Bespoke
Transforming ideas into precious metals
A bespoke Jewel Beetle piece starts on a special journey from its concept to completion. Along the way, we listen to your thoughts and ideas, stirring them into a melting pot together. We’re excited by the challenge of interpreting your ideas. Every jewellery piece holds significant personal meaning, and creating a bespoke design requires a profound understanding, intuition, and empathy to genuinely connect with you, our valued client. This is a craft we have perfected during our two decades at Jewel Beetle.
The Design Process
Whether you’ve already got an idea or no idea at all, we’re here to help you through the design process, consider your budget and ensure you leave with a piece of jewellery that makes you very happy.
All of our jewellery is hand-crafted at our Nelson studio, you can speak directly with us – the designer and creator – which leaves no room for misunderstandings. Come and see us!
Be Inspired
Ignite your imagination by browsing through our extensive photo album of past designs and commissions. We’re sure you will find them inspirational and we can give you an idea of what something similar may cost. Let us know your budget as this determines what is possible and what alternatives or other options are available to you.
Creative Ideas
Your commission process begins with a consultation with either Allison or Yvon, either in person or over the phone/email. We'll discuss your style, preferred jewellery, and colours to create a personalized and unique design. We can help turn your ideas into reality and offer additional suggestions. If it’s appropriate we may do a series of hand drawn sketches either during or after the appointment to clarify the ideas discussed. See example below. Once you have decided on a design and are happy with the quote given, we ask for a 50% deposit to confirm the order. Then the commission begins!
Crafted by Hand
If your commission involves gemstones, we will source them from our suppliers. Every gem is of course different, and if the stone is a main feature of the design, we can often get a few gemstones on approval for you to choose from. We take your ring size (if it’s a ring you are designing) and then the manufacturing process begins! At Jewel Beetle, we work together as a team and utilize each other’s strengths and technical skills. Together we can create the jewellery you deserve and that truly reflects your personality. You can be assured of the highest quality of craftsmanship. When your piece is ready, you can come in and try it for size or we are very happy to send it to you by courier (special insurance cover may apply). We hope we can add you to our list of delighted customers, all of whom have discovered the real benefits of individual design and the delights of a unique handcrafted piece of jewellery.
What sort of design can I have made?
For inspiration take a look at our extensive portfolio of designs in store or visit our website gallery. If we are using your own gold then designs are limited but our jewellers are always on hand to offer advice. If you prefer, we also offer a bespoke design service. Come and talk to us and show us what you have and we can advise you on the options. Sometimes we can remove parts of an old item and reuse them in a new design. Alternatively, if the item isn’t sentimental we can trade in your old gold towards the cost of a new item of jewellery. If your new ring weighs more than the old one, more metal will need to be purchased and added to the melt as well. Some designs are cheaper to manufacture by carving a wax model and having it cast. If the same design is made from sheet metal or a bar there is a lot of filing required to get the desired shape, and more material is needed from the outset. If your design lends itself to be cast, we unfortunately cannot use your own gold for this. At Jewel Beetle, we will always advise you if we are not reusing your gold in case it is of sentimental value to you. We can often advise you of a different design that is more suitable for melting down and remodeling.
How much does it cost to have a ring made?
Every job is different in terms of cost. Some customers have all the materials and other jobs may require extra gold to be added to the mix. We are happy to give you an estimate once we have a little more information.
Do you buy old jewellery or scrap gold?
No but we can trade in your scrap gold items for new materials. There are less limitations on your design when you choose to trade your jewellery in for new materials. We send your scrap gold for refining. The gold value fluctuates on a daily basis and you will get the gold price on the day the refining takes place. This amount is then credited to our metal account and we can use this to supply new materials to make your piece of jewellery. You can also choose alternative metals like platinum or white gold for your new design.
What is the process for remodeling jewellery?
First, we carefully unset your gemstones, taking great care not to damage them in this process. We cut out any settings and solder joins that cannot be used. We weigh what’s left and add any extra gold if needed. This all goes into the crucible to melt. The molten metal is poured into an ingot. Once cooled, if the ingot is successful, we start the process of several rounds of rolling through the mills and annealing (a heating process to soften the metal). Once the metal is in a workable shape we start the process of manufacturing your new design!
Is it cheaper to re-use my own gold?
In most cases, you will save some money using your own materials but this largely depends on how much gold you have to start with and what you want to make as a new design. The savings may not be as much as you might expect. The process of melting your gold can take as much as three times longer than starting with new materials. Just as a dressmaker would need to painstakingly unpick all the seams of a dress to reuse the fabric to sew something new, there is a lot of time involved in carefully un-setting gemstones, removing impurities like solder joints from jewellery, before we even begin the melting and manufacturing process.
Are there any metals that I cannot melt down for my new piece of jewellery?
Yes, silver as it is not economically viable to melt down. We also don’t melt down white gold or platinum jewellery as we simply don’t have the right equipment to reach the temperatures needed to melt successfully. Chains are not advisable for melting down as each link in the chain is joined with a small amount of solder and this results in impurities in the melt. These impurities can cause cracks in the metal once we begin to put the ingot through the rolling mills. At Jewel Beetle, we will always advise you if we are not reusing your gold in case it is of sentimental value to you. We can often advise you of a different design that is more suitable for melting down and remodeling.
Do you buy old or broken gold jewellery?
At Jewel Beetle we do not buy gold items in exchange for cash. However we can accept old gold items to be traded. With the credit from your refined scrap, we can use this amount to supply new materials to make you a new piece of jewellery. The gold value fluctuates on a daily basis and you will get the amount based on the gold price on the day the refining takes place. With this option, you can also choose to have your new jewellery design made in a different metal like platinum or white gold
Can I reuse the gemstones from my old ring?
We understand that jewellery and your gemstones have a very personal and sentimental value. We can re-use your gemstones but this is entirely at your own risk. Flaws in gems are often concealed by their settings, there is always a risk of breakages when stones are un-set. Some stones are more vulnerable to breaking than others, especially softer gemstones like Emeralds and Opals. We would advise on inspection if the job can be done. In general Diamonds, Sapphires and Rubies stand the test of time. If your gemstones are in a reasonable condition and not chipped or too scratched we are happy to unset them for use in a new piece of jewellery.