How to order your Fingerprint Jewellery

I have been making jewellery, literally all my life. As the daughter and grand daughter of jewellers it wasn't really ever a choice. I worked in our workshop in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter in my holidays from quite a young age. Believe me there were plenty of jobs suited for little fingers. I left school with views never to return, and eventually became a science teacher. However since having had my own children in 2004 I established this online, business, Perfectcharm selling charms made by my family business. Selling online suited my family life.

In  2008 I was looking for something more creative for me to do. I learnt how to make fingerprint charms and found this was the perfect addition to my business.

I can send out kits to my customers in the post to take prints themselves. If customers live locally I am only too please to come and visit them and their children at home to take the prints. I love meeting the children who generally love having an input in the special piece of jewellery. It is also good to meet with my customers to ensure the piece is exactly how they want it to be, whether it is for themselves, family or a friend.

The kits I post out are easy to use and most people who 'do it themselves' do a great job. It involves no mess: just two pieces of coloured clay which are kneaded together, rolled into a ball and the finger is pressed in. The clays work a bit like Araldite glue, they stay soft until they are mixed. One the print has been taken they start to harden, within 10 minutes they can be put back in the envelope and sent back.

If I get the prints back and they aren't clear, I just send out another kit. I would rather have a good print to ensure the end product is something beautiful!

I do find that babies can have very fine prints which sometimes do not show up well on the jewellery. I always try and persuade customers to choose footprint jewellery for children under one year old. If prints do not work out then I issue a refund or give a voucher for a later date. I think this has only happened twice in seven years.

Once I have received the fingerprints back, I get to work. I can generally make the jewellery and send it back within a week, although it does get busy around Christmas. I make the jewellery then package it up in a little white box, wrap it in purple tissue and seal it with a heart sticker. Pop it back in the post with my fingers crossed that my customer is as happy as I am, with their special piece of jewellery.

I hope this gives a little more insight in the process involved in fingerprint jewellery. Please get in touch if you have any further queries. This may be an internet business but I love to interact with my customers, by phone, text, email, messenger. It is up to you.