Thursday, April 2, 2009

Designing for the Customer




I have a customer who is looking for that perfect piece of jewelry for himself. I contacted him via Alchemy after he presented his request for an 18 inch turquoise necklace. After taking a look at my shop, he decided that he wanted me to be the designer. For me it is a great honor! I've been working with him now for a few days, first by listening to him, and then by sending him photos and ideas. He's interested in combining turquoise stones and copper beads. Above are a couple of the possibilities he has considered. He knows he wants turquoise, but he's not sure about the type or color. He knows he wants oblong stones and copper. I asked him if he would consider adding another stone for contrast. My thought is to direct him towards black stones which will contrast well with turquoise. I have a similar necklace in my shop.

I showed him the above two samples of turquoise and two other choices. He first went through a process of elimination and told me what he did not like. In a way, I was disappointed, because I actually liked another design better. After his elimination, he began to compare these two designs.

What I found out while working through this process is that my preference didn't matter! He did accept my idea of adding a contrasting stone -- but he does not want black. So, I sorted through my bead assortment and found some brown beads I thought he might like.

Stay tuned to see what he chooses!

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