PERSONALISATION
Can I have wording engraved or stamped on my jewellery (personalisation)? We generally recommend keeping things simple and stylish, and allowing the beauty of the fingerprint texture to make a statement. But if you'd like a name, initials or a date on the front or back of your jewellery item, we're very happy to oblige. We can personalise your jewellery by hand-engraving a name, initials or a date (up to 8 characters, so it may be possible to have initials and a date, for example). We limit the number of characters we can use simply because more characters generally won't fit on most pieces of silver jewellery. Letters are hand-engraved in your jewellery designer's normal handwriting onto the front or back of your piece(s) or stamped onto the front, as you choose (space permitting).
Do you engrave wording on the front or the back? We try to do whichever you prefer, though the final decision does depend on the size of your fingerprint(s) and the size of the charm you've ordered for your piece. We will use our discretion: if we judge that the wording you want won't fit on the front, it will be hand-engraved onto the back. Formal stamped lettering always has to go on the front.
How do I give you instructions for the wording I want? You give us your instructions on the personalisation form you return to us when you send your Dabs & Doodles fingerprint kit back.
ANTIQUING
How do you make the fingerprint or personalised wording stand out? We darken the wording and slightly darken some fingerprints to make them stand out more. This is called 'antiqueing' and looks very effective! Rest assured that the rest of your charm will be lovely and polished, though! To antique your charm, it's dipped in a sulphur-based solution that oxidises the silver, turning it black. The excess oxidation is then carefully polished off by hand, leaving the fingerprint impression(s) and wording dark.
Remember that, due to the nature of the materials used, surface variations are to be expected and add to the handmade beauty and individuality of your unique fingerprint jewellery - as you'd expect, these surface variations can look a little more obvious when the item is antiqued, but the overall enhancement given by antiqueing more than makes up for this.
GETTING GOOD FINGERPRINT IMPRESSIONS
Is my baby old enough? Fingerprints can take time to develop in very young children, so if your baby is under one year old, you might find that there is insufficient detail in your child's fingerprint for a good impression in the silver. However, all children are different, and great fingerprint jewellery can be made with impressions from children as young as three months old. Our best advice is to try it and see: if the impression isn't good enough and you've asked us not to proceed unless it is, we'll send you a replacement kit for free, and suggest that you try again a couple of months later. Failing that, we can also make great prints from your baby's toeprints or even footprint - very cute - and footprints can be done from one month old onwards.
Fingerprint casting using the Dabs & Doodles Fingerprint Kit is safe for children from one month old onwards but we advise you to wait until your baby is at least three months old. Age does matter: some baby's fingerprints can be cast easily from as young as two months' old - for other little ones, clear fingerprints don't develop until the child is 12 or even 18 months' old. It depends on how clear the fingerprint whirls are as to how defined the impression will be.
Feel free to contact us for advice on taking fingerprints from infants under 18 months old, and rest assured that, if the prints you take aren't useable after taking our advice, we will send a replacement casting kit out a month or two later for no extra charge, or make a charm from your baby's footprint if you prefer, so you can order now with confidence.
I can't see a fingerprint in the cast I've taken - help! If you're worried that you can't see any whorls or whirls in the fingerprint mould, send it back to us anyway: we normally use a plaster process for casting, but we can use a special process with resin if we need to pick up very fine detail. Sometimes, especially with very young babies, only a dimple is present: in these cases, our customers often ask us to proceed anyway - the finished jewellery is still a wonderful record of your baby's development. If you don't want this, please let us know on your personalisation form: otherwise, we'll assume you want us to continue to make your item.
THE MAKING PROCESS
What materials do you use? Each item of Dabs & Doodles custom cast silver jewellery is made by hand to the highest standards, using a new type of mouldable pure silver called precious metal clay. Precious metal clay is made by mixing tiny particles of pure or fine silver with an organic binder and water. When your piece of jewellery is formed we fire it thoroughly in a special kiln which burns off the organic binder, leaving behind just the silver. The resulting item is made of 99.9% pure silver (called fine silver). Fine silver is purer than the sterling silver you're used to seeing in shops - sterling silver is only 92.5% pure. However, fine silver is a little softer than sterling (the alloys, including copper, in sterling silver give it extra strength), so we prefer sterling silver for the chains, jump rings and clasps used to make your jewellery.
