Frequently Asked Questions
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GALLERIES
INFORMATION
FAQ + ORDERING
HOME SITE
How do I order?
Please go to the order page to order a custom-made piece.
(To order ready-made pieces, just click on the "Buy Now" button(s) and you will be directed
through the PayPal process.)
When and how do I pay for custom items?
When you fill out the jewelry order/inquiry form, that will start a dialogue
with me regarding the design of the piece. Once we agree about the basic design elements,
I will give you a firm price. If you agree to this price, then I will email you a secure PayPal invoice or you may send a check by "snail-mail". If you don't agree to the price, you
are not in any way obligated to buy. Once I receive full payment, I will start workng on the
necklace.
What forms of payment are accepted?
At this point, I offer only PayPal payments, as they are the most secure and offer the
most options. You do not have to be signed up with PayPal to make a payment. Through
Paypal you can pay with MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, PayPal balance,
or your bank account.
How will my item(s) be shipped?
All domestic orders are shipped USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. It
generally takes from 1 to 5 business days for the package to arrive.
Do you offer express shipping?
Yes, if you need express shipping, I offer it through USPS, please email me for rates.
I do not ship Fed-Ex, UPS, or DHL.
Do you accept International orders?
Yes. International Orders are shipped Air Mail Express, which varies greatly in arrival time,
depending on length of stay in Customs. If you live outside the US, I will email you to
discuss preferred shipping method, and adjust your payment accordingly.
What about returns? A warranty?
Each piece comes with a limited warranty, detailed below. I do not offer refunds on
custom-made items, unless they have been damaged in the mail. Refunds are offered
only on the ready-made items--if they are returned in perfect condition. Please contact me before returning any item, to get mailing
instructions, and, if appropriate, refund USPS Priority Mail cost.
This means you must be serious about your purchase, and trust that I will create a piece
that you will 'resonate' with. I encourage you to read the testimonials page, and look
through the Galleries, to be sure you like my style of designs.
Each necklace (and other items) is created with care and attention to craftsmanship, with high quality
materials. It is strung on Acculon 49 strand professional grade nylon coated steel cable—the strongest
and most flexible beading cable money can buy. It was tested for tensile strength and passed—I pulled
at it to be sure that the crimps held properly. Other materials used for stringing and construction are the
best quality I can find. I do not use cheap materials, or plated metals. That said, the bead materials used
are natural, and may possibly have flaws undetectable to these middle-aged eyes!
It is possible that through normal wear and tear, your necklace may break apart or elements may chip or
crack. It is fairly certain that your necklace will break if you wear it in stressful situations (or when you
are having emotional swings) without cleansing it every day, or more frequently—if, say, you work in an
emergency room or other stressful environment.
For cleansing and care instructions, please refer back to the “Necklace Care and Feeding” section that
comes with your necklace.
How do I know this? Every necklace that has come back to me for re-stringing has been worn continuously
without cleansing, when the owner has “been going through a lot of changes”. Or worn to bed, or to soccer
practice…
If your necklace breaks, don't despair, just know it has been working for you. Gather the pieces and send
them back to me in a ziplock bag, inside a bubble wrap mailer. In most cases, I will re-string at no charge
to you, or a nominal fee of $25. to partially cover labor, shipping and handling. If elements have to be
replaced, there may be a charge for replacement parts. Please understand that not all elements of the
necklaces are replaceable. I may not restring your necklace exactly as the original, if I feel the necklace
dynamic needs to be changed because your energetic needs have changed.
Many people order necklaces to help them through specific life challenges. When those challenges have
been met, the necklace is no longer as useful. No need to toss it aside! It can grow and evolve along
with you—with my assistance, of course! If, at some point, you feel your necklace needs to be
re-designed—certain elements dropped, others added, I am happy to do that for you---just contact
me via email. I will get back to you with an estimate, which in most cases, is about half of the
original price, depending on cost of time and materials.
If I feel that the piece has broken for reasons other than normal wear and tear, I reserve the right to
charge full price for repair and/or replacement.
How long does it take to create a necklace, or other item?
A totem necklace generally takes about a week or two for me to create, if I have all that I need
in stock, and I am not filling any large or complicated orders. I will give you a time estimate before you pay, if requested.
If I have to order materials or special items for the necklace, it can take longer.
The 10 strand woven seed bead necklaces involve many hours of labor, and may take
up to 2 weeks to create, depending on what else is "on my plate".
All of the items are "Spirit Works" so be mindful that they take their own time. I only
work when I feel attuned to what is needed for each item, that way, they are more
effective not only aesthetically/creatively, but energetically as well. If you order a necklace
a week or so before a Bear Dance, I can include it in the ceremony and it will carry the special
good energy and blessings.
How will I know when to expect my item(s)?
I will email you with updates on your order, when appropriate. Many orders are filled
within a week and a half, others take longer.
Do you have a Christmas Deadline?
Sort of! It is December 17th. Depending on how busy I am, I may be able to fill rush
orders after that date--please email me to find out.
What factors determine the price of a necklace or other item?
Many of the pieces you see in the galleries are base-priced. I charge more for expensive
add-ons, such as spiral wrapped crystal generators, expensive/rare stone pendants
(such as nuummite, which will add $100.+ to the cost) and predominant use of a
high-priced stone, such as turquoise. Labor is also factored in--that is why the 10
strand woven seed bead necklaces start at $120. The materials are not expensive,
but it they take nearly a week to create.
Will I get the chance to have input on its design and creation?
