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Frequently Asked Questions

Where are your pieces made?


My pieces are all crafted by hand in my home studio, located in Alexandria, Ontario, Canada.

 

 

Where can I see your jewellery in person?


A large selection of my pieces are available locally at The Glengarry Market in Alexandria, Ontario. My pieces are also available during shows and events, which can be viewed here. You can also set up an appointment to shop in studio by sending me an email. If you are interested in having me attend your event or corporate function as a vendor, please send me an email.

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Which chain length do I order?


This is personal preference. Please see this infographic to help you decide. Most of my ready to ship necklaces are available in 16 and 18 inches. If you would like a style of necklace in a different length, please send me an email for availability. Please keep in mind that necklace lengths look and feel different depending on a person’s overall height and body size.  As a woman of size myself, I am always happy to work with a client to determine the ideal length of necklace to suit their body type.

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What is my ring size?


In studio, we can measure your finger and/or personal rings to see what fits you best. Ring size can vary based on the seasons, individual finger characteristics, as well as the width and style of the ring in question. You can also purchase a low cost, reusable plastic ring sizer from my Etsy shop here.

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Can any ring be ordered in a different size?

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For the most part, yes!  If you see a readily stocked ring available in my shop you would like to order, but it isn't the right size for you, I can make another ring just like it in your size at no extra charge. Please email me at laura@lolajewellery.com for custom sizes.

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Will my skin react with the metal?

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I use only solid sterling silver and 14k gold fill for rings. Unless you have had reactions to these metals in the past, you will not have any issues with items from the LOLA jewellery line; they are considered fully hypo-allergenic.

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Is any of the jewellery plated?

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I don’t use electroplating techniques with my jewellery. Plating will eventually wear off depending on usage and skin Ph levels, and as such is not considered stable.

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Some of your pieces are 14k gold fill. What does that mean?

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Glad you asked! Also known as rolled gold, it’s composed of a layer of solid 14 karat gold bonded through heat and pressure onto a base metal core, such as brass. The amount of gold in a 14k gold fill piece must legally be a minimum of 5% of the total weight of the piece to be marked as gold fill.

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Gold fill is a much higher quality product than gold plated metal, which is produced by an electrochemical process that deposits a very thin layer of gold atoms onto a base layer, which is only microns thick. Because there was no heat or pressure used in the process, and the layer is very thin, it will easily chip or rub off over time. Some gold plated items don’t even contain any real gold at all, just a gold colored coating. There’s no legal standard involved in gold plated costume jewellery, so you don’t really know what you’re getting!

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To care for  your gold filled jewellery, you can clean with water and a bit of soap and a soft cloth. Alternatively you can use a jewellery polishing cloth as well. You can shower and swim in natural bodies of water while wearing gold fill, but I would avoid wearing it in swimming pools and allowing it to come into contact with chemicals such as hairspray and perfume, same as when wearing sterling silver or copper jewellery. The gold layer is not in danger of chipping or rubbing off, but similarly to sterling silver jewellery it can become tarnished/discolored.

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Do you offer local pick up?

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Yes! I offer local pick up from my studio in Alexandria. Just contact me ahead of time to arrange this option.

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What metals do you work with?

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In my collection I currently work with sterling silver, 14k gold fill, and copper. I have made the decision to very cautious about the use of gold in my work for ethical and environmental reasons. I am currently moving towards the goal of using only recycled silver and copper, and as such I will be phasing out my use of 14k gold fill as well. I will work with solid gold for custom projects but I will attempt to use recycled and/or fairmined gold where possible. 

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Do you take custom jewellery orders?

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Absolutely!! Send me an email at lolajewellerydesign@gmail.com to discuss the piece or pieces you are thinking of.

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How do I best care for my jewellery?

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As all of my pieces are hand finished, they do require some good care habits to keep them looking their best.

Contrary to popular belief, sterling silver does naturally tarnish, due to its copper content interacting with oxygen. I recommend using an impregnated polishing cloth for cleaning and polishing your sterling silver and copper pieces from time to time. I include this polishing cloth with all sterling silver purchases, both online and in person. I also recommend using small Ziploc baggies to contain your silver and copper pieces, this will slow down the process of tarnishing significantly.

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I do not recommend the usage of liquid jewellery cleaning dips for jewellery, with the exception of hard to clean jewellery such as chains and rings with lots of crevices. You should not use liquid dips on softer or more delicate stones such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, ammolite, and most importantly, freshwater pearls. These types of stones and pearls may become damaged or discolored by these liquids. 

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I recommend separating jewellery pieces with softer stones such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, ammolite, malachite, pearls etc. away from jewellery that includes harder stones such as diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, garnet, topaz, as a harder stone may scratch the surface of a softer stone.

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I also recommend keeping your jewellery pieces away from perfume, skin cream, chemicals, abrasives, chlorine/bromine, hairspray, and out of prolonged direct sunlight as much as possible. Opals and ammolite in particular can become dried out in very hot, sunny weather.

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Can I feature you in my photoshoot or sell your jewellery in my store?

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Absolutely, I always welcome new opportunities to connect with retailers and influencers. Please send any inquiries to me at lolajewellerydesign@gmail.com to start a conversation!

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How much lead time will it take for you to complete my order?

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Items in my store will let you know how much lead time I need before it can be shipped out. Many of my gemstone pieces are ready to ship. Woven seed bead pieces are generally made to order and therefore it takes 3 - 5 business days to fulfill the order. Custom orders or pieces that are hand fabricated to a specific size generally take anywhere from 1-6 weeks depending on the complexity of the work. 

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Do you ship to my country?

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At the moment I only ship to Canada and the Continental US.

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How long will it take to receive my order?

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Arrival time depends on your destination and shipping type. On average, domestic Canadian packages take 2-7 business days and US packages vary from 5-10 business days. Unfortunately sometimes packages get held up at the border which is something I have no control over.

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Are tax and customs fees included?

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For US customers, you are responsible for paying customs fees when your package arrives in your country.

 



What is your return policy?

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I offer returns and exchanges on all of my products. If you’re not happy, I’m not happy! The buyer must contact me within 7 days of delivery to discuss the refund or exchange option they would like to exercise. The buyer is also responsible for return shipping fees, and for any loss in value if the item is not returned in it’s original condition.

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