Q: I’ve placed an order, but I haven’t received a confirmation email. Has my order been received?
A: Sometimes confirmation emails don’t go through to some email platforms for mysterious reasons. If your PayPal payment went through and money has been taken from your PayPal or bank account, then there’s a 99.9% chance that your order has been received 🙂 However, if you still want to confirm the status of your order, you can always send an email to bellyofthesnek [at] gmail.com
Q: I have a question about shipping.
A: All things about shipping are covered on the Shipping page.
Q: Why is everything so expensive?! It’s just silver!
A: What you should really be asking is: why is your jewelry so cheap? I make everything with my own hands, and usually it takes hours or days to make a single piece of jewelry. Every detail matters to me. I want to provide you with jewelry that will last many years. It takes time to find good stones, and very often I discard a few stones from a batch that I get. I also buy my own tools (jewelry tools are expensive) and join jewelry courses to improve my skills (outrageously expensive!). You’re lucky that I live in Eastern Europe where the cost of living is not as high as in other places in the world 😉
Q: Do you do custom orders? I have an idea and would like to turn it into jewelry?
A: No, I don’t accept custom orders anymore.
Q: How do I know that your stones are what you say they are?
A: I buy my stones from people who have spent years in the lapidary business and have earned a good reputation. Every now and then I get some stones tested to see if they’re legit. If you would like a certificate of authenticity for a particular stone used in my jewelry, I can offer this to you at an extra cost.
Q: Can I find out if the stone was treated, or its origin?
A: I am not a gemologist, so I won’t be able to give you a solid answer. Technically many stones are heat treated for a better colour, so it’s best to assume that a coloured stone has undergone some treatment. This does not make a stone inferior, it’s just part of the industry. Some sellers include information on treatment, others don’t, so I don’t provide any treatment information at all to avoid false claims. If you’re really curious, in some cases I can request an analysis of a stone at our local assay office at an extra cost.
The same goes for origin: I only know what the stone seller had told me, although good gemologists usually know where certain stones with certain features are mined. The same goes for “ethical mining”. Unfortunately you can’t claim that with all certainly unless you’ve been to a mine yourself, which I haven’t, although that would be super cool 🙂
Q: I would really like to buy a pendant with a chain. Why don’t you sell them with chains?
A: Most jewelers who sell their jewelry online offer the most basic thin chains. I can’t do that, because I care for the longevity of your jewelry items and I would hate it if you lost a pendant because your cheap thin chain broke. If I were to offer chains with my pendants, I would choose thicker chains that would increase the price of a pendant by at least 50 EUR, and I would also have to invest a lot of money into chain material. I would much rather invest this money into tools. Besides, I know that different people prefer different chain styles, so this way you could find your own favourite chain.
Q: Is there a place where I can see your jewelry in real life? Or can I come to your studio?
A: At the moment my jewelry isn’t displayed anywhere, and my studio is not designed to accommodate strangers. But if you live in Riga, we could arrange a meeting in a cafe. A couple of times a year I also participate in local artisan markets.
Q: I am learning how to make jewelry and I love your work. Can you teach me?
A: No. I am not a teacher and have no desire to be one.