How to Pre-order Your Yucca Signet Ring
Spring is here and so are the Yucca Flowers here where I live and work in Albuquerque, New Mexico. To celebrate, I am opening up pre-orders for the much-coveted Yucca Signet ring in Sterling silver and solid 10k Yellow gold. Yucca Signet rings are available once or twice a year via pre-order.
There are two ways to pre-order your yucca signet ring:
Pay in-full at the time of pre-order placement.
Pay in two interest-free installments. The first payment is due at the time of pre-order placement.
Learn about the pre-order procedure and compare the pre-order plans below.
why do I need to ‘pre-order’ my yucca signet ring?
I carved this signet ring design entirely by hand in wax. I work with a local Albuquerque caster to cast this wax in sterling silver and 10k yellow gold.
When you pre-order your signet ring, you are letting me know how many rings in each metal I need to order from my caster. I am a micro business. At the moment, it is just me doing all the making, designing, marketing, accounting, website maintenance, etc. I operate on a small margin and cannot afford to order excess inventory, so this pre-order process allows me to order exactly the amount of rings I need!
Another reason for pre-orders is that the yucca signet rings are cast in one size: the size of the original wax carving I made. Each yucca signet is sized by me in-house according to your order.
The carving process is slow and messy!
The finished wax— ready to take to the caster!
But, Sophie— why don’t you cast the rings yourself in your studio?
Good question! I have experience carving wax and casting my own moulds, however, the type of metalsmithing I practice is called fabrication. It is a process of forming, cutting, filing, shaping, soldering, assembling, etc. from wire, sheet metal, and other components to construct a final piece. Fabrication is a different process from casting, which requires a whole other set of tools and equipment. I chose to specialize in fabrication because it is the process I enjoy most.
I am still able to cast things if I wish by going through a third-party caster through a process called last-wax casting. I am able to carve a piece out of wax, give the wax to a company who specializes in casting, and they can take my carved wax piece, make a mould out of it, and cast it in metal.
The rings are not finished when I receive them from the caster! the raw castings are rough textured, unsized, and still have the bit attached where the molten metal was poured into the mould (this is called the sprue. In order to get them ready for your fingers, I must resize them by adding or removing metal from the band, file away the sprue, imperfections, and textures, and finish with a high polish on the polishing wheel. It’s quite a process, even after the casting is complete!
How the rings come back from the caster— unceremoniously in plastic baggies. Off to my studio for sizing and finishing!
a raw casting appears rough and unpolished. Silver appear white, not yet lustrous and shiny.
These are rings I have already sized. You can see in the band where I have inserted and solder pieces of metal to make them larger; or cut out a piece of the band and re-soldered it back together to make the ring smaller.
The finished product.
How to Pre-order your yucca signet ring:
Option 1: Pay in-full when you pre-order.
The full payment of $130 for sterling silver or $415 for 10k yellow gold is due at the time of your pre-order placement. Simply check out as usual. Your ring will be ready to ship in an estimated 6-8 weeks from pre-order.
Option 2: Pay in two interest-free payments.
When you place your pre-order, you agree to pay a non-refundable deposit to reserve your Yucca signet ring.
go through checkout and enter your payment and shipping info as usual. Once your order has been received, you will receive a Paypal invoice in 1-2 business days after pre-orders close for the difference due over the next 6 weeks. The invoice will be sent to the email entered at checkout.
Payment plan schedule for STERLING SILVER:
$65.00 DEPOSIT: Due when you place your pre-order.
$65.00 FINAL INSTALLMENT: Due in three weeks from order placement.
Payment plan schedule for 10K YELLOW GOLD:
$207.50 DEPOSIT: Due when you place your pre-order.
$207.50 FINAL INSTALLMENT: Due in 6 weeks from order placement.
YOUR RING WILL SHIP ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR FULL PAYMENT. If you fail to complete your total payment by the time the ring is ready to ship, your invoice will be canceled. Your deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE. You will be notified prior to invoice cancellation.
Got questions?
Please email Sophie at holla@sophiekissinjewelry.com with questions about this item and payment plan.
Don’t know your rings size? Here is a helpful blog post with tips and tricks on how to find your ring size. The best, tried and true method is to get sized by a jeweler in-person. Many jewelry stores provide this service for free! If you size yourself incorrectly, I am able to resize your ring for a fee. Contact holla@sophiekissinjewelry.com for details.