- Accepts Etsy gift cards
$135.00
BESPOKE NAMU
Some pieces are found. Others are created for one person alone.
A Bespoke Namu commission is an invitation to create something entirely your own: a one of a kind, hand knotted work designed around the materials, colors, textures and objects that speak to you.
Rather than selecting a stone from a menu or recreating an existing Namu piece, we begin with a conversation.
You may come to me with a color you cannot stop thinking about, a place that has stayed with you, a particular stone or material you love, an heirloom you would like incorporated, or simply a feeling you want the finished piece to carry. You do not need to know exactly what you want. Part of the commission process is discovering it together.
From there, I source and assemble a collection of materials specifically for your piece. These may include natural gemstones, pearls, carved stone, wood, glass, vintage beads, found objects, artisan components and other unusual materials chosen for their beauty and relationship to one another.
Each composition is designed individually and knotted by hand in my Denver studio.
The finished work may take the traditional 108 bead form of a mala, or it may evolve into a more sculptural necklace depending upon the materials and the direction of the design.
No two are alike, and commissioned pieces are never reproduced.
THE COMMISSION PROCESS
Purchasing this listing reserves your place in my commission schedule. The $135 purchase price is your design deposit and is applied in full toward your finished piece.
After your order, I will send you a short design questionnaire. We will explore what draws you in visually, including color, material, scale, texture and the way you imagine wearing the finished piece.
I will then begin developing the material palette and direction for your commission.
Before construction begins, I will present the proposed design direction and provide the final price for your approval. Your $135 design deposit is applied in full toward the finished piece.
Bespoke Namu commissions generally begin around $325, with most completed works falling between $350 and $500. Pieces incorporating rare gemstones, antique or vintage components, precious metals, exceptional focal objects or unusually complex construction may be higher. You will always approve the final price before I begin construction.
YOUR PIECE
Every Bespoke Namu commission includes:
• A completely original, one of a kind design
• Materials selected specifically for your piece
• Individual hand knotting
• Collaborative design consultation
• Progress photographs during the design process
• A written record of the materials used
• Namu presentation packaging
Because each work is made individually, natural variation is part of the piece. Gemstones, pearls, wood, vintage glass and other natural or older materials may contain variations in color, shape, surface and texture. I consider those characteristics part of their beauty and choose materials accordingly.
HEIRLOOMS & FOUND OBJECTS
I especially welcome commissions built around something you already own.
An inherited bead, small pendant, old piece of jewelry, stone collected while traveling or another meaningful object can sometimes become the beginning of an entirely new work.
Before sending anything to the studio, please contact me so I can determine whether the object can be incorporated safely without damaging or permanently altering it.
TIMING
Most bespoke pieces are completed within approximately 4 to 8 weeks after the design direction and final price have been approved. More unusual sourcing may require additional time. I would rather wait for the right material than substitute something merely convenient.
A NOTE ABOUT MALAS
Namu began with the traditional form of the mala, and the 108 bead composition remains an important part of my work.
Today, I approach that form as an artist and jewelry maker. My work is centered on material, color, craftsmanship, history and the pleasure of creating an object worth keeping.
If the traditional 108 bead structure matters to you, tell me. If it does not, we are free to let the materials lead us somewhere else.
BEGIN YOUR COMMISSION
Purchase this listing to reserve your commission and begin the design process.
Once your order is received, I will be in touch personally with your Bespoke Namu questionnaire.
Your $135 deposit will be applied toward the final price of your completed piece.
Designed and hand knotted one at a time in Denver, Colorado.