FAQ's
What forms of payment are accepted?
I currently accept paypal, cashier's checks, and money orders. I can accept credit card payments through paypal only. Sorry, I do not accept personal checks.
What are the shipping rates?
USPS first class mail is a flat rate of $2.00. Any purchase over $50.00 receives free first class shipping. Priority mail is available upon request and is $5.00 for a flat rate box. Insurance rates begin at $1.65 per fifty dollars of merchandise.
What shipping methods are offered?
I primarily ship via USPS first class mail. On average, it takes 2-5 days depending on what part of the country the package is being sent to. I will ship Fedex upon request, please email first for a price quote. Insurance is available and recommended.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes! I do ship internationally, for a flat rate of $4.95 to most any country. Buyer is responsible for all customs, duties or taxes they may incur by their country's laws. I only accept paypal payments from international buyers.
Is there tax?
Yes, there is tax and it will automatically be added to your shopping cart. EE Designs is a legitimate business and complies with all U.S. federal and state tax laws.
Do you have a storefront?
No, EE Designs is an online business only. I do a few select shows a year which are posted on my calendar.
What kind of materials do you use?
EE Designs uses fine materials personally chosen at various trade shows visited throughout the year. You may notice extreme price differences in pieces that use the same gemstone. This is because gemstone grades vary greatly and the cut and size of bead can alter prices drastically. I price my pieces fairly on the value of the gems used, as well as the current gold and silver markets.
I use professional grade flexible beading wire to string my necklaces and bracelets. I most often use sterling silver, gold filled, and vermeil metal components.
Do you do custom work?
Yes, I am happy to customize any handcrafted jewelry on my website, or I can create a piece to your specifications. Please email me for more details.
Do you offer layaway?
A layaway plan is available upon request. The first payment is nonrefundable and must be at least 20% of the total purchase price.
Do you offer resizing?
Many of my jewelry pieces are made with extenders to allow for a greater size allowance. However, I can resize upon request. There may be a nominal charge depending on the labor and extra materials involved.
What is Sterling Silver? TOP
Sterling silver is composed of 92.5% silver alloyed with copper to strengthen it. Silver has one of the highest reflectivities of any metal, giving it unmatched brilliance, making it perfect for jewelry designs. Silver also has extremely high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. Despite all these wonderful properties silver is relatively abundant and easy to extract from ore, so it is, at the same time, relatively affordable making it ideal for jewelry that will appeal to a wide audience.
At various time in history silver was even more valued than gold and had a mystical allure to it, often being associated with the sea, moon and lunar goddesses. Hallmarking of silver places a stamped mark on the silver to identify its origin and purity and is often an important part of determining the value of a collectible piece.
There are other alloys of silver with a higher content of silver than sterling. Mexican and Brittania silver each have about 95% silver. Coin silver on the other hand typically has only 90% silver.
What does Gold filled mean? TOP
Gold-filled: Gold-filled metal consists of gold (usually 10, 12 or 14 karat/carat) permanently bonded to a base material (usually brass). To be labelled gold-filled, the metal must comprise at least 1/20 gold by weight. This is much thicker than gold plated metal - anywhere from 50 to 100,000 times thicker depending on the level of plating. This means that gold-filled jewellery is extremely durable compared to gold plated jewellery, and the gold will not rub off for many years or decades, even with daily wear. Gold-filled is, in my view, better in some ways than 'pure' gold - it is stronger (due to the base metal core), more durable, and of course more affordable; but the thick layer of gold still gives it the appearance of the real thing. |
