mshafran web store FAQ section

Most ready items can be customized upon request to meet your individual needs. You also can place custom order for artisan handcrafted jewelry. Every customer is very special to me and I will work individually with you. You will be able to participate in the process of the creation of your own unique artisan handcrafted item. I will help with my suggestions and create few designs for you to choose from. You will be able to express your opinions and customize your piece until it is perfect! I do not take any money up front for custom orders and you are not obligated to buy finished item if you are not fully satisfied. It is always very exciting to create something very special!

Please contact me with your suggestions, questions, opinions or anything else! Your communication is very important to me - it helps to get to know you better and improve my services! Please email to [email protected] or call at (415)754-3454. Your time is highly valuable and I do my best to provide with answers in timely manner.

Pure gold is 24K and is so soft that is it impossible to utilize it in wire wrap jewelry. 14/20 wire or 1/20 Rolled gold wire is created by taking a sheet of 14K Gold and bonding it through extreme heat and pressure to a core of semi-precious metal (brass). This is a very sophisticated process and only a few mills in the world do it. You should not mistake this process for GOLD PLATING. There is a very big difference. The end result is a 14K tube which is strong, durable, and resistant to tarnish because of its 14K gold covering. By law this layer of karated gold has to be at least 1/20 of the total weight of the metal portion of the piece of jewelry. There is no legal requirement for the amount of gold that is ‘plated’ over the base metal. There are collections of old gold-filled wire jewelry pieces with dates on them from the early 1900's that are still in excellent shape! They used this metal much more in the 30's and 40's to make watch bands, cameo settings, well, it was used to make just about everything. Today there are very few jewelry items made with this metal commercially. Usually they are done in a very inferior gold plate to keep the costs down. The finished product thus has a surface layer of gold of the appropriate karat weight which is very thick compared to gold plate, gold electroplate or rolled gold plate. The quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total product. This is commonly marked as 14/20, 12/20 or 10/20, which mean receptively 1/20th by weight 14K gold-filled, 12K gold-filled, etc. There is 100 times more gold in 14K Gold filled (rolled gold) than in gold plate. A 14/20 Gold Filled piece is usually considered a lifetime piece of jewelry. Beware of the difference! A 14K Gold filled material carries over a 10% cost increase over 12K material.

If you would like to pay with PayPal, please choose "Alternative checkout" (next to Google Checkout logo) -> fill out all required fields and click "Proceed to checkout" button -> select PayPal as payment method from the drop down menu (even if you are going to pay with credit card) and click "Proceed to checkout" button -> review your order and click "Place order" -> you will be redirected to the PayPal page, please login if you have existing account -> if you wish to pay with credit card, look for the link in the "Don't have a PayPal account?" section.

Please follow this link http://mshafran.ecrater.com/terms.php

You can pay via PayPal or Google checkout (must have a registered account with PayPal or Goggle Checkout). Also you can pay with your credit card. Please choose PayPal as payment method during checkout and you will see the page where you can complete your purchase with credit card payment. Please contact if you prefer other payment methods.

TRY IT, FEEL IT AND FALL IN LOVE WITH IT! 60 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! I am very confident that you will enjoy wearing artisan handmade jewelry as much as I enjoyed making it! If you are not pleased with items for any reason, you are entitled to 60 day (from purchase date) no hassle, no questions asked, money-back guarantee. When you receive your delivery, we encourage you to inspect it. If there is any damage or you are not satisfied with the merchandise, please return within 60 days from purchase day. After 60 days all sales are final. Please contact [email protected] for details and return address. Please send the package securely wrapped, pre-paid (sorry, but I do not accept C.O.D. mail or shipping charges). Please note that you are responsible for the safe return of merchandise and all shipping costs. Returned items will be promptly refunded, credited to your credit card, or exchanged, depending on how the product was originally purchased. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 60 DAYS? Of course I will take care of you after 60 days as well! If something happens with the jewelry, please contact me and I will repair it.

In some very rare occasions it may happen that item is no longer available or out of stock. Full refund will be issued for out of stock items. You will be contacted if item can be reproduced and backordered. You can cancel transaction and receive full refund when backorder notification is sent to you.

Please allow 2 business days to process your order. I know you want to have your items as soon as possible and often ship the same or next day (including Saturdays)!

Yes, I do ship worldwide! Some countries are not listed due to high risk of fraud. If your country is excluded, please contact me for arrangments. INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE READ: **Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. **Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to buying. **Delivery time to international destinations may take up to 4 weeks. **Please avoid buying this item if it is prohibited by law to import to your country.

Only California residents will be additionaly charged 9.5% tax.

Yes, all packages are insured (except for some International orders). Most items are insured with third party (www.u-pic.com) and you will not see "insured" mark on your package. Proof of insurance will be provided upon request. Please note: some countries are excluded from safe list and no insurance options are available (for example Mexico, Italy and etc).

Tracking number can be provided for all USA shipments upon request (to request tracking number, please email to [email protected]) Tracking number is not available for Canadian and International orders.

Most pieces are made using wire wrapping technique. Wire wrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making jewelry by hand. Examples of wire and beaded jewelry made using wire wrapping techniques date back to thousands of years BC. Wire components are connected to one another using mechanical techniques with no soldering or heating of the wire. Wire wrapping techniques are not frequently used for mass produced jewelry because machines can cast jewelry components much faster and cheaper. Using the wire wrapping approach to making jewelry is primarily employed by self-representing artists.

~~~14K GOLD FILLED: ~~~ Solid gold is very soft and impossible to utilize for wire wrapping and is substituted with 14K gold filled jewelry wire. Gold filled wire is created by taking a sheet of 14K gold and bonding it through extreme heat and pressure to a core of semi-precious metal (brass). This is a very sophisticated process and only a few mills in the world do it. By law this layer of karated gold has to be at least 1/20 of the total weight of the metal portion of the piece of jewelry. There is 100 times more gold in 14K gold filled (rolled gold) than in gold plate. 14K gold filled jewelry will not tarnish and layer of gold will not wear off or fade. 14K gold filled jewelry looks and feels like solid gold jewelry and is more affordable. ~~~*Upon request some 14K gold filled parts (earwires, chains, clasps) can be replaced with 14K solid gold components. Solid gold is more expensive and additional charges will apply. Please contact for details.~~~ ~~~STERLING SILVER:~~~ Sterling silver is by definition 92.5% pure silver. Typically the remaining 7.5% metal is made up of copper. Copper is infused to harden the silver and make it more durable. You can typically distinguish sterling silver by a "925" mark found on the jewelry. This is common on manufactured pieces, but may not be present on artisan jewelry. Please store sterling silver jewelry in the individual tightly zipped poly bags (included with your order) to prevent tarnishing.

Many people develop contact dermatitis when skin comes in contact with some types of jewelry. The dermatitis is a result of an allergic reaction to the nickel found in many types of jewelry. Nickel allergies are very common. One out of every seven people is likely to suffer from a nickel allergy. M.Shafran offers nickel-free jewelry, which you will be able to enjoy without any discomfort! 14K gold filled and sterling silver (.925) jewelry does not contain nickel and should not cause allergic reactions.