It was a case when the future owner of this necklace knew exactly what she wanted. I had my doubts, but decided to play along. And, as the work progressed, the custom order transformed into something somewhat different – and if I may say so, finally, rather beautiful.
But let me start at the beginning.
Unlike some artists or designers, I welcome custom orders.
I know how hard it is to find the piece of your dreams. Besides, from my own bitter experience I know too well that “one size fits most” really means “it fits everyone unless you are too tall or too short.” Bummer. I’m 5′.
When I make a custom order, I show my clients photos of different stages of work process so they know how their orders are progressing and can make adjustments along the way. It help us avoid misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises.
So, this is how a Newton artist described to me the necklace she wanted. Rainbow colors from the middle to the sides, rainbow colors from the sides to the middle. The black necklace on the work surface is mine; I used it for sizing.
Fisher Price, anyone? It was a good idea. In theory, it was a very good idea. But the “spacer beads” had to go.
Boooooring… We knew we had to bring something back.
And so we did! Now just final touch. Did I mention the necklace was to be decorated with grommets? Yes, those shoe lace holes that actually come in a variety of colors. They go so well with polymer clay jewelry.
Voila! She loved it and so did I.
Of course, not all custom orders undergo such evolution process. But it was fun and we both enjoyed it a lot.