I honestly cannot say enough about my experience with this company. I had zero experience purchasing expensive jewelery going in, and certainly none with respect to custom designs. I came onto them by simple Google search and frankly they were by my own luck the first thing I clicked on when doing my search. I was immediately able to start an online dialog with a rep regarding what I had envisioned for the piece, the steps that would follow, and the expected time line once a design had been determined. This person is called the jewelry consultant. He helps to provide examples of previous pieces they've made that may share some similarities woth what your requesting, talks about different pricing options, shipping and processing options, and generally tries to get a better idea if you are serious or just looking around. I knew that this company was legitimate when they didn't even ask me for a dollar or push for any sort of deposit for almost 4 days into our discussions. At that point we have gone over the most likely types and amounts of metal and stones I wanted, when I would like it by, and to lesser extent how I'd like the finished product to appear. I was able to provide some pictures and drawings to help with this which they welcomed. They only required a $100 dollar deposit to move forward to the next phase +/- $150 for rush processing if desired. Considering the piece I was having made would be in excess of $2500- 3000, this deposit at this juncture was more than reasonable. Once paid up, the initial consultant moves on to the design lead, which begins discussing the piece in much greater detail. This is the person who takes what has been imagined and creates 3d graphic designs. This can take as much or as little time as needed, as they will continue to make revisions until the design is exactly what you are looking t achieve. I went back and forth for almost three weeks and three or four different mock ups before arriving on an end product. In fact, the first mock up looked almost nothing like the end product after much deliberation. The creative input of the designer was crucial in creating the end style of the piece. In my particular piece, she was initially concerned that some of my desires may have been unrealistic. She spent a large deal of time and effort explaining how the crafting process of the jewelry may make it hard to create a delicate feathering effect. In the end, she was being overly cautious since they created precisely what I had wanted. I have attached pictures of both the initial mock ups and the eventual end products. I'd also like to remark that the initial mock up cost more money by quite a bit but the designer pushed for something less expensive since the technique would allow for a more realistic depiction. Once completed with the designer, half the total was taken as deposit to move forward with the production portion. The remaining portion of the process was passed onto my production lead. She kept me in the loop throughout the whole process and when I should expect the piece to be finished and shipped. She went to great lengths to explain each portion of the process so that I could understand how it was created. They were spot on in terms of when it would be done and shipped. Once finished, the remaining portion of the balance was charged and shipped to the address of my choosing. The piece arrived in a tasteful Custom Made box along with information on the metals, stones, itemized receipts for insurance purposes, and warranty information. The piece comes with a 30 day guarantee where you can send it back in for changes of any type should they be desired. I didn't end up getting a chain for the necklace from them and obtained it theogh a separate jeweler. The jeweler examined the pendant and was extremely impressed with the craftsmanship. Overall I can't say enough good about the company. The customer service and the product were both better than expected. The one area I can't comment on is their pricing compared to other companies. I did not price shop at all since I was very happy with how I was being treated. If pricing is even remotely comparable, I'd definitely recommend CustomMade.