Custom Orders Can be the Best!

I've never made it a secret that I really enjoy doing custom work.  Collaborating with someone else on a design forces me outside my comfort zone and gets me to think in ways I normally don't.  While sometimes I create designs that I don't care for and will probably never make again, more often than not I create something new and different that I'll make again and again.  My long necklaces came to being in this way.  A good friend of mine saw some of my new pearls and asked if I'd make her a necklace with them, and she wanted it to be sternum length.  I made the necklace, sold it and didn't think anything else of it.  Until I was sitting with another customer who saw my practice strand from that necklace and loved it, so, now I make long necklaces.  It all started with that custom order.

My 'Liz Inspired' necklace that got me to start making long necklaces.  This and similar pieces are available on Etsy.

 Since then I've done many custom orders, but recently I got to do one that really stood out!  A woman I go to church with approached me about making a custom necklace for her daughter.  Her daughter, she explained, had just made the decision to accept Christ.  As she was just 7 years old, her mother wanted to get her a necklace to commemorate it, so that when she was older she wouldn't question her decision, she would have something tangible to remind her.  She wanted the verse 1 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  Butterflies are often associated with this verse because they become a new creation when they transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly.  She wanted these two things incorporated in the necklace.

So here was my challenge: a necklace that would be appropriate for a child but would still be appropriate when she became an adult, butterfly themed, includes the date, includes 1 Corinthians 5:17, and must be pink.  It was a tall order, but I was up for the challenge!

The main theme of the necklace was the butterfly, so I started there.  I created a few hammered wire pieces.  As I was perusing the internet for ideas, I found a ton of images of butterfly wings.  They looked much more adult than the other butterfly necklaces I had looked at.  I went back to my sketch book and started sketching out wings and trying out different wire forms.  What I ended up with was a steel outline of a butterfly wing with button seed pearls and light pink crystals strung within it.  I would be lying if I didn't say I was really proud of it!

With a few different options for the butterfly element of the piece I moved on to the next part of the challenge.  I had to think of a way to have the date and verse incorporated.  I had been looking at some different metal stamping and engraving tools but had yet to pull the trigger on any of them, with this order it felt like a good time to invest.  I ordered an engraver and some blank metal tags.

With the two main elements of the necklace more or less worked out, I began sketching some options for the mom.  One with a butterfly shaped tag, one with my wire butterflies, one with the wing.  I presented her with everything I came up with, my sketches, the tags, the wire designs, the wing, and all the pink and white pearls and crystals I had.  She picked my favorite, it was the wing!

I left the meeting beaming!  Not only had I made my client happy, I was making a piece that had more meaning than probably any of my other pieces.  I hoped this little girl would cherish and keep this necklace for the rest of her life.  It would serve as a reminder of the most important and meaningful decisions she'd ever make.  It also served as a symbol of her mothers love for her.  This woman had gone out of her way to have a custom necklace made for her daughter, something of value that little girls rarely get until they're older.  I feel privileged to have taken part in this.

Now to make the necklace!  I engraved my tags with the text we'd agreed on, and pulled out a selection of the pearls and crystals that went best together.  I stuck with the basic design of the sketch, making little changes as needed, making sure it was both child and adult friendly.  What I got in the end was one of my favorite pieces I think I've ever made!

When I presented the finished necklace to my client, she actually cried!  Grant it, there were other reasons for her tears, but my creation still brought it all up!  I expressed how grateful I was that she'd come to me for this, and how much I'd enjoyed making it.

In case you were wondering, I have made more of my butterfly wings!  You can find this one on Etsy:

 

Find it here on Etsy!

If you are interested in a similar piece to the custom one above, please send me a message, either through the contact form on this blog, or on Facebook, Etsy, or my Website!