“Blackwater & Sons custom return-address stamps are an ode to a bygone age in penmanship. Mimicking traditional Spencerian script, the stamped label dominates the corner of an envelope, a triangular garden of flourishes, curlicues, and serifs. Are they over the top? Assuredly. For someone who has a deep-seated love for classic stationery, it’s an elegant way to mark your letters and packages without needing to take out a fountain pen (or even to learn how to use one). It’s a gift that’s joyously over-the-top, and who knows—maybe it’ll even get folks back in the habit of writing letters to people they care about. Just make sure the recipient isn’t planning on moving anytime soon before you buy it."

—Tim Barribeau, editor at Wirecutter, The New York Times official gift giving guide
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Inspired by the ornate ephemeral documents, perfect penmanship, & precision craftsmanship of the late 1800’s, the Blackwater & Sons 'DIAMANT' return address stamp will make your lettermail stand out from the stacks of mundane attempts at eye-grabbing originality. Crafted from beginning to end with good old school attention to detail, our intricate and bespoke stamp will add a touch of sophistication to any envelope it adorns. The powerful, impressionistic triangle will dominate the corner of your parcels & envelopes, and the custom designed monogram in the center (featuring your personalized, intertwined initials) makes your final stamp truly one-of-a-kind — no two Diamant stamps will ever be the same.

There are three options for you to choose from at checkout:

1) Digital Graphic: When we finish designing your stamp proof (1–7 days), we will send you a .pdf proof image for you to look over to ensure your information is all correct & that everything looks right. Upon responding with your approval, we will forward your finalized design files to the email address we have on file for you. This option is great if you’d prefer to DIY print your own envelopes or to enlist a specialty print shop of your choosing to professionally print your design. This option also allows for the quickest turnaround. Although our finely crafted rubber stamps can reproduce any fine details when handled properly, you should select this option if you desire a more 'meticulous' and 'perfect' look than a rubber stamp may be capable of consistently producing.

2) Rubber Stamp: Select this option at checkout if you'd prefer your stamp to be expertly cut into fine red rubber, & then skillfully mounted onto a traditional 'hourglass' wood mount with a traditional glossy black handle installed. Stamp measures 4"W x 2.5"H, with the rubber stamp plate filling these dimensions. The top of the woodblock will feature your stamp design expertly etched right onto the wood, ensuring that you always know the correct placement & orientation of your stamp from above. Laser-etched at 1000 dpi in eco-friendly 100% renewable resource red rubber. This option is perfect if you wish to place your design on any media of your own choosing — thick invitational envelopes, any paper media, cardboard, fabrics, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. If this option is selected, just make sure that you have an inkpad of your own.

3) Rubber Stamp + Inkpad: Same as option 2, plus your choice of either a (i) VersaFine Archival Pigment Inkpad for Fine Details, or, (ii) a Jumbo Ranger Archival Pigment Inkpad. In our personal opinion, the VersaFine line is hands-down the best on the market for use on stamps containing fine details, as the quality of the final impression is unrivaled by other inkpads. The vibrant archival pigment-based inks mean that stamped impressions are both quick-drying (~5-10 seconds) and are waterproof, so the ink won't smear once it is allowed to completely dry. (PLEASE NOTE: the VersaFine inkpad measures 1 7/8" x 3" and the DIAMANT stamp measures 2.5" x 4", making this inkpad slightly smaller than the stamp itself, so you will need to ink across your stamp 2-3 times for each envelope impression). If you'd prefer a full size inkpad that is large enough to ink this stamp in one press, and is also considered archival and high quality, then be sure to select a jumbo Ranger archival inkpad from the drop-down box at checkout.

