photographic and x-ray plates. Silver from a variety of past lives is refined together, so it is impossible to trace the original source of the silver - in fact, it could have been mined centuries ago! In general, the refining process is less costly to the environment compared with mining "new" silver.

Fully traceable gemstones can be traced back to the mine they came from. This means that we can be sure that both workers and the environment have been adequately protected, no child labour has been used and the gemstones are conflict-free. This applies to both the mining conditions and the cutting house, where the rough gemstones are cut and polished to form the gemstone that is set into jewellery.