Barnacho FAQs
Custom Made and Designer Jewelry
1. How
do I contact you?
2. Do
you have a retail store?
3. Is
all of the jewelry on your site hand made?
4. What
is a cabochon? What is the difference between karat and carat?
What is "hardness" of a stone?
5. Where
do your designs come from?
6. But,
how do you come up with your designs?
7. Is
all the jewelry for sale?
8. Where
do you get your stones/cabochons from?
9. Where
else can I buy your jewelry?
10. Do
you have a print catalog?
11. How
do you make your jewelry?
12. Who
is your website designer?
13. Can
you tell me which are the best programs to use for web site
development?
14. Do
you use a professional photographer for your jewelry and stones?
15. How
often do you update?
16. I
have a gallery, can I purchase wholesale?.
17. I
have a gallery and would like some of your work on consignment.
Can this be arranged?
18. How
do I care for my jewelry?
19. Can
I order a piece on your site but change the metal from silver
to gold or vice versa?
20. I
would like a piece custom made, is that possible?
21. What
is your return policy?
22. What
kind of a guarantee do you offer?
1. How do I contact you?
You can call, email or
send a regular letter:
Nancy Bernardine
Barnacho
4333 Homer
Cincinnati, Ohio 45227
513-561-3057
[top
of page]
2. Do you have a retail store?
No, only my private studio.
[top
of page]
3. Is all of the jewelry
on your site hand made?
Yes. Other than a few components (a few clasps and findings),
I design and make every piece of jewelry and most components
on my site.
[top
of page]
4. What is a cabochon? What is the difference
between karat and carat? What is "hardness" of a
stone??
Check out the glossary
for these and other jewelry and gem stone definitions.
[top
of page]
5. Where do your designs come from?
My designs are all my original work. I never copy another
artists' designs.
[top
of page]
6. But, how do you come up with your designs?
I'm not sure where they actually come from, but there always
seem to be more ideas than I can incorporate. Some designs
come about because I like a specific stone and want to use
it in a piece, sometimes the design is based on a geometric
shape that I like to use and sometimes, a couple of stones
laying randomly on my bench just beg to be put together in
a piece.
[top
of page]
7. Is all the jewelry for sale?
It depends, if there is an 
button it is available for sale. If there is a 
button that means the piece displayed has already sold, but
I can make another with slight modifications in stone shape,
color, or size. I will email
you if I cannot make the piece as shown on the site to let
you know exactly what differences there would be in a similar
piece. At that time, we can discuss alternatives - or you
can just call or email
if you like a sold piece.
[top
of page]
8. Where do you get your stones from?
I cut and polish a lot of them myself from rough and slab
material. I also purchase from other lapidaries and gem dealers.
Each year I go to at least 7-8 gem shows to purchase both
rough and cut stones; sometimes I even buy on ebay. 
Please Note: These cabs are not for sale
as loose stones. They are shown
for inspiration and are available only as part of a Bernardine
custom jewelry order.
[top
of page]
9. Where else can I buy your jewelry?
I sell mainly from my web site. I used to exhibit in fine
art shows, but stopped doing that more than seven years ago.
At times my work is available from some galleries and shops.
Check my Shows/Galleries
page to see if any of my work is currently available elsewhere.
I am a one woman shop and all my work is one of a kind so
availability is limited other than my web site.
[top
of page]
10. Do you have a print catalog?
No. I used to have a catalog, but since most of my work is
one of a kind it became too costly to keep the print catalog
updated with available pieces. All my current and most of
my past and custom work is displayed on my site.
[top
of page]
11. How do you make your jewelry?
All my work is hand fabricated, I don't do any casting. Fabrication
is done using sheet metal and wire in silver and gold, a torch
for soldering and various hand tools. I use a rolling mill
for various tasks including "stamping" designs into
sheet metal. I also do reticulation, forging, and hand texturing
of the metals.
[top
of page]
12. Who is your website designer?
I am. In my "previous life" I was a program developer
and software consultant, so designing a website just required
updating my software skills. I am sometimes available for
web site design work or search engine optimization consultation.
Please feel free to send me an email .
[top
of page]
13. Can you tell me which are the best
programs to use for web site development?
Well, that's a tough one. Most developers have their personal
favorites be they a text editor or an html editor. I like
a program called NoteTab Pro as a text editor and Dreamweaver
as an WYSIWYG editor. For graphics, I use Photoshop.
[top
of page]
14. Do you use a professional photographer
for your jewelry and stones?
No, I am the photographer. I use a Nikon 5400 now, but many
of the images on my site were taken with a Kodak DC120. The
Kodak is now an antiquated camera, as Digital's go, but it
still takes excellent pictures. I take most images using natural
daylight and keep a photo station set up in a bay window all
the time. Natural daylight results in images with the best
and most natural stone colors and because I don't use spot
lights or flashes, there are fewer problems from "hot
spots" or reflections on the jewelry/stones. Since my
set up is indoors, this also allows me to take pictures even
on cloudy or stormy days.
[top
of page]
15. How often do you update?
I try to update my site about once a month, but I am often
so busy with custom orders that isn't possible. I do offer
two different update newsletters which will announce major
updates and/or specials. If you are interested in joining
one of these, please see the description of each here.
[top
of page]
16. I have a gallery, can I purchase
wholesale?
I usually don't sell my work wholesale because it is all
one of a kind or commissioned. However, if you are interested
in purchasing some of my work, please send an email with
the following information:
Store name and address
years in business
Buyer/contact name
phone number
tax ID #
[top
of page]
17. I would like to have some of your
pieces on consignment for my gallery. Can this be arranged?
I no longer offer my work on consignment. If you are interested
in purchasing my work, please send an email .
[top
of page]
18. How do I care for my jewelry?
Please see jewelry
care.
[top
of page]
19. Can I order a piece on your site
but change the metal from silver to gold or vice versa?
Yes, That is usually not a problem and I can use white or
yellow gold in either 14K or 18K instead of sterling silver.
There will usually be a slight difference in the stone size
or shape since they are all custom cut for the piece, but
I will be glad to discuss this in detail with you. Also, many
pieces shown on my site that are made in gold can also be
custom ordered in sterling silver. Please contact me .
[top
of page]
20. I would like a piece custom made,
is that possible?
Yes, in fact the custom design part of my business continues
to grow based on referrals from my web site and previous customers.
Please see Custom
Design for a detailed description of the custom order
process, or see custom
designs and custom
orders for examples of previous commissions. There is
also a section with images of "designs
ideas" that might give you some inspiration for a
commissioned piece of jewelry. Please note, I make jewelry
based only on my own original designs. (see
note)
[top
of page]
21. What is your return policy?
If you receive your piece and are not completely satisfied
with it you may return it for full refund minus any shipping
and handling fees. For complete guarantee and return policy,
see "Returns".
Custom orders are not returnable since they are made to your
specifications and, therefore, may not be saleable to another
customer. However, custom orders are guaranteed to match the
design you approve in materials, size, and shape.
[top
of page]
22. What kind of a guarantee do you offer?
I guarantee my work for the life of the piece. If it should
fail for any reason other than normal wear or accident, I
will repair and return it to you at no cost. For complete
guaranty information, please see "Guarantee".
If you damage the piece and wish to have it repaired, please
contact me.
[top
of page]
|