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After selecting one of the above three options, please then fill out the personalization box with the following required information (Note: customers not making their purchase through Etsy will not see this personalization box and will need to provide this information either in the 'notes' section at checkout or by sending us a message/email with your order containing the following required information):
i) Desired name and address to be included on your stamp,
ii) Desired monogram letters (1–2 letters maximum),
iii) Desired 'Typeset' style [see listing photos] (optional – we will decide if not specified).
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We will send a design proof via Etsy messaging and email (which you must review respond to granting approval) prior to moving your stamp forward to production. These stamps are carefully and thoughtfully designed down to the smallest detail, so please do not request that we design and send you several different typeset options to choose from. Unlike our competitors' copy-and-paste style stamps that are quickly and easily customized, each and every DIAMANT stamp requires extensive hand-tailoring to fill the negative spaces created by your custom information, and are not simply 'plug-and-play' as one might otherwise assume. Knowing this, please understand that numerous requests for alterations creates a domino effect on our end and will affect our ability to complete all open orders in a timely manner. Note, also, that if you do not specify a typeset, we will choose the typeset that we deem best suits your information, *after which no typeset alterations will be honored*.

Typically, you can expect to receive a digital graphic within 1–7 business days, and a rubber stamp within 1–21 business days from your date of purchase. However, any failure of the customer to approve the design proof we send in a timely manner will inevitably force an extension on your expected shipping & delivery dates. Any customers who completely neglect to respond to the design proof in excess of one week (1 wk) from the proof date will necessitate a cancellation and refunding of the order.

You will be notified via Etsy messaging and email when your parcel has been turned over to the U.S. Postal Service and shipped, after which we have no further control over the parcel. We will not be held responsible for any postal service delays, re-routed packages, postal service clerical errors, shipping addresses that were not correctly inputted by the customer, delivery issues, or porch pirates. Considering the potential for unforeseeable delays such as these, please plan for no more than ***four weeks*** between the order date and delivery date. We will not be held liable for poor planning or delayed wedding invitations, for example, if four weeks from the purchase date is not enough time for you or for your private event that requires your use of this stamp. Any poor reviews blaming us for any of the above listed issues will be deemed inappropriate and will be removed by Etsy admin.


*****IMPORTANT—PLEASE NOTE*****

- Once you approve the proof of your stamp design, we can no longer alter, cancel, or refund the order. Your approval is what moves the design into the production queue, and each stamp costs us money and resources to produce.

- You must review and approve your proof design (sent to you via both Etsy messaging and email). We cannot complete your order if you do not communicate with us, so please be on the lookout for our correspondence or else you risk your order being delayed or canceled.

- Excessive requests (>2) for design alterations creates a domino effect on our end and limits our ability to complete all open orders in a timely manner. Having said that, there is no limit to the number of proofs we will send you until you are pleased (not including typeface change requests), as your complete satisfaction is our ultimate goal!

- Once your approval is granted, your design is considered *FINAL* and no further alterations may be requested -- for reasons we deem obvious. Please ensure that your stamp proof displays your correct information and appears otherwise satisfactory to you prior to responding with your approval to move forward into production.

- If you do not provide any personalization info with your order, and we attempt to contact you for clarification (*prior to sending you a proof*), but do not hear back from you within one week of your order date, we will cancel the order & issue you a full refund for your charges paid.

- Woodblock measures 2.5" x 4", with the rubber stamp plate filling these dimensions (the top/longest part top of the Diamant design will be apx. 4" on your envelope). If you plan to use this stamp on A2, A6, #6 1/2, #6 3/4, Donation, or Remittance sized envelopes, be aware that this stamp will take up approximately half of the envelope, and that the stamp is not re-scalable one produced. The stamp *will* fit onto the majority of A-Style, Commercial, Catalogue and Booklet envelopes (including the smaller sized envelopes mentioned above) but you may have to get somewhat creative in addressing & placing postage stamps onto your envelopes if you choose to buy the smallest envelope sizes available. We are not responsible for any potential customer dissatisfaction based on the size of this stamp on the customer's personal envelopes simply because you did not read the dimensions of the stamp. Please contact us if you would like to order a smaller sized stamp and we will set you up with a private listing for one.

- We will not send customers any file extensions used with design editing software (.ai, .aic, .eps, .psd, editable .pdf, etc.), as our designs are protected by federal, state, and local copyright & trademark laws and are not permitted for customization outside of our involvement. As such: any third-party editing, altering, tailoring, reformatting, customizing, redistributing, and/or reselling of our design(s) is strictly prohibited by law, and any one or more of these actions will result in the pursuit and prosecution of any offending parties.