HOLIDAY ORDER & STUDIO UPDATE

A little studio update as we head into the holiday season…

The majority of my work is made to order, however sometimes we have items in stock. Each item on my online store will specify in the product description if it is made to order, or ready to ship.

• Made to Order (most items) takes up to 4 weeks to make. Order by November 15th 2020 for guaranteed Christmas delivery. Orders placed after this date will be processed & we will try our best to get your piece out to you as soon as possible, but due to a large volume of orders at this time of year, we cannot guarantee your item will arrive prior to Dec 25th.

• Ready-to-Ship items are in stock & will be dispatched within 1-2 business days. Order by December 16th 2020 for delivery before Dec 25th. I will be updating this section with new pieces a couple of times during December. Resizing options are available on most in-stock pieces, please get in touch for more details.

• Shipping- New Zealand has 1-2 day options with DHL Express- it’s super fast and all taxes & duties are included in the price.

• Gift Vouchers are available always if you have missed the above order deadlines.

• The Studio will be CLOSED between Dec 23 2020 - Jan 11 2021 so we can take a little break. All production will be paused during this time.

If you have any questions about an order, resizing, or production timeframes, please don't hesitate to get in touch here.

Thank you for your support this holiday season!

Allie

Custom Australian Champagne Diamond Wedding Ring

A custom wedding band to sit with a past custom engagement ring. A thick smooth hand carved band in 18ct yellow gold, set with Australian Argyle Champagne diamonds. Designed to be worn with the engagement ring and bold enough that it can also stand alone. A set to celebrate love and highlight the beautiful gemstones that come from Australia.

White on White Wedding Set

A custom wedding set for a lovely couple in New Zealand. The engagement ring is a custom Triple Setting Teeth Ring. For wedding bands, she chose the Atlas Ring in white gold with white diamonds to match, and he chose the Carved Wedder in white gold also.

Studio Update: July-August 2020

Hi Friends,

I am back making jewels in our Chippendale studio, taking all precautions to ensure that I can operate as safely as possible. Although I am able to keep working away and most of my suppliers are operating, things may take a little bit more time than usual.

PRODUCTION UPDATE

Our standard turnaround is 1-4 weeks which I will always strive to fulfill, but please allow up to 6 weeks if necessary. If you need your item by a special date, please send me a message prior to placing your order and I will try my best to accommodate this for you. Check the Ready to Ship section, for items that can be shipped within 1-3 business days.

SHIPPING UPDATE

I am currently only offering Australia Post Express and DHL Express courier options. Australia Post shipments may take longer than usual. DHL is recommended for International shipments as they will be delivered on a more reliable timeframe.

STUDIO APPOINTMENTS

Face to face appointments are open again, please make a booking online. Hand sanitizer is available and jewels will be thoroughly cleaned before and after visits. If you are feeling sick at all on the day or days leading up to your appointment, please cancel or reschedule.

Appointments may also be booked online if you are not able to make it to the studio. Just leave a note with your booking and I will schedule a video meeting via Zoom.

If you have any questions or queries during this time, please get in touch with me at hello@alexandradodds.com.

Stay safe and thank you all so much for your support during these times.


Allie x

Studio Update- March 2020

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all taking care of yourselves, your loved ones and the surrounding community at this time.

As I am a team if one, my everyday life in the studio is already quite isolated so at this point I am able to keep working away on making jewels while practicing social distancing. I have moved my studio home for the time being & am minimising in-person contact with customers and suppliers. Parcels will be shipped twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

All of my customers with pending orders, currently everything is still on track to have your pieces finished by original deadlines. I appreciate your patience and flexibility if things are to change at short notice & I will do my best to keep you updated with any disruptions that may arise.

**UPDATE 20/4/2020- Please note that Australia Post is currently experiencing delays due to COVID-19. Please allow a little bit of extra time for your parcels to arrive if you choose this shipping method.

ONLINE STORE

At this time the online store is still open. I will be limiting the amount of Made-to-Order pieces & working towards having more Ready-to-Ship items available in the coming weeks as supply chain disruptions are to be expected.

As I will be eliminating all in-person contact with suppliers & visits to the post office, please kindly allow a little bit of extra time for the production & shipping of your orders as I adjust to working more remotely.

As a small thank you for your understanding, I will be offering free shipping to my customers within Australia & New Zealand, and discounted shipping worldwide until the end of April.

No discount code is needed.

CUSTOM & BESPOKE JEWELLERY

At this point I am still taking on Custom & Bespoke projects. In-person meetings at my studio are closed until further notice but I am always available for discussions via email, phone or skype.

During this challenging time I am also happy to offer more flexible payment options for my custom piece customers, please contact me directly for more details on this.

…

As always, your support in my small business means the world to me. Thank you so much to every one of my past & future customers- by purchasing a piece of AD jewellery you are not only supporting me but also the number of small businesses I work closely with to create my pieces (my gemstone suppliers, stone setters, my retailers).

