Everything we make is one of two things. Made to order means the design already exists and your piece is cast fresh when you order it, in your size, and ships in one to three weeks. One of a kind means I carved it once, cast it once, set the single stone I had, and will not make it again. Both come out of the same two-metalsmith studio in Idyllwild and the same hands. Here is how each one works, why the made-to-order wait exists, how to tell them apart on the site, and how sizing works for each.
Made to order: the design exists, your piece does not yet
A made-to-order piece starts the way everything here starts: with a concept rooted in an archetype, a myth or a question, and then a stone. The stone is chosen first and the metalwork is built around it. I carve the model by hand in wax, we cast it by the lost wax method, and that design becomes one we can cast again. When you order a Moon Phase Shield Ring, that is what happens. A wax of the ring is produced in your size, it goes into a small casting batch with the other orders, it comes out of the casting rough, and one of the two of us finishes it by hand: files, sands, oxidizes the recesses, polishes the high points, and sets the black onyx last. Then it goes in the box.
That is why the wait. Nothing is sitting on a shelf waiting for a label. One to three weeks is the time it takes for a ring to go from wax to your hand when there are two metalsmiths and no production line. If you need it by a particular date, ask us before you order and we will tell you honestly whether it can be done.
Most made-to-order rings are offered in sizes 5 to 12, with custom sizes on request; note the size you want when you order. The Maiden Hex Necklace, the Lunar pieces, the Astral rings: all made to order, all cast when you ask for them.
One of a kind: carved once, cast once, never again
A one-of-a-kind piece starts with a single stone. Not a type of stone, a stone: this labradorite with this flash, this rainbow moonstone cut this way. I carve the wax for that stone and no other, we cast it once, I set it, and the wax is gone. There is no master to return to. When the piece sells, that design is finished. The drops come in collections through the year, each built around a theme, and when a collection is gone it does not come back.
One of a kind is where I push myself. It is where new forms get tried, where the stones that are too strange or too large for a repeatable design get used, and where the ideas that do not work get found out before they could ever become a permanent piece. Sometimes my strange ideas work and sometimes they do not, and the one-of-a-kind work is where I find out.
The size is fixed. A one-of-a-kind ring was made in one size, and the title tells you which one. There is no casting to wait for, because the piece already exists. Browse the one-of-a-kind collection for what is in the studio right now.
How to tell which is which on the site
Three signs.
The title. A one-of-a-kind ring carries its size in the name: Size 9, Size 7.5, Size 8. A made-to-order ring has no size in the title because it comes in every size.
The ordering. A made-to-order ring asks for your size and tells you it ships in one to three weeks. A one-of-a-kind piece lists the size it was made in and ships as it is.
The collection. Everything one of a kind lives in the one-of-a-kind collection. The made-to-order pieces live in their named collections, Lunar and Astral among them.
If you are still not sure, the description says so, and you can always ask.
Sizing on each
For made to order, the size is yours to choose, and if you do not know it our post on how to easily measure your ring size walks through it. Custom sizes above or below the standard range can be done; say so when you order. Because the ring is cast in your size rather than sized down from a larger one, the proportions stay the way I carved them.
For one of a kind, the ring is the size in the title. Some can be adjusted and some cannot, and the answer depends on the design: a simpler band is more forgiving than a sculptural ring whose carving wraps the whole way around. If you love a one-of-a-kind ring and it is not your size, write to us before you order. We will tell you whether it can be done for that piece, and we are happy to help you determine your ring size either way.
Why we work this way
I have been making jewelry for fifteen years, and the studio is still two metalsmiths. We could cast in volume, keep a shelf of every size, and ship the next day. We chose not to, because the pieces are built to be talismans, and a talisman is a specific thing made for a specific person. A ring cast the week you asked for it, in your size, finished by one of two people who will remember making it, is a different object from a ring pulled from a bin. The one-of-a-kind work keeps me honest as a maker. The made-to-order work lets a design that earned its place reach more than one person without becoming a product.
There are no shortcuts and no production lines. That is the whole answer to why it takes a few weeks.
Questions we get about made to order and one of a kind
What does made to order jewelry mean? It means the piece is made after you order it, not pulled from stock. Here, a made-to-order ring is cast from my hand carved design in your size, finished by hand and set in our studio, then shipped in one to three weeks. The design repeats; the ring is yours.
How long does a made to order ring take? One to three weeks from order to shipping. The time covers producing the wax in your size, casting in a small batch, finishing, oxidizing, polishing and setting the stone by hand. If you have a date in mind, ask before you order and we will give you a straight answer.
Can a one of a kind ring be resized? Sometimes. The ring was made in the size shown in its title, and whether it can move depends on the design: simpler bands often can, fully carved sculptural bands often cannot. Ask us before ordering and we will tell you what is possible for that specific piece.
Two kinds of pieces, one studio, the same two pairs of hands. Pick the one that is already waiting, or the one that will be made for you. Either way it was made on purpose.
From the studio
A few of the one-of-a-kind pieces in the studio right now, each carved once and cast once, next to a made-to-order design we cast fresh for you.
- Luna Ring: one of a kind, rainbow moonstone in sterling silver, made in a size 9
- The Priestess Ring: one of a kind, an amethyst point in sterling silver, made in a size 8
- High Priestess Ring + Bracelet Harness: one of a kind, labradorite ring and bracelet harness in sterling silver
- Moon Phase Shield Ring: made to order, black onyx in sterling silver, cast in your size
