Things people ask

Every listing names its own materials in full, so the answer for the piece you are actually looking at is on its own page. What I will say here is that I buy the best materials I can get, and I do not swap in something cheaper on the quiet because it would not be noticed.

The ear hooks are sterling silver — gold-plated sterling silver where the pair is gold. They are far below the weight at which UK law requires a hallmark, which is 7.78 grams for silver, so they are legitimately exempt. The hallmarking page explains this properly.

It is not plating. A thick layer of real gold is bonded under heat and pressure to a brass core — by the usual standard at least a twentieth of the item’s weight, which is many times what plating lays down. It wears far better and lasts years longer.

Where a piece is gold-filled, the findings come from Cooksongold, the Birmingham bullion dealer, so the stock is traceable and consistent batch to batch. Every listing says plainly which it is: gold-filled, gold-plated and solid gold are three different things at three different prices, and I will not blur them.

The hooks themselves are sterling silver or gold-plated sterling silver, which most people wear comfortably. The small findings above them — jump rings and wire — are plated alloy, and each listing says so. If you react to anything but surgical steel, write to me before ordering rather than after.

In-stock pieces leave within 2–3 working days. Made-to-order pieces take up to 5 working days, since they are strung after you choose. Delivery time is on top — see the delivery page.

Where a piece is one of one, yes — that is the pair you will receive. Where several are made to the same design, yours will be very close but not identical: stone colour, felt dye and the cut of a printed fabric all vary. That is the point of handmade, and it is why nothing here looks machine-stamped.

Sometimes. Felt and fabric pieces can usually be made again, though a printed cotton cut a second time will fall differently, so the flowers will not land in the same places. One-of-a-kind jewellery cannot be remade — those stones were a single parcel and it is finished. Ask, and I will tell you honestly which it is.

Yes. The designer lets you lay out a strand yourself, and for anything beyond it just write to me. Bridal parties and matching sets are very welcome, and worth asking about early.

No, and this is the one exception worth knowing before you order. A birthstone choker strung with your initial, or a strand you laid out yourself in the designer, is made to you and cannot be sold to anyone else. Once it is made, it is yours.

Everything else in the shop can be returned within 14 days. And if a personalised piece arrives faulty, damaged or not what you asked for, that is still mine to put right — personalisation does not change that. The returns page sets it out in full.

Measure at the wrist bone. For a snug fit, match your wrist; for a slightly looser fit, add about 1 cm. Listings use inner circumference sizes from 15 to 19 cm (20 when needed). The full note is on the size guide.

Take jewellery off before swimming, bathing and sleeping, and keep it away from perfume, hairspray and hand cream — plating dislikes all three. Store pieces apart so faceted beads cannot scratch softer stones. Felt is spot-clean only and will not survive a machine.

On every Orbit and Orbit Grande, two small gold-filled beads sit side by side — the docking node. Open the clasp on a Planet or Asteroid and hook it between those beads. Unclip to swap. Docking is how the jewellery is built — it is not a separate product line in the shop menu.

A Starter Set is the complete system as a set — bracelet and Planet already paired, ready to dock and wear. Browse The Orbit System , Planets, and Asteroids.

Handmade pieces are made to be worn. If a clasp loosens or a cord gives way under ordinary use, write to me — most of the time I can put it right.

Yes, for work I have made. Write to hello@tengology.com with your order number (if you have it), a photo of the piece, and what happened. I will tell you honestly whether it is a free craftsmanship repair, a paid repair, or something I cannot take on.

There is no lifetime free-repair promise. What follows is the fair way I look after pieces that leave this studio.

Within 30 days of purchase, repairs for craftsmanship are free. That covers things like a cord that breaks in normal wear, a clasp that comes loose, or an assembly mistake on my side.

It does notcover accidental damage, a piece that has been altered, or wear and tear beyond ordinary use — those sit under paid repair below.

Your Consumer Rights Act rights for faulty goods are separate and unchanged; see the returns page.

You pay the postage to send the piece back to the studio — please use a tracked service and keep the receipt.

Once it is repaired, I send it home again by UK Standard (tracked) at my cost. If you are outside the UK, or you want a faster service, write to me and we will sort the return postage before I post.

After 30 days — or sooner, if the break is accidental, from alteration, or from heavy wear — I still often repair the piece, as a paid job.

Labour is £20 per hour, charged in short blocks (about 15 minutes minimum, roughly £5), plus any materials. Postage both ways is yours to pay.

I will quote before I start, so there are no surprises.

Not always. Pieces that are pure resale, or that are not built as handmade structures from this studio, may be declined — I can only stand behind what I know how to remake properly.

If I cannot take it on, I will say so plainly and still try to point you somewhere useful.

Everything arrives already wrapped well enough to give as it is. Add a note at checkout and I will include a handwritten card, and leave the price out of the parcel.

Some pieces are carried by independent shops around Oxfordshire and beyond — see stockists.

Write to hello@tengology.com. For returns and faulty goods, see the returns page. For craftsmanship repairs, see repair.