Jewels are also still available through one of my wonderful stockists in Australia & New Zealand who are no doubt heavily impacted at this time, they can be found here & all have pieces in stock & ready-to-ship on their online stores.

Please send me a message anytime here if you have any questions regarding current production & shipping times.

Thank you & keep safe,

Allie

About Face: The Monochrome Series

A collection of new pieces for Courtesy of the Artist’s: About Face- an annual exhibition celebrating the earring.

This year the theme was Monochrome. Artists were asked to design & create five pairs of earrings in a colour palette of their choice. I chose a yellow (because I wanted to use gold of course!). I started by selecting various tones of yellow & orange gemstones- Citrine, Yellow & Orange Sapphires. I bent the rules a little and made a few single earrings, so that they can be mixed and matched & selected by the wearer.

These pieces are available exclusively in store at Courtesy of the Artist in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. Please contact the gallery here for all sales & enquiries regarding these pieces.

Gold & Australian White Diamond, Triple Setting Custom Engagement Ring

A custom engagement ring for a couple in New Zealand. Hand carved and cast in yellow gold, with a trio of Australian Argyle E/F VS White Diamonds.

Double Setting- Australian Teal Sapphire & Australian Diamond Engagement Ring

I love this ring! It might be one of my favorite custom pieces of 2019. The ‘Teeth Gem Ring’ would be one of my most popular engagement ring styles, so it was fun to push this design and play around with an asymmetrical setting while keeping it balanced. My client chose two Australian gemstones- an oval Teal Sapphire from central Queensland, and a White Argyle diamond from Western Australia. Set in 14ct White Palladium gold- a good durable alloy which has a gunmetal colour to it, & brings all of the beautiful cool tones out of the sapphire.

Emerald-cut Blue Australian Sapphire & 18ct Yellow Gold Engagement Ring

A recent engagement ring featuring a beautiful blue 2.24ct Emerald cut Australian Sapphire, set in an 18ct yellow gold hand carved textured claw setting. A contemporary take on a classic solitaire.

Jessica Ellen Hemmings x AD Jewels

I’ve admired Jess’s work for a while, I first came across her hand carved spoons and then discovered she also made the most beautiful considered images. Her name was on my mental list of artists I wanted to collaborate with, so was rather happy to find out that she was thinking the same thing.

We met for coffee, I gave her a bag of gold & silver, and she gave me back this beautiful roll of film <3

http://ellenjhemmings.com/

Australian Argyle Diamond & Yellow Gold Engagement Signet Ring

A recent custom engagement ring featuring the most stunning ethically sourced 0.50ct GIA certified D VVS White Australian Argyle Diamond set flush in yellow gold.

This ring was inspired by the Gemmy Mountain signet ring, but scaled up and refined to fit a larger diamond. I finished it with a smooth satin brushed gold polish on the face not to distract from the diamond, and to contrast with the gentle rocky hand carved texture on the sides.

Custom Diamond & Coloured Sapphire Signet Ring

A colourful custom signet ring for Fran.

Fran came to me after seeing my Bedrock rings- she loved the hand carved geometric forms with gemstones embedded on the front and sides. She wanted me to create a chunky version, with a big white diamond in the center and a sprinkle of gems on the side. Being a painter, she chose a beautiful palette of colours in sapphires and diamonds.

I absolutely love how this ring turned out… a truly collaborative piece between me & a client which turned out just as she imagined.

Australian Champagne Diamond & 18ct Yellow Gold Engagement Ring

A custom engagement ring for my lovely clients Michael & Michelle- Australian Champagne Diamond & 18ct Yellow Gold.

Michael proposed to Michelle with the loose diamond over the Christmas holidays, and then they both chose the setting and design together with me at my studio. We went for my signature hand carved textured solitaire, customised with a slightly wider border and ring band to balance the size of the diamond. They decided to cast it in rich 18ct yellow gold, to complement the warm tones of the diamond. See this beauty sparkle in motion over on my Instagram.

Sri Lankan Alexandrite & 18ct Yellow Gold Custom Engagement Ring

A custom engagement ring from earlier in the year.

One of the things I enjoy most about custom pieces is when I get challenged to try new things, they often end up sparking new ideas I might have not come across otherwise.

Anna bought this beautiful Asscher cut Sri Lankan Alexandrite to me, to creature a unique engagement + wedding ring set. This gemstone cut was one I hadn’t worked with before so was excited to create something different, but still stay true to my style.

We set it into a hand carved 18ct gold setting, paired with an 18ct gold teeth wedder for some contrast in texture.

I am happy to incorporate your own gemstones or diamonds into custom pieces. Get in touch with me here to find out more about the process.

Allie x

Holiday Order Cut Off Dates

HOLIDAY ORDER CUT OFF DATES:

As most of my jewels are handmade to order & the studio will be closed for a couple weeks over the holidays, make sure you place your orders by these dates to ensure your item will be delivered before Christmas.

Please note: delivery before Christmas can only be guaranteed if express shipping is selected at checkout.

