Educational blog

There are a lot of trends happening with jewellery right now, but the most exciting and long lasting of these trends are the popular custom handmade diamond rings. If you are in the market for an engagement ring right now, then let us at Bassil Creations congratulate you on finding your perfect match. We would love to help you find the perfect ring to celebrate this commitment, and we feel that in most cases handmade rings are the way to go. The following are a list of reasons why we feel custom handmade rings are a benefit to you:

• You get a one-of-a-kind piece: The mass produced rings are lovely, but they are not unique. When you purchase a handmade ring, you will have a ring that is completely unique.
• More custom options: When you get a handmade ring, you can add a lot of different elements and accents that will make it totally personal for you and your beloved.
• Increased value: These rings take longer to make and are rare due to their unique nature. In the end, this means that it will be worth more without costing you more.
• Control over the design: When you choose a ring from the display case, you will be limited by the creativity of others. If you have some specific ideas of what you want this important piece of jewellery to look like, then you will want this freedom in the design process.
• Ability to create matching pieces: When you are part of the design of the ring, you will also be able to get custom designed other pieces that will match the style, size, and colour of the ring. For example perfectly matching your wedding ring to your engagement ring.
• High quality: When a ring is made by a master jeweller specifically for a client, the attention to detail and the quality is of the highest standard. Each aspect of the creation process is examined by the master jeweller and the ring is created perfectly.
• Time to plan: The handmade rings will take some extra time to create. Some will call this delay a bad thing, but we think it gives you the perfect chance to plan out the perfect proposal.

Buying a diamond because it is very cheap and looks good on paper will almost always fail to live up to your expectations in real life. Buying a diamond is a lifetime investment and you want to make sure it is something your fiancée will love forever.

Diamond prices tend to be very steady and market based, at the carat sizes of 0.5carat-3 carats, there is not going to be huge jumps in price if the quality is up to par with what is stated on the certificate.

From experience, if a diamond is listed hundreds, or even thousands of dollars less than others within the same quality and carat size, the chances are something is very wrong with it that can’t be shown on the certificate. Below are some of the issues the diamond could have:

• It can come from a poor material that makes it look dull
• Inclusions specially clouds that make it look milky
• Bad measurements
• Uneven sparkle
• Eye visible inclusions that seem harmless on the certificate
• An inferior cut

The certificate we have placed below as an example, is one of a diamond you should avoid at all costs. Although the price may be attractive, the diamond itself will be lifeless and cloudy.  All these factors play a part in pricing and if something is not attractive, the seller will try to get rid of it at a low price to an unknowing consumer who cannot visually inspect the diamond.

Those are what we refer to as “Internet Diamonds”

The Best Kept Secret

While working in the jewellery industry for over 10 years, being a second generation jeweller, creating the highest quality jewellery for many well known jewellery stores I wanted to adventure out and ask people what they knew about manufacturing jewellers.

The point of contact has always been between a client and a retail sales person. Customers were surprised that a manufacturing jeweller could have one on one direct contact with customers, they also thought that a lot of jewellery today were created in large factories and a client would never personally meet the jeweller that created the piece of jewellery for them.

I am writing this article, to give you an insight of the 8 top secrets of the custom made manufacturing jewellery industry.

The 8 secrets you need to know about custom made jewellery

1. Tailored to You

When you work together with a master jeweller to create a unique item, you can bypass the middlemen. You don’t have to ask for permission to make your choice. Instead, you can embrace your creative vision and share it with a skilled jeweller.

Whatever your tastes or needs are, a jeweller can work with you to create tailored, unique pieces. If you have the spark of an idea in your mind, a jeweller can sketch the ring, so that you can visualize the ring that will be created.