Is Dabs & Doodles jewellery real silver or silver-plated? Nothing on this site is silver-plated. We only use the real-deal: solid sterling (925) silver or even purer fine (999) silver.
Are the jumprings on Dabs & Doodles jewellery soldered closed? Smaller jump rings attached to the clasp ends of our handmade pendant clasps are soldered closed (as they should be). We leave the jump ring on the charms themselves unsoldered to give you the flexibility to take your charm on or off favourite jewellery or other chains.
How is Dabs & Doodles jewellery finished? We finish each piece of Dabs & Doodles jewellery by hand, antique it, and polish it by hand and with specialist workshop tools. Dabs & Doodles jewellery is absolutely not mass-produced or machine-made, and has a handmade finish with some variations in surface - this is part of the beauty and charm of the range. Like anything handmade, each charm is totally unique - so if you order two, don't expect a perfectly-matching pair!
Is Dabs & Doodles jewellery hallmarked? Lots of websites have sprun up recently offering non-hallmarked fingerprint jewellery. Often these are not run by professional jewellers. You should be aware that, in the UK, silver cannot be sold as silver without being hallmarked if it weighs more than 7.78g. Hallmarks should be struck by one of the Assay Offices as a guarantee of purity and quality. A simple '925' or '999' mark on your expensive jewellery will not do (and may even be illegal). All Dabs & Doodles jewellery carries a full London Assay Office hallmark and maker's mark, proving that it is solid silver and made by our jeweller, Sarah Jane Whittaker. (Note that Fast Track orders can't be hallmarked, so if they weigh over 7.78g, we can't describe them as "silver".)
Why does Dabs & Doodles jewellery cost what it does? The cost of our fingerprint jewellery has to take into account both expensive precious raw materials, and cover the extensive time, and sheer hard work, that is needed to turn your fingerprint impressions into quality silver jewellery, by hand. Treasure your Dabs & Doodles jewellery, knowing it's been crafted by a highly skilled artisan-maker!
CARE FOR JEWELLERY
How do I care for my Dabs & Doodles jewellery? The silver we use for charms is very pure, and is therefore a tiny bit softer than sterling silver (which has non-silver alloys added it it, giving strength). Please take good care of your charm jewellery: knocking the fine silver charms against hard surfaces may add little nicks and marks causing your jewellery to show signs of wear and tear a bit more easily than with sterling silver. As with all silver, your jewellery will tarnish over time and should be gently cleaned with a silver polishing cloth. Note that silver polishing cloths can affect surface patination and oxidation, and may remove or alter the look of 'antiquing' (see above).
Is Dabs & Doodles jewellery sent out securely? Your jewellery is sent by secure post - either a Royal Mail signed-for service or courier. Delivery to one address within the UK mainland is included in the cost of every order. Non-UK customers should order from our international site, www.DabsDoodles.Etsy.com.
Can I have my Dabs & Doodles fingerprint kit and personalisation form sent to someone else? Yes, that's not a problem: just add their details as the delivery address at checkout. If you want the fingerprint kit and the cost of the jewellery to be a gift, please call us before ordering to alert us. We can then send the invoice to you, but the fingerprint kit (and later, the jewellery) to your gift recipient, with a gift message included for free.
Can I have my jewellery delivered to someone else? Yes, that's not a problem: you can tell us where to send your finished jewellery on the personalisation form when you send your kit back. We can also despatch the finished jewellery direct to a gift recipient with a gift message included for no extra charge (just give us these instructions on your personalisation form). If you'd like different items of jewellery ordered together to be sent to different addresses as gifts, that's no problem as long as the delivery addresses are in the UK mainland, but an additional £5.95 Special Delivery charge will apply for the second and each subsequent delivery addresses in the order.
OTHER QUESTIONS
If the answer to your question isn't shown here, please contact us and we'll do all we can to help. As we're often really busy in the office and studio, it's best if you can contact us by email. We aim to reply to emails within two working days at the outside.