TribeBlog

Thank you for considering the investment of custom jewelry from Onetribe LLC. We pride ourselves on being innovators in the industry and we always look forward to the process of creating pieces of jewelry that individuals can be proud to own and wear. We hope this document will be helpful in understanding the process of going from an idea to a finished work of art, and the immense amount of planning and work that process entails.

Planning your custom project

Whether your needs involve style alterations to a product we already carry or intricately carved pieces with inlays and precious metals, having custom jewelry made is a special process that involves considerably more time and energy than a stocked, pre-made product available for immediate delivery. If you have a specific idea we are happy to work with you to make that a reality, and if you have a vague idea of what you want, we would be happy to help you make a choice regarding materials and potential styles.  We like to work closely with our customers to ensure what we create is exactly what you are interested in wearing.

Depending on the project we may ask for specifics such as sizing, wearing lengths, preferred dimensions, flare sizes, etc. We will also discuss with you ideal material options, and if you are interested in an inlay, we will speak about options for settings. We may provide photographs of rough materials, custom illustrations, etc. if they are necessary.

If you have a deadline for your project, this is the stage where we need to know that, as it will factor into whether or not we can realistically complete your project within the allotted time. With all of this information, we will be able to provide you with a quoted cost for your project.

Custom Project Quotes

After we are sure we’ve got all of the information needed, we will provide you with a quote based on the total materials and labor necessary to create your custom jewelry. Quotes are project specific, meaning that the quote may differ based on variables such as a change in the size, type of material (for example, a different wood or stone), or requesting a specific color/pattern which requires more labor or cutting into material in search of a specific aesthetic. Quotes themselves are based on three things: any prototyping or research/development (including illustrations) we may need to do to work out the logistics of your pieces, the labor involved in physically creating your pieces, and the material costs.

We send all quotes via email so that everyone has a record of it. Quotes may change over a period of time based on fluctuations in the cost of materials (silver and gold fluctuate frequently, and the pricing of certain woods and stones changes as well). We will never change the cost of your project once you have paid, unless the quote itself is open ended and everyone has agreed to the circumstances.

Paying For Custom Projects & Securing a Spot in the Order Queue

If you would like to proceed with your order, we require payment to initiate the project and secure a spot in the queue. Projects are produced in the order they are received, and we often work on several projects simultaneously, especially when they involve mixed mediums, such as wood with stone inlays in a precious metal. We require 100% pre-payment on orders under $200. Over $200, we allow a 50% down payment with the remainder due upon completion. This down payment is non-refundable because once we begin to cut into material and fabricate your project, those funds are required to pay for that labor and material. We allow changes or refunds for a 7 day time period from payment, after which cancellation will result in a 30% fee deducted from your refund if you paid in full (50% down payments are non-refundable), to cover some of the cost of the work we have already done.

Project Completion Time

Some projects take longer than others, but we always maintain a queue and they are worked on and shipped out in the order they are received. Our default queue is a 4-6 week completion time. This means 4-6 weeks from the date that payment is received for your order until we have worked through the projects in front of yours, completed your project and are prepared to ship it. Your project may take from a few hours to a week or more of labor to complete, but it is in line with other projects, all of which will receive our undivided attention and efforts while they are being worked on. If you need your jewelry by a certain date, we need to know that during the planning stage. We will not rush projects ahead of others upon customer request if there is not already a deadline, although if circumstances allow us to finish something ahead of schedule (this sometimes happens while we are waiting for material or doing complex settings that need to be fabricated) we will use the time to work on the next projects in line.

Exclusive Custom Projects

Onetribe frequently produces one of a kind jewelry from a variety of natural materials, and we sometimes give customers interested in custom work the honor of having their project be a total one off, with no other 100% identical pieces reproduced. This is only applicable if we design something with illustrations 100% unique to you (generally only in the case of completely original illustrations for intricate carvings) and it is verbalized that you wish for the project to not be reproduced. We do reserve the right to refuse a project if we decline exclusivity, but we are open to situations where the piece will remain one of a kind for a certain period of time so that you may have the only one in existence for that time period. Any agreements of this kind will be noted in advance of your payment, and please keep in mind that total exclusivity (ie, we make one for you and never reproduce an identical piece) commands a premium in price due to the additional work of illustrations and possibly scale models prior to production that can only be used for you.

An exception to our unique exclusivity rules involves custom hardware settings that we develop for your project. It often takes time and materials far beyond the total cost of your project to develop, test and fabricate a setting to achieve a specific aesthetic or set a certain shape or material. We reserve the right to re-utilize these complex methods in other projects unless you are interested in bearing the full cost of this research and development.

We hope this information will help you make informed choices about your special jewelry, and if you have any questions or concerns at any point during the process, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We are 100% dedicated to ensuring that your custom order experience and the resulting jewelry surpass any expectations you may have.