go see

I've finished the most expensive necklace I've made to date. It was a special request from a coworker whose birthstone is peridot, but she had never found a peridot necklace she was happy with. I made it entirely out of semiprecious gemstones, because I plan on charging an arm and a leg for it. But she can afford it,* and she said "If I'm getting it custom -made, I might as well go all out." She doesn't know it, but she's paying for my new ipod.

I discovered a wonderful trick: quote the price for the beads I would normally buy from Fire Mountain (which are still much cheaper than most places) and do a wonderful ebay adventure for buying gemstones. Don't tell her, but I saved hundreds of dollars this way. She is also one of the reasons I now require a deposit; if I hadn't used ebay, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.

But I'm bringing it to work on Monday, and I'm assuming she'll give me a check for the price I;m asking. I would have brought it in yesterday, but I was still waiting on delivery of gold wire to replace the silver I had in the centerpiece.

So go look at it. I'm really quite proud of it. In fact, she asked how it looks and I didn't have to lie when I said it was bee-yooutyful. (What does she expect me to say, anyway?)

Peridot set



* If I know my buyers' financial situation, it does help me gauge how much to charge. I would never overcharge someone who couldn't afford it (or my friends) but if they can't afford it, they shouldn't be asking.