Thank you for browsing the site. I hope you find these answers helpful. If there is something I haven't covered, please contact me with your questions.
What is Fine Silver compared to Sterling Silver?
Fine Silver is 99.99% pure silver while Sterling Silver is 92.50% pure silver with 7.50% copper added for strength. Fine Silver is treated like Sterling in that it can be formed, soldered, cut, pierced and molded in the same manner as Sterling. I use PMC (Precious Metal Clay) when forming most of my pendants. This material is tiny particles of pure silver in a water soluble biodegradable binder. Before firing, it acts similar to conventional clay. It can be rolled, cut, sliced, and hand formed. However, once fired in a kiln at very specific temperatures, it sinters (the binder is burned off) and what is left is 99.99% pure Fine Silver. I am very excited about this product and the possibilities are nearly endless! This, combined with traditional silversmithing, allows the jewelry artist to expand their ideas to the world of form in endless ways.
Do you use real stones?
Many of the precious stones and semi-precious stones I use are either genuine, lab-created, synthetic, or cubic zirconia. I will always tell you which type of stone is in each piece. Some stones are not suitable for the firing process and lab-created or synthetic stones must be used to preserve the color and clarity of the stones. Lab-created stones are made, you guessed it, in a lab from the very same material that make the genuine natural stones. Their processes of intensely high heat and incredibly high pressure, can form gem stones in days, rather than decades or sometimes centuries. Cubic Zirconia are not genuine gem stones, but have beautiful strength, clarity and color in addition to being very reasonably priced.
I don't see any prices. How do I find out what they cost?
And HOW DO I ORDER?
This site is more of an online portfolio of my jewelry designs. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind work and is not made into a "line" of jewelry that is for mass production. A majority of my pieces are already placed in selected galleries for sale. Let me know which piece(s) you are interested in and I will let you know the gallery price and direct you to the gallery that has that piece if it is not available from my studio. If it has been already sold, we can pursue the "custom order" avenue. I am happy to make a similar (but not exact) custom piece for you.
If the item in question is available from my studio, I will happily respond with the current gallery price and you may purchase the item directly from me. At the moment, I only accept PayPal. I will simply send you an invoice and you can pay with the security and convenience of PayPal. It is very easy to do if you are new to this type of online payment.
If you are a retailer, please Contact me regarding wholesale pricing, terms and minimums.
**Please note, I do not accept commissions/sales outside the United States at this time. I am sorry for any inconvenience.
What about custom orders?
I can custom create a unique and one-of-a-kind work of wearable art just for you. For some examples of custom orders, please click here and you will be directed to the "Custom" section of this web site. The custom order process is as follows:
- Contact me via email with your idea, color scheme, or item number from this web site.
- I will contact you back with specific questions regarding size, materials, and design.
- I will draw up designs and email them to you for approval and give you a rough cost estimate for the design. There is no charge for the design work, however, all designs are copyrighted by Marracci Designs and cannot be duplicated.
- Once a design is agreed upon, I will then give you a price, estimated production time and shipping method.
- Upon receipt of you payment in full, I will begin production (I accept PayPal or check. For checks, there may be up to 10 days delay while the check clears your bank before production will begin).
- I will email you a picture of the final piece for your approval.
- Upon your final approval, I will then ship the piece to you.