I sent out some questions to people who have purchased my rings in the past, to see how they're doing, and I asked them if I could post their responses here. Here are a few of those responses:
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From Lindsey Philpott, who purchased a ring in January of '98:
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Were you happy with the ordering and shipping process? Yes indeed!
Is there anything you think I could, or should, have done differently? Make it online.
Was the information I provided to you, before and after, clear and useful? Yes, very helpful, particularly the information about the types of gold available!
Is the ring worn every day? Taken off for heavy work, or not? Yes, it is worn every day on my wife's right hand, but it is taken off only when sailing (racing). She is right handed.
How is the ring holding up? Any problems with distortion, broken wires, etc?
No broken wires to report, and it is holding up extremely well. The different thicknesses of wire in the construction sometimes appear to be distorting ever so faintly.
Is it still the right size? Did it stretch to a larger size and need to be
squeezed down, or, alternatively, have to be stretched back out? Yes, it is still the right size!
Most important question of all: is it still treasured? Absolutely!! (That was my wife's first word and she is sitting right beside me as I type the
response) She says that she still shows it off whenever she can. On the
down side to wearing it constantly, my wife says that it has given her a
callous under her right ring finger, not that she is complaining, and nor
will she take it off because of that!
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Thanks, Lindsey. Note that more of my ordering process is now online, though I doubt it will ever be anything approaching the "one click ordering" available on such sites as Amazon or the like. I think it is necessary, and preferable to me, to keep the process interactive, as this helps to ensure a satisfactory choice and mutual understanding.
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| From Vince Friske, who has had his ring since August of '99:
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Were you happy with the ordering and shipping process? The ordering process was great. I had no worries.
Is there anything you think I could, or should, have done differently?
If you change anything, I would put more pictures of your work on the
website. There are so many possible color and design combinations with your
inventory; seeing more of the combinations might have made choosing go
faster (it might have taken longer...too many choices to decide..:)..)
Was the information I provided to you, before and after, clear and useful?
All of your info was timely, necessary and helpful. I thank you for
expressing concern about my color choices; it shows you care about your
work.
Is the ring worn every day? Taken off for heavy work, or not?
The ring is worn daily. I do take it off if I eat messy foods (ribs, etc.)
and if I am doing any heavy manual labor.
How is the ring holding up? Any problems with distortion, broken wires, etc?
The ring is holding up well. There are no broken wires. I did notice a
couple areas that got some extra attention during creation; one of the
single strands is a smidge longer than its brothers. In my opinion, this
adds character.
Is it still the right size? Did it stretch to a larger size and need to be
squeezed down, or, alternatively, have to be stretched back out?
The ring still fits great. I have been amazed with the ring's flexibility.
In the year I have owned it, I have had to tweak it both larger and smaller
for comfort. When it got cold, I rolled it between my palms to get it a bit
smaller in diameter. In the summer, I had to get a little extra room, so I
placed it flat on a wood surface and used a flat piece of wood to press it
slightly larger. This also helped align the edges of the ring. I think my
normal wear is a bit rougher than most. I am very happy with the ring's
durability.
Most important question of all: is it still treasured?
The ring is very much still treasured. I still get numerous compliments.
Most everyone is shocked that I found it on the internet. I'm sure you are
familiar with folks being hesitant to purchase items over the internet. It
is a challenge too when potential buyers cannot see the ring on their
hand...maybe pictures of your rings on hands?
You have my permission to let the world read my comments.
In closing, thank you very much for the wonderful ring. I have been the
proud owner for a year now, and the ring has exceeded my expectations. Like
many people, I was cautious about making this kind of purchase on the
internet. I am so glad I did. All the rings in malls and jewelry stores
are 'cookie-cutter'; you see the exact same design in store after store. I
have yet to meet someone else with a Turks head ring. Thank you for making
them.
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Vince, thank you for the suggestion, I'll have to find some shapely models to photograph my jewelry on. Shapely hands, at least!
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| From Linda Darrell, who purchased two rings in December of '99, one of which needed to be repaired after a wire broke:
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Were you happy with the ordering and shipping process? Is there anything you think I could, or should, have done differently?
Well, I preferred being able to deal directly with you versus through the
on-line merchant service you had set up. As I recall, it was something about
the extra fees charged. Of course, I'm also a merchant and I know about the
costs of having your own credit card ability, especially if you're not doing a
volumn that justifies it.
Was the information I provided to you, before and after, clear and useful?
yes.
Are the rings worn every day?
Yes.
Taken off for heavy work, or not?
Yes, taken off, but not very often. Okay, so we're couch potatoes.
How are the rings holding up?
Quite well, I think. Mine seems to be getting harder, perhaps from the
stretching -- which is fine.
Any problems with distortion, broken wires,
etc, other than the repair that I took care of earlier this year?
Not really. I managed to drop mine on the carpet last week when washing my
hands, then I stepped on it (Miss Grace) and it was kinda squished -- but I was
able to put it on a ring mandrel and work the wires just a touch with my pliers
and it's as good as new. Of course, I'm fortunate to be able to do that
myself.
Are they still the right size?
Yes.
Did either stretch to a larger size and need to be squeezed down, or, alternatively, have to be stretched back out?
I've had to work mine a bit larger, but I don't think that is any defect in the
ring -- it's a defect in my fat fingers.
Most important question of all: are they still treasured?
ABSOLUTELY! I truly love my ring and admire it on a regular basis!
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Linda, I'm glad you managed to get it back into shape, though I am always willing to get rings back for a good looking-over and refurbishing, within reason.
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| Here's a response from the recipient of one of my rings, giving her perspective:
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Loren-
My husband (Robert Slavik) received an e-mail from you regarding the turk's
head ring you made for me. We thought it would be better if I responded
since I'm the one who wears it. He was very happy with the ordering and
shipping process and has no suggestions for anything you could have done
differently. The ring is beautiful. I do not wear it every day but I wear
it much of the time. I wear it on my right hand and since I am right handed
I do not wear it for some activities because it gets in the way. The ring
has held up fine...the shape has not distorted and no wires have broken. The
ring fits still but sometimes is too large. I am able to squeeze it down.
The change in size is very minimal when it does happen. It doesn't come off
my finger or anything like that. The ring is treasured by me very much since
it was a gift from my husband for our 20th wedding anniversary. He likes
sailing and anything to do with boats so the turk's head knot was especially
appropriate. And I like that he had it made especially for me. If I can
answer any more questions in regard to this ring feel free to e-mail me.
Jane Slavik
P.S. It was also fun to have my ring pictured on the internet because I
could have out of town friends and relatives see it.
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Jane,
I'm delighted to hear from you, still more to know that you are happy with the ring. That was the first (well, the first successful) platinum ring I made, and I learned quite a lot from doing it. As it happens, your ring is now the first one that people see when they enter my site.
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