2. Focus on Quality

Making a one-off ring involves a level of care and focus unparalleled by mass-produced goods. Our jewellers don’t produce jewellery with a relentless drive to reduce costs. Instead, we treat each piece like a work of art that represents our craft

Each jeweller will spend hours and days, perfecting that one piece of jewellery, using the highest quality of gold and diamonds, creating a jewellery piece that is flawless. The expertise and skills of the individual jeweller, allows the jewellery piece to be created in the same way a client had envisioned.

3. Value for Money

Budget is the number one priority with any couple getting engaged or married, as the cost of living is becoming more expensive, couples want to save as much money as possible.

We all want the highest quality for the most competitive price.

A significant benefit to buying direct from a jewellery manufacturer is that there will almost always be a better purchase price on offer. Cutting out the “middle man”, such as wholesalers and retailers who buy at a low price but add their own mark-ups, is a good way to avoid those extra expenses. The retail price when buying from a manufacturer will therefore be considerably

less, meaning a large discount for the consumer and, with the more specialised customer service and bespoke design features in mind too, it becomes an irresistible deal for many

The general public predicts that already made jewellery is less costly than custom designed as they are produced in bulk. In the case of some industries this is true, but not in the jewellery world. Retail stores have high markups on their jewellery due to their high expenses, for example high rent, staff wages, etc. For this reason the retailers are required to pass on their expenses on their customers, therefore a client is forced to pay a higher price on a jewellery item.
On the other hand a custom made jewellery manufacturer, operating from an office and
workshop, due to lower operating expenses, minimizes his/her profits and passes on their savings onto their clients.

4. Supporting Time Honoured Skills

Being a jeweller is an art that has come upon from generations of master jewellers, passing on their skills, to help to preserve a craft. It takes many years to gain the skills to have the ability to create a perfect piece of jewellery. Rather than expressing your ideas to a retail store salesman, who does not have the practical skills and knowledge to create jewellery, then passing it on to the jeweller, why not directly work one on one with a jeweller that custom makes every piece.

5. Bypassing Global Supply Chains

Modern supply chains have become so complex that it’s increasingly difficult to know where an item was actually made. Perhaps more important than where it’s made, do we know how they are made, under what kind of working conditions, and where the raw materials were sourced from?

Connecting directly with a jeweller allows you to bypass the wholesalers, importers, distributors and retailers. It provides you with the transparency that you need to answer the above questions.

6. The Disadvantages of Mass Produced Goods

I’m not suggesting that we should reject mass-produced goods. Many have their place. It would be unwise to overlook the fact that mass production has contributed to the improved living standards and quality of life for many people

However when purchasing jewellery mass produced items do have disadvantages. When a piece of jewellery is produced in a large factory, hundreds of pieces are produced at the same time. The attention to detail is minimal, therefore there is never a guarantee that a jewellery piece is created to perfection and does not contain any faults. The materials including gold, diamonds and gemstones may also be of low quality, due to cutting costs in the manufacturing process.

7. Building an Emotional Connection

Commissioning a custom made piece introduces sentimentality and meaning. It allows you to connect with a maker and learn their story. You’re able to appreciate the materials and production methods chosen, including the rationale for doing so. Often you may have a part in shaping the products final design. It’s an investment in a piece and story that can be passed down to your kids.

8. High Level of Customer Service

Customers who are looking for bespoke, custom products are also far better served by manufacturers than they are by retailers. For Specialist products like jewellery, customer service is crucial. Understanding what the customer wants and spending time with each customer to be able to create the jewellery they have envisioned. As the manufacturer is the owner of the business, each customer is very important; therefore a high level of customer service is a must.

In Conclusion

The benefits of buying directly from manufacturers are clear: Bespoke designs, expert service, competitive prices, better deals on warranties and custom-made products to suit your exact needs. Because we produce all our products in house we can make jewellery to your precise specifications and custom produce.

If you want any further information about the jewellery pieces created at Bassil Creations, or how we could help you design your unique piece of jewellery, please visit our website www.basilcreations.com.au or to contact us visit www.bassilcreations.com.au/make-anenquiry/