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Q: Do you have a store where I can buy your stuff?

Q: What does "special order" mean?

Q: How can I be sure personal information I send you is secure?

Q: I got an e-mail confirming my special order and it asked for payment. Didn't you say you wouldn't ask outside the secure shopping cart?

Q: Why not just take my payment up-front through the shopping cart for special orders?

Q: So what's the difference between paying you directly with my credit card and paying PayPal to pay you? They both come from my same card, right?

Q: I dunno, the whole credit-card-in-cyberspace thing still gives me the willies. Do you take good, old personal checks?

Q: Where did you learn your craft?

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Q: Why don't the product thumbnail images enlarge when I click on them?

A: To enlarge product images, your web browser must allow Java scripts.
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Q: Do you have a store where I can buy your stuff?

A: No, I currently only sell through this site and at craft fairs. (See events) On occasion, I sell some items to galleries, and I plan to add them to my links page.
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Q: What does "special order" mean?

A: Anything you see on the site (with a few restrictions) can be a special order, either because it's not in stock or because you want a different version of an in-stock item. My inventory at any given moment is fairly limited. I don't have a warehouse filled with every style of ring in every size, for example. I'll typically have one ring in a given style, and if you want that size, you can order it through the shopping cart. Otherwise, I'll try to special-order one to meet your needs. Check out the details.
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Q: How can I be sure personal information I send you is secure?

A: First, I won't ask you for sensitive financial information (credit card numbers, etc.) anywhere on my site except in the secure shopping cart provided by Mal's E-commerce. As anywhere on the Web, any site that purports to be secure will display a locked padlock in the status bar at the bottom of the browser. If you're feeling "insecure," simply click the lock to see the site's security certificate before entering your account numbers. As far as other information, such as your name or e-mail address, I won't share them without permission. See privacy statement.
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Q: I got an e-mail confirming my special order, and it asked for payment. Didn't you say you wouldn't ask outside the secure shopping cart?

A: If you place a special order, I will send you an e-mail with your order's total and a link to the shopping cart page, where you can submit payment securely. If you read the e-mail, it tells you NOT to send payment info via e-mail reply.
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Q: Why not just take my payment up-front through the shopping cart for special orders?

A: The shopping cart only recognizes existing inventory. Because special orders may have a number of variables, like size and choice of stone, the exact item you may be ordering doesn't exist until you order it.
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Q: So what's the difference between paying you directly with my credit card and paying PayPal to pay you? They both come from my same card, right?

A: Right, but there are differences. I will get your card information and essentially verify your account by phone. If it clears, I'll process your order. If not, I'll e-mail or call you to let you know it's declined. PayPal, on the other hand, verifies or declines the transaction in real time, accepts your payment and then pays me, taking a cut. So I say, if you're accustomed to dealing with PayPal or if you want the immediacy of the confirmation, go with them. But if it doesn't matter to you whether it takes a day for me to notify you that the order's on track, I'd vote for processing it myself and saving a dime.
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Q: I dunno, the whole credit-card-in-cyberspace thing still gives me the willies. Do you take good, old personal checks?

A: Sure, and money orders, too. But it might mean an in-stock item takes a week or more to ship while I wait for the check, instead of a couple of days. But it's the same to me. (In fact, back to the bottom line, checks cost me nothing to process, which is less than any credit card.) Also, you can use the shopping cart, even if paying by mail. Just select "mailed personal check (money order)" in the checkout.
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Q: Where did you learn your craft?

A: About 13 years ago, I took an elective in college to fill out my credits: Basic Jewelry and Metals. I learned just that, the fundamentals. For years, it was a hobby for me, something I did sporadically to fill (scarce) free time or as a source of gifts for loved ones. Now, I'm developing my technique and finding my voice as a silversmith, but what I do is still essentially what it began as: Basic Jewelry and Metals. It wasn't until my daughter was born in 2002 that I began to learn what art is.
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