*Important update - Royal Mail shipping change - Due to the continued instability of Royal Mail's 1st class service (which orders are normally sent) I am changing the shipping to 24hr tracked for small custom pieces. Unfortunately this is an increase in cost. I have discussed with Etsy's help team about the display options that as sellers, we are given. They currently do not have the 24hr/48hr tracked options in their drop down lists. It may show as 1st class but is in fact 24hr tracked with the cost as £3.30 (no profit is added)
The 24hr/48hr tracked that I have chosen, gives the added protection of being able to supply an email address which Royal Mail should then use to notify you when the delivery is due. Unfortunately over the last few months I have had an increasing number of custom orders taking far too long to arrive using the 1st class service which has then often resulted in having to re-stamp pieces and re-send. Custom pieces are completely unique and often stamped on rare, one of a kind flatware pieces...the cost to keep replacing delayed items forces me to now use the upped level of service. There are at present, no other domestic (UK based) couriers who use a large letter format that I can send with.
*I have added an image showing the main spoon choices that I offer in the shop, against a tape measure to help give a better idea of sizings, hope this helps*
I have updated the images to show recent orders and the design styles of stamping (Edge, Swirl and central) I have also included a spoon showing some of the design stamps available. For smaller spoons, I would tend to use the smaller design stamps unless the larger are placed at the bottom of the wording in a central design, this is due to the difficulty of obtaining a clear outline on the smaller curved surface. The larger design stamps are 6mm in size, the others shown are between 1.5mm - 3mm.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information about the design stamps - I also have a selection of other designs which are 6mm in size, ranging from floral, animals, weather themed etc.
WHICH SPOON SHOULD I CHOOSE?
I'm based in the UK and use Vintage pieces for orders. Please see below a list of the spoon sizes that are available for vintage pieces:-
Salt/Jam spoon (Small) - 5cm - 9cm in length
Egg spoon - up to 9cm in length
Coffee spoon - up to 12cm in length
Teaspoon - up to 14cm in length
Fruit spoon (round bowl) - approx 14cm in length
Soup spoon (round bowl) - approx 18cm in length
Dessert spoon - approx 19cm in length
Tablespoon - approx 21cm in length
Serving spoon (Oval or round bowl) - up to 25cm in length
I'll add this info to my main front shop page but please feel free to contact me if you are unsure which spoon size is the best for you or your chosen quote.
Shipping information - UK and International customers
*All International orders will be sent out Fully tracked for these items, this is due to ongoing postal situation in many countries and helps give peace of mind of the items location at all times, no profit is made on the cost of this*
My processing time is currently set at 5-7 working days, this is to allow me to work through the list of orders and get them all produced and sent out in time. Etsy sets an automated 'delivery timescale', as sellers we have no control over this and Etsy does NOT take into account additional Covid-19 procedures, International postal issues or environmental/weather related delays.
Due to ongoing International delays with post, all international orders are sent fully tracked. Once an item is posted for international countries it will be first sent to a customs clearing centre in the UK (Langley) After this time (usually 2 working days) it will then start it's journey to that countries destination. Once an item leaves my hands, I have no more control over it. You should be able to see the progress on your order as my Royal mail account is linked to the shop, it will show on your order details. For each international order, I complete a customs form which has the correct customs code, weight and price. I have to add this information as a legal requirement and it will show on the back of the item. There is more information about my process and other useful information on the front of my shop page under FAQ's and shop policies.
Back to designing your own spoon...
Simply choose which size spoon you would like from the drop down list:-
Tea spoon - There are separate listings for coffee spoon sized in the shop
Fruit/Soup spoon
Dessert Spoon
Once you have chosen the size of spoon you then need to decide which style of hand stamping you would like added to the spoon (centre, edge or swirl) To help you choose please see the below as a guide:-
- Name, date or short quote - ideal for centre stamping
- Short message or quote - ideal for edge stamping
- Long message, long quote or song verse - swirl design, similar to edge but will end up in a swirl in the middle of the spoon
Edge style - the wording will be stamped from the base of the right hand spoon bowl and go around the spoon towards the left hand side
It's helpful to know if the spoon is for a male or female so I can try to match the best possible style of spoon. I cannot send images of the spoon styles available before I stamp the piece as this will add to the production timescales and will force me to add additional days onto the processing time. I do get high order numbers in each day and deal with customers all over the world, this combined with different times zones makes it very difficult to go backwards and forwards with customers before I actually then stamp the piece.
I have added 3 images of the styles of the stamping within this listing which gives you more of an idea of which might be most suited to your custom wording.
Once you have chosen the size and style of the spoon and stamping you will need to specify which wording you would like stamped in the box provided.
***Please be realistic of the amount of lettering I can fit onto a spoon. A typical vintage teaspoon is 2.5cm wide and the standard letter size is 3mm. It also curves at the top and bottom due to it's oval shape***
IMPORTANT - Do not add quote marks in the personalisation box (") unless you want them stamped onto the spoon with your wording.
Please feel free to contact me beforehand if you are unsure which design option to select or which spoon may be most suited to your wording.
My supply of spoons available is always changing, I may not be able to guarantee specific design styles of spoons (floral, kings pattern, plain, art deco, etc) but I will do my best to cater for your requirements.
Each spoon is sent with a care sheet, wrapped in tissue paper and sent in a cotton gift bag, unless gift box option is chosen at checkout (UK only) The size of the gift box pushes up the shipping choice from large letter to small parcel and for International customers it's quite a jump in price.
Design your own spoons are ideal for any celebration/event such as:-
Mothers day
Valentines day
Engagement/proposal
Wedding day (Mr & Mrs with dates)
Anniversary
Birthday
New home
Baby shower
Birth announcement
Retirement
Fathers day
Christmas
Teacher
Thank you
Graduation
Easter
Halloween
Christening gift
Pet name spoon (for feeding)
Coffee fan humour
Tea fan gift
Funny quote
Song quote
Famous quote
Romantic quote
Film quote
...and anything else you might want to have stamped (I've even stamped pregnancy cravings onto a spoon as a keepsake gift)
Optional Gift Box option:-
I have decided to change the way in which items are posted out. From January 2022, any vintage stamped cutlery will be posted out in a cotton gift bag and recycled cardboard mailing box. All items are sent wrapped in acid free white tissue paper. The last image gives an example of how a typical teaspoon will be sent. After wrapping in tissue paper it is then popped into a cotton gift bag with a care sheet and then into the mailing box. By using this method, I can then pass on shipping savings as it can be then sent as a large letter format. The depth of the gift boxes are larger than a large letter size so these have to be sent as a small parcel.
All international orders are sent in the large letter format as they are sent fully tracked. Once the depth goes over the set size and needs to upgrade to a small parcel there is a big jump in price.
Each vintage stamped piece of cutlery is designed to be used and not just for display purposes. I use a specific process which enables every piece to be completely food safe. No inks or enamels are used, this means that they can be used and enjoyed for years to come. The process is also completely environmentally friendly.
Every item sold in the shop will be sent wrapped in white, acid free tissue paper. The last image shows what a typical gift wrapped vintage stamped teaspoon will look like. Unless a gift box is ordered through this listing, the item will be sent gift wrapped in tissue paper and popped into a cotton gift bag. It is then posted out in a recycled cardboard mailing large letter box.
Vintage knives and table/serving spoons are too large for the gift boxes, they will be sent gift wrapped and in cotton gift bags.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries at any time x