Jewelry Customization: The Service and Practice

I was recently referenced in an article published by “Rapaport Magazine”, a subscription service specifically for the diamond trade.  It is an honor to be considered a voice of some authority in the field of jewelry customization. Not only is it my career, it is my love.   And I take that honor as a responsibility.  Both to my clients to be true to my vision of custom jewelry design (typically a full custom service) and to help further education and support for all versions of custom work.

Understanding Jewelry Customization
In my role as a founding member of MJSA’s Council of Custom Jewelers I am delighted to be helping to clarify the different levels of custom service provided within our industry.  MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America) …”is the trade association dedicated to professional excellence in jewelry making and design.”
Here’s a brief overview of what has been accomplished by the Council so far, the following is excerpted from the page in the link directly above.
“…the Council has developed a basic definition of custom jewelry:
Pieces designed and produced by a jeweler for a specific client, almost always with the client’s input, and adhering to the highest standards of quality craftsmanship.
MJSA and the council are also promoting a three-tiered system in which custom design projects can be grouped according to the level of design involved. The three levels are:
Full Custom Design: A jewelry design made from scratch specifically for a customer.
Semi-Custom Design: Existing designs that have been modified to alter their shapes or appearance.
Made to Order: Existing designs manufactured by request, modified only by sizing and choice of metal and/or gemstone.”
The link below will take you to the full Rapaport article, which provides a little more perspective.
RappaportCustomization~2

I’d like to thank author Lara Ewen and Rapaport Magazine (diamonds.net) for allowing me to share the article linked above!
As always, we at Gary Dawson Designs would love to work with you on a custom piece of jewelry.  We also maintain an online shopping experience of unique and interesting designs either ready to go immediately, or individually produced with a rapid production to shipping time.  From our ever popular Janus line to a few exquisite special pieces, check this link to see what’s in the store now!