Custom Jewelry: Deposit to Balance

What makes a custom order different from stocked retail?

A stocked item can be identified and prepared for dispatch before purchase. A made-to-order piece may still require design approval, sourcing or production after the first payment. The processing brief should identify that unfinished obligation and the longest realistic time from deposit to delivery. A high average ticket is only part of the story.

The FTC jewelry guide addresses accurate product descriptions and material disclosures. Its merchandise-order guide separately addresses shipment promises and delay handling for covered goods. Neither establishes a universal nonrefundable deposit rule or a promise that a particular provider accepts custom jewelry. MerchantBridge can explore potential processing options using the actual order model.

Sources: Federal Trade Commission: In the Loupe: Advertising Diamonds, Gemstones and Pearls; Federal Trade Commission: Business Guide to the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule; Stripe: Place a hold on a payment method

Which specification belongs beside the payment record?

Our suggested order file identifies the selected material, dimensions, agreed design, price and production stage in business terms. Where a customer chooses a stone, record the agreed description rather than relying on a general product-family photograph. Have appropriate specialists confirm the accuracy of sourcing, treatment and authenticity representations.

If the customer requests a change, preserve which specification was approved before the original deposit and which version governs the revised balance. Do not simply overwrite the first quote. The customer, workshop and payment team should be able to tell whether the change increases price, moves delivery or requires a new customer decision.

How should the deposit and balance reconcile?

Consider a fictional $8,000 commission with a $2,000 deposit and a $6,000 balance. The two payments belong to one $8,000 order. Reporting each as a separate $8,000 sale would overstate volume and make later questions harder to resolve. A processing forecast should show both the order value and the separate expected transaction sizes.

If a design change raises the total to $8,600 while the original deposit remains $2,000, the proposed balance is $6,600. The revised amount should follow the customer-approved arrangement, not an unexplained extra charge. These figures illustrate records and arithmetic; they do not prescribe deposit percentages, customer rights or a permitted collection method.

Can the first card approval cover the entire production period?

Do not assume so. Stripe's documentation provides an example of authorization windows and capture limits. Confirm the actual provider's rules before designing a lengthy production process around an initial card authorization. A paid deposit, a saved payment method and authority to collect a later amount are different facts.

Ask how the business will request the balance if the customer must take another action. Plan for a failed final payment without inventing a right to retain funds or ship on unsecured terms. Ask your advisers to resolve cancellation and refund terms, and explain the agreed workflow to the prospective provider.

What should the high-value review packet explain?

Use an anonymous order example and aggregate concentration information. A month containing ten similar orders is different from one dominated by a single unusually large commission. State the largest expected order and transaction, whether those amounts are forecasts or history, and how production responsibility is allocated.

• Stocked, made-to-order, consignment and resale activity shown separately where applicable.
• Specification approval, sourcing, production and dispatch milestones.
• Deposit and balance amounts, authorization process and expected time between them.
• How changes, cancellations, delivery problems and refunds are handled.
• Authenticity and provenance review process without sharing customer identities.
• Website, operating markets and the account features that still need confirmation.