Commissioned work

Commission a piece that does not exist yet

Some pieces here began as a photograph of a ring a grandfather wore. Others began as a lodge emblem that exists in one place and nowhere else, or as a rough sketch on the back of an envelope. A Brother writes to me, we talk, and a few weeks later he is wearing something that did not exist before.

A commission is not a variation of a stock design. It is your own piece, drawn from the first line around your symbol, your degree, your name. Every stage happens in my own hands, and nothing moves forward until you have seen it.

One commission, in four stages. The Sister who ordered this ring brought me her own three carat stone, and the whole piece was drawn around it. The design changed more than once before she said yes, which is exactly how it should be.

First 3D proposal, a ring body drawn around the client three carat stone
First proposal: a body drawn around her own stone
Acacia leaf band modelled in 3D
At her request: a band of acacia leaves to embrace it
The two designs merged and approved in gold render
The two brought together, and approved
The finished solid gold ring with acacia leaves
Cast in solid gold, and on its way to her
1

You write to me

The symbols, the degree or the occasion, the metal you prefer, your ring size if you know it, and the budget you have in mind. A photograph or a rough sketch is enough to begin. Telling me the budget early saves us both time, because it decides which metal, which weight and how much detail are realistic.

2

The design stage opens with a deposit

Once we have settled on the direction, I give you an estimate, and a deposit of about 25 percent of it begins the drawing work. It is not an extra charge. It is credited in full towards the price of the finished piece.

3

I draw it in 3D, and you see it before it exists

I model every piece myself in Rhino and send you rendered images from several angles. We refine the drawing together, as many times as it takes, until you look at it and say yes. Nothing is cast before that moment.

4

The final price is fixed, and the work begins

The exact price can only be settled once the design is approved, because the mould is cut for your piece alone and the true weight of metal is known only then. With the balance paid, the mould is made and your piece is cast in solid metal in the living tradition of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, then finished, set, engraved and polished by hand in my atelier in Ruse. Allow five to six weeks at the bench, longer for heavily sculpted work.

5

It reaches you with nothing to pay on arrival

I send you photographs before it leaves my hands. We ship worldwide DDP, so duties and taxes are settled in advance by us and there is no customs bill at your door.

  • I take a limited number of commissions at a time. Detail is the whole point of this work, and detail does not scale.
  • A commissioned piece is made for one person, so it cannot be returned unless there is a fault in the making. That is precisely why nothing is cast until you have approved the drawing.
  • Every piece carries a two year warranty against manufacturing defects and arrives with its warranty card.

Write to me at sales@mudesignjewelry.com, or on WhatsApp and Viber at +359 88 203 1204. I answer within 24 hours, usually sooner.

Here are some of the commissions that came before yours.