Made for you, not adapted for you
There is a difference between choosing from what exists and having something made. Sharon has been doing the second one for fifty years — starting from a stone, a conversation, or an inherited piece nobody wears, and ending with something that could not have been bought.
Five stages, no surprises
The conversation
You tell Sharon what you have in mind. That can be a fully formed idea, a stone you already own, an inherited piece you want remade, or nothing more concrete than a color you love. There is no charge for this and no obligation at the end of it. Most commissions start with an email and a few photographs.
The stone
Sharon sources the stone before she designs around it, because the stone determines what is possible. She has spent fifty years building relationships with cutters and dealers and can find material that never reaches a retail counter. You will see options, with the price of each broken out plainly, and you choose.
The design
Hand-carved wax, jewelry design software, or both. This is where the guesswork disappears — you see the piece, from every angle, before any metal is cut. Changes at this stage cost nothing but time, so this is the moment to be fussy. Sharon would rather revise a rendering nine times than deliver something you merely tolerate.
The making
Casting, setting, and finishing, done by Sharon at her own bench in State College. Nothing is sent out to a trade shop and returned with someone else’s workmanship on it. Typical commissions take four to eight weeks depending on the stone and the complexity.
The paperwork
The finished piece is appraised, photographed and archived in a secure system you can access permanently. Send the file straight to your insurer. It is the least romantic part of the process and the one clients are most grateful for a decade later.
Why commission from an independent
She buys the stones herself
Not from a catalog of calibrated goods. Sharon hand-selects material year round from cutters and dealers she has known for decades, which is how unusual stones reach her bench in the first place.
Nothing is outsourced
Design, wax, casting, setting and finish all happen in her studio. Many jewelers who advertise custom work send the actual making to a trade shop. Sharon does not.
You see it before it exists
Hand-carved wax and CAD renderings mean you approve the piece before metal is cut. Revisions at that stage are free, and Sharon would rather you were difficult early than disappointed late.
The price is itemized
Stone cost, metal weight and cost, side stones — broken out separately on every piece she makes. You can see exactly what you are paying for and what the markup is on each part.
Treatment is disclosed
Heated, lab-created, simulant, oiled, dyed — all of it stated in writing. Sharon is a certified gemologist and will tell you the unglamorous truth about a stone before you buy it.
It is appraised and archived
Every finished piece is documented in a secure system you can reach at any time for insurance. That file outlives the invoice, the email thread and the box.
Work that has already found its owner
These pieces are sold. They are here to show what is possible — any one of them can be a starting point for a conversation about yours.
The full archive
Common questions about commissioning
How much does a custom piece cost?
It depends almost entirely on the stone and the metal, and Sharon breaks both out separately so you can see exactly where the money goes. Her existing work runs from about $45 to $18,000, and custom commissions span a similar range. Tell her your budget at the start and she will tell you honestly what is achievable within it.
How long does a custom commission take?
Typically four to eight weeks from approved design to finished piece. Sourcing an unusual stone can add time at the front end. If you have a date to hit — an engagement, an anniversary, a birthday — say so early and Sharon will tell you plainly whether it is realistic.
Can you use stones or gold I already own?
Yes, and it is common. Inherited stones, a ring nobody wears, gold from pieces that are past saving — all of it can be worked into something new. Sharon will assess what you have and tell you what is usable and what is not before you commit to anything.
Can I commission a piece if I don’t live near State College?
Yes. Sharon has worked with clients across the United States for decades, long before it was normal to do so. The process runs by email, photograph and video call, and finished pieces are shipped insured. A great many clients have never met her in person.
Do I have to know what I want?
No. Some clients arrive with a detailed drawing; more arrive with a stone they inherited and no idea what to do with it. Sharon’s job includes the part where you figure out what you actually want, and she is good at it.
Will you copy a design I saw somewhere else?
She will not copy another designer’s work, but she will happily use it as a starting point and build something that is yours. In practice the result is usually better, because it is made for your stone, your hand and your budget rather than someone else’s.