Yes, to an extent. After you express interest in a custom made piece,
I will write you with ideas and/or questions, and you can decide what seems right to you and offer input on favored stones , symbols, totem animals and sizes.
Or, you can leave the whole process up to my intuition.
At any rate, when I am nearly finished, I will send you a scan (photo) for your approval.
At that point, I can make changes, but it is very likely that the entire piece will be completely revised , for balance. I can't add this or that, or change an element without total revision. If you are still not happy with the piece after one revision, I reserve the right to opt out of the project, and refund your payment, minus $40.00 for my time and effort.
Please bear in mind: I am not a custom jeweler; I create intuitively and do not "make to order".
The necklaces are certainly adornments, but they can also be 'companions' for energy work or one's individual spiritual path and highest purpose.
It may be best not to order a necklace when you are feeling very off balance, in crisis, or suffering mentally/emotionally/physically. It is good to wait (This too, shall pass!) until you are on a healing/growing/recovering path.
What if I don't like it?
The necklace that I make is never exactly what you might imagine it to be.
That said; everyone writes to tell me how much they love their necklace, and how
good it feels to wear.
TRUST THE PROCESS
Once I created a necklace for an acquaintance that I had spoken to rather briefly. She liked it, but disliked the silver flying falcons in the design--they made no sense to her. I told her to see how it felt for a few days--she called me back at the end of the week and told me that she had met her soul-mate--and his name in Dutch was falcon. I think they are married now. A lesson for both artist and client, yes? Trust the process. It is hard sometimes when ordering online—but I have found that i can trust my 'gut'. I ordered my wedding dress from a native artisan whose work I liked—sent him my money and measurements and he said, “I will make you a beautiful wedding dress.” He did, and it is much more than a beautiful wedding dress, it is a power object unto itself.
Before I finish your necklace, I will email a scan for your approval. You will have a
reasonably good idea of what the necklace looks like, although the scan will not capture
colors perfectly, and many people say, once they get the necklace, that the scan didn't
do it justice. So--if you don't like your necklace when it arrives, try wearing it anyway
for a week or so--if you still don't like it, you may return it to me (in perfect condition)
and I will make another one for you, once. Additional charges (shipping and materials) may apply, depending on materials used.
I am new to this, what do all the gemstones and animals mean?
I send an extensive, personalized interpretation sheet with every custom animal totem
necklace. It is 10-15 pages long, and contains more than enough information for you
to understand the many aspects of your necklace, as well as it's care and uses.
Can I order a necklace for protection, or for increasing abundance, healing,
or other specific purpose?
Yes, and many people do. When I create a necklace, I focus my heart(not mind) on what
the individual needs, and follow my intuition, which hasn't failed me yet! This way,
the piece will have the qualities you need, although those needs are not necessarily
conscious--you may not be aware of them.
Since stones have their own energetic qualities, but are also receptive to programming,
you can 'direct' the energies of your necklace with affirmations and intent.
Does a necklace or other item itself have power?
I will leave that to you to feel!
Science tells us that all things are composed of energy and matter--influenced
by our thoughts and feelings, which are also energy.
In some ways, a totem necklace is a symbolic reminder of the power that resides
within you--but it also has power of its own, that you can work with, but only for
the highest purpose and the good of all of creation.
Each necklace is infused with Reiki energy, an infinite healing loving energy of the
Universe, which cannot be used for harm, or otherwise misused.
What a necklace won't do:
It won't make you happy, protect you, solve your problems or cure illnesses...those are all things you do yourself--those powers come from within
and are augmented by outward actions, influences and elements. So, if you ae looking for a magic bullet, a necklace will likely be disappointing. But if you are looking for a stone 'companion' on your healing path, the path of getting to know the power within us all, and re-connecting to you natural self...you have come to the right 'place'!
Do you make your own fetishes and pendant/ centerpieces?
Not at this time. In Early 2010 I will be creating hand-carved pendants,
and adding them to the ready-made section of the galleries.
I am working toward having a lapidary(gemstone working) and metalsmithing studio.
I don't see anything online that is of comparable quality for the price,
and nothing that is custom-made.
Ok--that's not a question...but I get this observation often! If you surf around,
you will find there are more expensive and less expensive totem necklaces offered
online, but none are custom-made for this price and quality. Necklaces made with
comparable materials generally cost at least twice as much. Yes, I could
use imitation turquoise and other inexpensive
materials, but they do not have the energetic qualities I want to offer. Yes, I
could make a profit that's more in line with the market value, but I am doing
what I can to make my work affordable to people, and give good value for the money
spent.
Prices are going up Spring 2009 to reflect increased cost of materials.
(The necklaces have been the same price since 2005, materials have gone up nearly 30%.)
I'm kind of old-fashioned, in that I am a little fed up with all the mass-produced
disposable stuff we all live with!
Can the necklaces be used for healing?
You can use any higher purpose intent with the necklaces. It helps if you are not attached to outcome. The usual caveats apply here.
By reading this you understand and agree that information in the interpretations of
my artwork/jewelry are not to be misconstrued as medical advice or diagnosis,
nor are a substitute for such, and they are not medical devices. No claims are made
for any healing properties. If you are ill in body, mind or spirit, please seek appropriate
professional help.
My philosophy?
Every artist knows that she/he is engaged in an encounter with infinity, and that work
done with heart and hand is ultimately worship of life itself.
-- Bernard Leach
FOR MORE ABOUT:
The Necklaces and what they mean: About My Process and /or PathFinder Article
Please email me!
Thanks for your interest!
Web design: Bear Walks With Wolf Studios