Sooz Jewels Frequently Asked Questions
Can I come and buy jewellery from your studio?
I'm sorry, the answer is a firm no. All my jewellery as it made is photographed and then packed into boxes for displaying on my stall at the Art & Craft Market in Cambridge every Saturday. I would have to unpack everything for you to view the items which takes over an hour. After you had left, I would have to pack it all away again! It's too time consuming and interrupts my workflow.
Can I come and see you working?
Again the answer is a firm no! I run off shrieking at the idea of anyone watching me whilst I work! Sorry. Please do come and visit me at my stall in Cambridge's Art & Craft Market in Trinity Street, Cambridge any Saturday, when I'm more than happy to talk about all aspects of my work ... be warned though, once I get started, I tend to go on a bit ... if I didn't get out and meet people on Saturday then I would hardly talk to anyone at all so I take full advantage!
Do you teach?
See above, I would have to demonstrate, I hate the idea of being watched; additionally I'm not patient enough to be a teacher. I am completely self-taught from books, DVDs and internet forums.
Do you accept commissions?
The answer is a cautious yes, I do, but I must be allowed plenty of time. I can't always produce good work under time pressure. If you have an occasion coming up that you want to wear a special piece of jewellery to, I suggest you allow about eight weeks. Four would be the minimum I would consider and only then if I start to get ideas immediately after our first contact.
Important: I only accept commissions for work that involves my lampwork beads or all silver items such as a matching necklace for a silver bracelet. I am not interested in working with crystal/semi-precious gemstones on their own.
I need a brief to get started on, someone once asked me to "Produce a spectacular and original necklace for me". (....?) (....!) Sorry, but I need something to hang an idea onto! Ideally, you would already be drawn to something on my website but you'd like it in a different colour or double stranded instead of single, etc.
I prefer not to be put on the spot and talk about commissions on the phone, I like to think through answers to questions clearly before committing. E-mail is always my preferred method of communication, I'm a quick typist and there's a record if I forget what I said to who (it could happen, I often have more than one commission 'on the go' at a time). I find telephone calls an imposition and I really don't like having to listen to someone's procrastinations and thought processes over the telephone - it feels like wasted time and I switch off.
When I read the above back, it sounds like I'm a really grumpy! Most of the commissions I have worked on normally turn out really well for me and I like to think the people receiving my jewellery feel the same. The commissioned item itself will be a unique, one-off piece, but I find that ideas for alternatives often arise out of the commission and these are often the driving force behind a whole range of related (but different) jewellery items.
Do you sell beads on their own?
I have sold beads to jewellery designers who have approached me in the past. If there are any beads on the website that you like, please feel free to drop me an e-mail with the name of the item and how many you want and I can give you an idea of prices.
Please note, I don't sell the beads that I make from recycled glass. As you can't mix glass types, there's limited scope for what I can do with them and consequently they get a bit repetitive to make. The enjoyment from these beads is in the jewellery that I make with them and the reactions of my customers when I tell them what the beads are made from. I'm reluctant to have the relative tedium of making the beads and miss out of the best bits!
