The commission intake and stage approval checklist

Stage one: receiving a customer owned item

• Weigh and measure every stone before the client leavesRecord carat weight or millimeter spread, shape, color impression and any visible inclusion. Do it in front of the client so the numbers are agreed rather than asserted later.
• Loupe the stone for chips, abrasion and a bruised girdleNote every existing flaw on the intake form and show the client what you found. A chipped girdle discovered at setting is your problem unless it was documented at intake.
• Photograph the item from four angles under the same lampTop, side, gallery and a loupe shot of any damage. Consistent lighting means a later comparison is meaningful rather than arguable.
• Give the client a signed receipt describing the itemItem description, weights, condition notes and the date. Both parties keep a copy. This is the single most protective piece of paper in the whole job.
• Confirm your insurance covers customer owned property on your benchA standard studio policy may not cover a bailment. Check the limit, check whether it follows the piece to a trade setter, and know the number before you accept a large stone.
• Ask whether the piece has sentimental parts to preserveEngravings, an original shank, a maker mark or the metal itself. Find out now which pieces must survive the build, because melting is not reversible.

Stage two: building a quote that holds

• Estimate the finished metal weight from CAD or a comparable jobA number from a past piece of similar size and stock beats a guess. Write it on the quote so you can check it against the actual casting later.
• Price the metal at today cost per gram and stamp a hold dateUse your landed cost including refiner markup, and state on the quote how long the metal figure is good for. A short window is normal and clients accept it when it is disclosed.
• Add your real casting and finishing lossQuote the gross metal you have to buy, not the finished weight. Use a percentage you have measured from your own returns rather than a rule of thumb.
• Count bench hours honestly, including the settingWax cleanup, assembly, setting, pre polish and final finish. Setting is the stage designers underestimate most, particularly on pave and channel work.
• State the rush fee separately if the date demands oneA compressed timeline costs you overtime, expedited casting and evening work. Show it as its own line so the client is choosing the speed, not questioning the price.
• Write the delivery window as a range, not a single dateCasting houses run late and stones arrive wrong. A two week window protects the relationship far better than a promised Tuesday you cannot control.

Stage three: paperwork and money before metal moves

• Collect the deposit before ordering grain or a center stoneNothing gets bought on your money. Half is common for custom work and should cover materials at minimum, so a cancellation never leaves you holding the cost.
• Put the required disclosures on the document the client keepsMetal fineness, whether a stone is natural or laboratory grown, and any treatment you know of. US sellers are held to the FTC jewelry guides and the paperwork is where compliance shows.
• Write plainly what happens if the client cancels after castingSay which portion of the deposit is retained once metal is cut and a stone is bought. Ambiguity here is what turns a cancellation into an argument.
• Confirm the ring size in writing and say how it was measuredNote whether it was sized on your mandrel, at another store or by a guess at home. Note whether her hands swell, and who pays for a resize.
• Record who owns the metal being usedClient heirloom gold, new casting grain or a mix. If old metal is being reused, note the porosity and alloy risk on the document and what happens if it casts badly.

Stage four: approvals through the build

• Get written approval on the CAD render before cutting a waxSend at least three views and the finished dimensions. Written means a reply that says approved, not a heart on a text message.
• Have the wax or resin print approved on the finger where possibleProportion reads differently on a hand than on a screen. Fifteen minutes here prevents a remake after casting, which is the most expensive kind.
• Approve the head style and stone seat before settingOnce a stone is set, changing the head means an unset, a repair and a refinish. Confirm the prong count, profile and gallery height first.
• Show the piece before final polishThis is the last cheap moment to change a finish, add milgrain or adjust an engraving. After final polish every change starts costing hours again.
• Deliver with a written description that matches the invoiceMetal fineness, stone weights, treatments and any warranty terms. It is the document a client insurance company will ask for, and it should never contradict what you quoted.