COUTURE
JEWELRY
Are you having a tough time finding the perfect piece to accent your gown, cocktail dress, or wedding gown? Do you have a vision playing around the edges of your mind, a look you can almost touch, but you can’t quite seem to find the right piece of jewelry to bring to life? Or have you found your dream design on our pages – but now you need help nailing down just the right color palette?Or perhaps you know exactly what you want, right down to the exact shades, and you’re ready to get started…
The Process
Couture is truly an anything goes experience. Whatever you can imagine, we can create. The entirety of our crystal library is at your disposal, as is the creative force of the Stefanie Somers® design team.
If you know the design you’re interested in, you can simply call or email with the name and the color palette, if you know it. We’ll also need your wear date.
Each Couture design also features a “Enquire” button, so that you can easily let us know which design you’re interested in. Letting us know your event date when inquiring allows us to give you the most complete info on availability, so please make sure to include the date!
If you have an idea of the design you want, but need help selecting your color palette, we’ll need either swatches, photos, or designer’s sketches with crystal call-outs on the sketch. Occasionally we are able to work directly with select designers to obtain color information, but it is preferable if you can pull together as much as possible to assist. Please be aware that some gown beading and trim may not match our crystal color exactly, and we may only be able to obtain an approximate match. Remember, while there are literally millions of fabric and bead colors, there are only dozens of crystal shades. While we are quite adept at mixing palettes to please and fool the eye, an exact match is not always possible.
Our Ready-to-Wear collections, although they cannot be changed for size or length, may also be customized as to colorway. We invite you to think beyond the color palettes featured – the possibilities are truly endless. There may be an upcharge for some custom color palettes within the Ready-to-Wear collections.
If you need a little help in choosing the best design for your gown and facial structure (or wish to have a piece custom designed just for you!) please fill out a Custom Design Profile, giving as much information as you can. we’ll need photos, swatches, or sketches of your gown or outfit, as well as a current straight-on headshot. If you received any extra stones/beads with your gown, or have any leftovers form alterations, please hang onto them for me. Your one-on-one consultation will usually be via email, but will occasionally involve a phone call as well. There is a non-refundable Consultation Fee of $100 for custom design that is applied towards your purchase. Once we have agreed upon a design and a color palette, we will collect payment, and your order will be placed onto my Couture production schedule. Couture orders usually take anywhere from four to eight weeks to complete, a bit less during our low season (December through February) Once your order is completed, your beautiful custom designed jewelry will be on its way to you.
SAMPLING
If needed we can supply crystal samples to make sure we have a good match. This process usually takes about two weeks, so be sure to allow time in your schedule. Up to 10 samples are included to any one USA address in your Consultation Fee; otherwise, samples are $10-$15 for USA addresses, $25 for all international addresses, which may be applied towards your purchase. Contact us for details.
BE PROACTIVE!
If you’re reading this before selecting your gown or outfit, please keep all of the above in mind, and try to take photos as you try things on – even if you are special ordering. Our team can assemble quite a good image of your ultimate gown from reference shots. For example, if you can supply photos of “this bodice”, “this skirt”, “this color”, and “this neckline”, with “this beading pattern”, it is an enormous help.
CRUNCH TIME…
We understand that sometimes things crop up at the last minute, and you don’t have “four to eight weeks”, so whenever at all possible, we do try to accommodate last minute rush orders. Because our schedule is filled so far ahead, this inevitably involves juggling and extra hours; therefore we do charge a rush fee for Couture orders that allow less than 4-6 weeks lead time, depending upon the time of year, and the condition of our production schedule. The fee will vary, given the time of year and complexity of the piece ordered, but is usually around $100 per piece. Any rush fees in effect for your desired delivery window will be quoted at the time of inquiry. Avoid rush fees – plan ahead!
APRÉS
Once you have your completed custom jewelry, we always love getting photos – we have a huge portfolio of clients’ photos, some of which we feature here on our website. We hope you’ll tag us n your social media @stefaniesomers so we can see and share your finished looks
Couture jewelry by its nature is very personal, and therefore all Couture sales are final. We do want everything to be perfect though, and if something isn’t quite right once you get your jewelry, we’ll work with you to correct whatever isn’t as expected.
We hope this gives you a good feeling for the Couture process. It’s really not at all daunting – most of our clients truly enjoy the process, and we make so many wonderful friends along the way, it’s truly the the most rewarding part of what we do. If you have any questions, please feel free to call at us at 800-400-4312, or complete our Custom Design Profile below if you’re ready to explore the world of custom design,
Talk to Us.
Let's create something beautiful together...