WHAT MAKES A PIECE OF JEWELRY "ONE-OF-A-KIND"?
I had an intriguing interaction with a prospective customer the other day on Instagram. She was interested in a one-of-a-kind ring I had offered. The ring she wanted could only be adjusted down or up in quarters, not entire sizes. The reason for this is because of the elaborate design. Any more or less sizing would render the ring physically unsound. With the price point, I gave her the option of having the ring rebuilt in her size. Since our talk, I've offered this option to several of the more intricate pieces on the website.
When I informed her I could reconstruct the ring, she asked if it meant the ring would no longer be one-of-a-kind. There was also some debate about whether this meant there would be two rings in the end. So, what makes a piece of jewelry one-of-a-kind? There are two primary factors that are sometimes mixed and sometimes not. First, it is up to the designer to decide whether or not to replicate the design as part of a collection. Second, whether or not each stone in the design is unique.
A designer can always duplicate the same or similar work over and again...it has nothing to do with creativity. A supplier of mine, for example, may have sapphire stones of the same exact size and shape that I can order over and over again. However, I have the option of creating a design that will be replicated, such as in an everyday collection piece. When a certain stone is in little supply, I may opt to build one piece and leave it alone. I've had my eye on a few gemstones throughout the years, assuming they'd always be accessible, only to find out they've been discontinued. It would make me appear unprofessional if I accepted an order and then returned to say I couldn't make it. A one-of-a-kind stone is one that is only accessible once or has a form and/or size that I can only obtain once. I recently purchased three pairs of salt and pepper diamonds to use for simple stud earrings. The stones did match, but I will never be able to get them in the same size and form again. Because the stones are unique in this way, each pair of earrings will be one-of-a-kind.
Many people perceive the word "unique" to be equivalent with "one-of-a-kind." As I previously stated, it all relies on the circumstances surrounding why a work is classified as one-of-a-kind. A design may be unique because it has never been made before, but it does not make it one-of-a-kind. I can create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry for a customer. There may not be anything one-of-a-kind about the stones I use in that creation, but what makes the piece one-of-a-kind is the design, which is unique to them and will not be replicated.
Regarding the ring the potential client inquired about, the center diamond was one-of-a-kind, and I would never re-create the design for anybody else, even with a different/similar stone. After I reconstructed it for her size, the ring would still be one-of-a-kind. There would also be only one ring. I'd melt down and recycle the metal for the new ring after removing the stones. The design would be the same, but it would be for her and only her...I would not do it again for someone else.
The talk provided an ideal opportunity to delve deeper into the issue of what "one-of-a-kind" genuinely means.
Custom Jewelry Inquiry Form
Begin your path toward the jewelry you've always wanted now!
