hold the pickles hold the lettuce...

...special orders won't upset us- ok maybe they do.   Remember that Burger King jingle? "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders won't upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way....Have it your way."  I'm probably aging myself, but we used to sing our own version of that on the way to camp. "Hold the pickles hold the lettuce shut up lady you upset us"...(that was ours).   I'm rambling but what I'm actually whining about right now is what to do about people who want custom orders.  As a lot of my  handmade jewelry has a ton of options, or are basically custom as it is (you can choose the color mosaic, or the color ceramic, or the size bubblewrap, or the chain) i have opened myself up to a constant stream of custom order requests.   I really don't mind mostly- but what I do mind is that I am not sure people are willing to pay what an order made just for them is worth.   Part of the reason for a price increase is that I cannot make a single piece as fast as I can make a piece already in my production line.  Many times when people "design" their own piece it's a large stretch from what I normally do, and I know upfront that they won't like it, but how do you tell them that?  I think a  custom, handmade, order most often should not be returnable, but in this day and age- everyone wants the option to return.  I continue to wonder what the policy on custom should be.   Here are a few custom pieces I just made:

handmade sterling mosaic ring with inset amethyst

three mosaic necklace

handmade jewelry every day- myfriendroze