Another update, grading info for dyed pins! Some sample photos!
over 3 years ago – Tue, Sep 15, 2020 at 09:41:17 AM

Hey all! Realizing it's been a while since I've been able to give you an update!

1. Some pins are finished and are being QA'd! Others are still being worked on!

I have received the pins from the last post and I must say they look amazing!! I'm so excited to ship them out to you - I plan on beginning shipping in a week or two if possible!! The pins I received are the four Diamonds, Steven, Ruby and Sapphire Wedding Set, Mega Pearl, Lapidot, The Temple, and Spinel!

However, I am still waiting on a second batch of pins from my other manufacturer that include the fillers, Garnet and Lion, Baby Amethyst, Peridot, the Heaven and Earth beetles set, Stevonnie, Rupphire, and Pearl and Volleyball. They seem to be overloaded at the moment and we are working out some color issues with samples but things are definitely progressing.

2. Dyed metal and epoxy are difficult to deal with!

Just as a heads up in case you were unaware - Stevonnie and the heaven and earth beetles will be produced as dyed metal with epoxy and as a result, I will be more lenient with the flaw rate as dyed metal/soft enamel and epoxy tend to have unavoidable characteristics. The materials themselves are much more volatile than regular hard enamel - here is an example from SharkCafeArt to show you what the grading may look like (not my pins)!

My manu has advised me that these types of flaws are unavoidable and I wanted to be as clear as possible about how I will be grading these! As far as the pins go, I will do my best to ensure the highest quality possible but I do expect to run into these issues. All pins that are sent out will definitely be in wearable condition! I will never send out anything with missing enamel or gouged metal, and if I do, I will happily replace your pin!

A more robust grading guide will be available in the FAQ soon!

3. Photos of new samples!

Here are some examples of new samples I've received in the past few days! Very excited for these!

Hope you guys enjoy these photos as we keep chugging along!! 

WOOO!!! Previews for pins that are finishing up!!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Aug 26, 2020 at 10:09:29 PM

Hey all! Happy Monday!! Super excited to share these pins with you as they finish up production! Honestly this whole process has been a really intense struggle and I'm glad that we're finally rounding the bend on some tricky parts. My manufacturer has been really patient in working with me on these as they really took a lot of finessing to get as correct as possible. 

Some of you may have seen some of these previews in my Instagram story recently but I'm excited to share more with you here! I hope you love them as much as I do! I'm still working on edits for a few of them but for the most part, what you see is the finished product.

NOTE: Please forgive the potato quality as these photos are not mine! 😂

Final Notice for Charging Cards!
over 3 years ago – Tue, Aug 11, 2020 at 06:49:31 AM

Hey everyone! 

✨I will be charging cards this Friday, August 14th!✨

For real this time!! Just wanted to give y'all a heads up so you can be ready for it when it comes!

Note: if you did not add on any items from your original pledge, you will not be charged! 

If you already were charged with Paypal, you will not be charged! This is only for people who added on items with a credit card.

The pins are expected to arrive to me early next month now just because of all the difficulties in design we encountered plus factoring in some time for slow shipping. I will QA and ship as soon as I receive them so that there's no more delay! I appreciate your patience with me throughout this project and all the issues we've encountered - you're really the best!

Also, if you wanted to change your order from Steven to another pin, please contact me by message!

I'm so grateful so many of you were receptive to the change as it was something I was really worried over - I assure you that he's looking fantastic and I can't wait to reveal some of the samples I've been seeing! Thanks as always for your support and have a great day!! ❤️❤️❤️

Design changes! Vote in the poll!
over 3 years ago – Sat, Aug 08, 2020 at 01:09:55 AM

Hi everyone! I wanted to give an update to address some design changes that will occur with a few of the pins to be as transparent as possible!

1. Color Changing Steven - please vote!

As you know, the original color changing Steven had both his skin and hair shifting to pink. However, my manufacturer is having a hard time replicating skin color with the color changing enamel. Though they originally expected to be able to, it seems that achieving that subtlety of color may be in fact too difficult. Which means that it may only be the hair that shifts from brown/black to pink. I'd like to know your opinion if that happens, so please vote in this poll below! Are you okay with it only being Steven's hair that shifts?

 Click here to vote in the poll! 

2. Heaven Beetle Colors & Shape

I've had to update the main body color on the Heaven beetle to white! The cream color I had originally chosen was going to turn out very muddy. I also had to make some adjustments to the cutouts and wing placement so the beetles will now look like this:

 3. Pearl & Volleyball

I've had to increase the outer ring thickness to support the stained glass! (Note: the background enamel is still translucent! they are stained glass which means no metal behind so light can shine through!) Some of the diamond sparkles in the metal have been shifted but they are mostly the same: 

 
  4. Lapis Keychain Background & Gemstone

This one was an artistic choice! The Lapis keychain front side now has added background and the backside will have a 3D gemstone embedded! Very excited for these!

Anyways, I just wanted to let y'all know that this was the case! If anyone has an issue with these changes, please PM me privately if you wish to change your order!

First rough samples are finally coming in! Preview of White Diamond!
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jul 29, 2020 at 11:55:18 PM

Hey everyone!! So this is a very early unfinished, unplated color sample but I was so excited I had to share it with y'all! The metal and screenprint are not filed or plated or printed yet but I'm really loving how she looks so far!! We had a lot to iron out with these designs because they were so complex so getting it right took some time, but I'm really proud to show you a preliminary result! I hope you love it as much as I do! I know I can't wait to see the final thing!