A bespoke commission is not a purchase in the ordinary sense. You are not choosing from what exists. You are describing something that does not exist yet and asking a maker to bring it into being. That changes what the process looks like and what is required of both sides.
This is a plain account of how a commission at Silux London works, from the first message to the finished piece.
The first conversation
It begins with an enquiry. Tell us what you are imagining: the occasion, the person wearing it, any motifs or references that matter, and a rough sense of budget. You do not need to know exactly what you want. Most commissions start with a feeling or a story rather than a specification, and that is fine. What we need from you at this stage is enough to know whether this is work we can do well.
We respond within a few days with initial thoughts and, if it seems like a good fit, an invitation to continue.
Design concepts
Before any CAD, before any pricing, we develop the design in conversation. We send rendered concepts and sketches that show how your brief could become a piece. These are illustrations of direction, not technical files. Their purpose is to give you something to respond to: what is right, what is not, what needs to change.
This round or two of back-and-forth is where the piece actually takes shape. We may propose something you did not expect. You may name something we had not considered. The design that goes forward to making should feel like yours by the time we reach that stage.
The stone and the quotation
For diamond pieces, we recommend the stone after the design is confirmed, not before. The stone’s specifications (weight, cut, colour, clarity, and in the case of a pear or oval, the length-to-width ratio that suits the setting) depend on the final design. A stone quoted before the design is confirmed is often the wrong stone.
We present a recommendation with the reasoning and a quotation that covers the stone, the making, hallmarking, and UK delivery. The quotation is fixed from that point forward.
Whether the stone is natural or laboratory-grown is your choice. We will give you an honest account of both and let you decide.
Deposit and making
A 50% deposit is taken at design approval, and it is what starts the work. The balance is invoiced once the finished piece is ready to be dispatched.
The piece is then modelled in three dimensions, and you approve it before anything is cast in gold. You are shown renders, photographs and screenshots of that model: enough to judge proportion, and the relationship between the stone and the piece, whilst those things are still easy to change. The model itself stays with the studio and is not released, because a released model can be manufactured by anyone.
Lead time is typically four to six weeks from design approval, and that is to the piece reaching you rather than to it leaving us. It depends on the complexity of the piece and on stone availability. We will give you a realistic estimate at the quotation stage. We do not quote shorter lead times than we can actually meet.
If you decide not to continue after the model has been made but before you approve it, the deposit is refunded less the design and modelling work already carried out. Nothing will have been made at that point.
Delivery
Every delivery is fully insured, tracked, and requires a signature. UK delivery is included in the price. For delivery outside the United Kingdom, ask us before ordering.
Solid precious-metal pieces are hallmarked at the Birmingham Assay Office where the Hallmarking Act 1973 requires it, before dispatch. A hallmark is not a purity certificate: it is an independent statement of fineness, struck by an office with no interest in the sale. How to read one.
What makes a commission work
Clear communication at the brief stage saves time and uncertainty at every stage after it. The more you tell us at the start, the closer the first concepts will be to what you are imagining.
If you have a reference, share it: another piece you admire, a photograph, a sketch, even a description of a colour or a texture. References anchor the conversation.
If you have a deadline, name it early. Bespoke work cannot be rushed at the end; it can be scheduled from the start.
If you are uncertain about budget, say so. We work in a range and can advise on what is achievable at different levels without compromising the integrity of the piece.
An enquiry costs nothing and commits you to nothing. If you have a piece in mind, start there.