READY TO SHIP ITEMS:

Australia & NZ- December 16th 2018
International- December 12th 2018

See what items we have in stock and ready to ship:

> Ready to Ship Earrings

> Ready to Ship Rings

> Ready to Ship Necklaces

> Gift Vouchers

MADE TO ORDER ITEMS:

Australia & NZ- December 6th 2018
International- November 30th 2018
(Orders may still be placed after these dates but delivery before Christmas can not be guaranteed)

CUSTOM JEWELLERY:

Custom Jewellery orders have now closed for 2018, but get in touch here to book a project in for the New Year.

STUDIO CLOSURE DATES:

The studio will be closed between December 20th - January 7th 2019- therefore all orders placed after December 16th 2018 will be processed January 7th 2019.

RING SIZING & EXCHANGES OVER THE HOLIDAY SEASON:

If your item is a Christmas gift, exchanges will be accepted up to January 14th 2019.

Buying a gift and unsure of the ring size? All rings may be resized free after Christmas if the item is a gift and you are unsure of the ring size. Just leave a note in the checkout with your purchase and I will include a free ring sizer with your purchase. Shipping to & from the studio for resizing is the responsibility of the customer. All rings will be resized free of charge with the exception of 9ct or 18ct gold rings which need to be resized larger than 1 size.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me to see what items I have in stock ready to ship, or if you have any questions about production & delivery times. Thank you & happy holidays!

Allie x

Jewels & Gems- Auckland Event

Join me in store at Miss Crabb for a two day special event of gems + jewels!

As well as having a selection of new one off pieces available, I will have a selection of gemstones & and gemless rings available, so you can have a play with different metal and gemstone combinations & customise your own ring. Your custom piece will then be made to your size & specifications, gift wrapped and delivered back to Miss Crabb in time for Christmas. Complementary bubbles upon arrival.

If you would like to book an appointment while I am in Auckland for a future custom piece, please email me here to make a time.

Hope to see you there!

Allie x 

Location & Hours-

Miss Crabb
41 Ponsonby Road
Auckland
Nov 30th & Dec 1st
11am-5pm

Peach Sapphire & Argyle Diamond Engagement ring.

A surprise engagement ring for my long time friend Kyra. Her boyfriend Josh got in touch and gave me a bit of freedom to come up with a few different ideas of what she might like. Kyra was a florist so wanted to make something with soft colour, she had also once mentioned Morganites & Diamonds in a comment which I used as my starting point. I mocked up a few photoshopped images of my ideas and sent them to Josh. He liked the round central gem flanked by two diamonds, so I began the hunt for the perfect gem.

Photoshopped concepts of possible engagement rings.

Morganites are beautiful peachy-pink gemstone but they are a bit softer than a sapphire or diamond, which are the gemstones I most recommend for engagement rings because of the extra durability. Luckily sapphires come in just about every colour under the sun, so I managed to source a beautiful peachy pink Morganite-coloured sapphire just for her.  Nestled between two white Australian Argyle and cast in 18ct rose gold- the most beautiful and rich colour of rose gold. I had originally thought to put champagne diamonds on the side, but once the ring was cast in the 18ct rose gold, we decided to go for classic white diamonds for contrast and so the peach tones in the sapphire would stand out. 

Click here to see a video of this beautiful peachy pink sapphire in motion.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Gold + Dark Blue Australian Sapphire Engagement Ring

A custom engagement ring commissioned earlier in the year for a couple in New Zealand.

Gray had a brief idea of what he wanted, referencing my Cirus Ring for the molten & beaten characteristics. I did a few initial sketches, and he decided on five dark blue Australian Sapphires tapered from the centre for some symmetry & balance. I carved up a ring in green carving wax with the stones temporarily in place, & emailed Gray lots of pictures to make sure it was exactly what he had imagined, before casting it in 14ct yellow gold.

Custom Gold + Champagne Diamond Signet Ring

Natalie came by my studio last year when she was visiting Sydney, wanting me to remodel some of her rings. She loved another ring I had in the studio at the time which I was working on for another client- a rough carved signet style ring in gold which had smooth face + a single diamond embedded on the front. She also liked shape of this signet ring I made a while back, so we took elements of both & refined it slightly to bring the gold weight down.

I photoshopped a few different gemstone placement options on the ring so she could visualise the final piece, deciding on 8x champagne diamonds randomly scattered over the front.

Bespoke Sapphire Stud + Necklace Set

The majority of the custom pieces I make are rings, so making an earring + pendant set was a refreshing & fun project to work on. These pieces are a similar design to my Dita Studs, and Dita Necklace, but with a larger central gemstone.

I sourced some beautiful teal Australian sapphires which change between blue-green depending on the light, & cast the hand carved setting in rich 18 carat yellow gold to complement & enhance the colour of the sapphires.

These designs can be custom made in any colour combination of the metal and gemstone rainbow. Think rose gold with rubies... white gold with white diamonds... or yellow gold with emeralds... any & all possibilities.