Jewels by Lou - How to Order

Custom Jewelry, Handmade in Virginia, USA

How to Order

There are three simple steps to getting your jewelry from Jewels by Lou.

•    Send us an email describing which piece you're interested in. Include, if you know, the size, color, clasp type, material, and other options. If you don't know, we'll walk you through the decision process, by phone or email, until we know what you want.
•    We'll send you a price quote for your piece of custom jewelry, including an estimated delivery date, and any taxes and fees. Once you have the price quote, we'll guarantee that price -- and the delivery date -- for five business days. After five business days, we'll still accept your order but the final price or delivery date may change, depending on market or business conditions.
•    If you agree with the price and delivery date, make a deposit of 50% of the final price by money order, check, or credit card. At that point, your order is considered firm. Note that we won't begin work on your piece until we have your deposit, and this includes ordering any special materials; and if the price for those materials change (outside the five-business-day window), your final price will, too.

Rules of the Road

While Jewels by Lou is a lobor of love, we are expected to operate as a business as well. So we do have a few rules of the road. We try not to make them too obnoxious. Here you go:

Everything is Custom

We don't stock any of our pieces. (We do stock some of our materials, though, like some Swarovski jewels and jumprings. This makes quick customizations easier!) Everything we make is made for a specific customer's request. When you place an order, we will quote you an anticipated delivery time, which will include such considerations as our order backlog, holidays, time to research/obtain materials, fabrication time, delivery time, and personal time!

Locked Pricing

If you are interested in a specific piece, please write to us for a no-obligation quote. We will need specific information such as wrist size, necklace length, materials, types of jewels, and so forth. Once we have this, we can quote you a firm price. That price will be valid for five calendar days (in case materials prices start changing) and can be locked with a 50% deposit.

Credit Cards

We are pleased to accept Master Card, VISA, American Express, and Discover cards for deposits and payments in full. We add a 3% convenience fee to all credit card transactions to cover these administrative costs.

Security

We do NOT take credit card information over the internet (only over the phone, or via US mail), and we do not retain your credit card information once a transaction has been successfully processed. We shred all credit card information after the transaction has been completed. As a result, if you pay a deposit with a credit card, and want to pay the remainder with the same card, we will NOT have your card information on file, and you'll have to give it to us again. We believe this small inconvenience more than makes up for knowing your information is safe with us.

Warranty/Returns

In general, we warrant the workmanship of our jewelry for the life of the piece.

When we use materials from outside vendors, and those materials have their own warranty, the warranty from the vendor is carried on to the final piece.

In general, we do not accept returns on custom jewelry, although we will consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Health regulations do not allow us to accept returns on earrings once they have been worn.

Your Information

We keep records of all sales, including name and address of customer; contact (phone, email); date; item(s) purchased; amount; and any additional details such as size, color, and materials. We use this information to gauge customer interest in different styles, materials, and techniques; to understand our clients' seasonal buying habits; and to validate warranty and repair claims. This information is never shared with other parties under any circumstances.

Occasionally, a client may ask us about a JBL piece that she has seen on another client; we may use our records to verify what item this is. But we won't give out your personal information to anyone.

Contact Us

Please reach out by email to enquire about any of our designs. We do our best to respond to your mail in one business day, or less.