vickiehallmark

jewelry for bird lovers

Austin, Texas On Etsy since 2007

289 Sales | 5 out of 5 stars

Top shop for gifts.

Buyers bought gifts from this shop and gave them 5-star reviews!

vickiehallmark

jewelry for bird lovers

Austin, Texas | 289 Sales

5 out of 5 stars

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Announcement    I'm inspired by the tranquil vistas of native plants and flowers, the trickle of water, and the birds and bees and other creatures that visit the gardens outside my central Texas studio. My jewelry translates my original drawings and tiny sculptures into fine metal - sterling silver, golden bronze, and gold - with bright stone accents. I view wearing my nature jewelry as a way to carry that garden zen wherever I go.

Announcement

Last updated on Feb 20, 2018

I'm inspired by the tranquil vistas of native plants and flowers, the trickle of water, and the birds and bees and other creatures that visit the gardens outside my central Texas studio. My jewelry translates my original drawings and tiny sculptures into fine metal - sterling silver, golden bronze, and gold - with bright stone accents. I view wearing my nature jewelry as a way to carry that garden zen wherever I go.

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Vickie Hallmark

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Vickie Hallmark

Reviews

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5 out of 5 stars
(80)
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quality 11 shipping 17 customer service 10

About vickiehallmark

Sales 289
On Etsy since 2007
  • Morning sun pouring into the upstairs metal clay studio.
  • Garden inspiration outside my studio.
  • Pieces formed in metal clay, waiting to be fired in the kiln.
  • The sunroom jewelry bench, to keep fuels out of the house.
  • Hammering sterling silver to attach to metal clay pieces.

Bird & nature themed jewelry inspired by the flora and fauna in my personal garden

I love creating beautiful things and consider my backyard garden to be a living painting in continual progress. I have two home studios, and both overlook the garden. The second story studio, where I have my design and office space, is arm distance from the treetops and bird visitors that populate my designs. The enclosed sunporch studio houses my torches, kilns and the jewelry bench, with a continual wall of windows overlooking the patio and garden.

Activity in the garden is a never-ending source of inspiration. Warblers and wrens flit through the treetops. Goldfinches visit the bird feeder for a snack and then dip into the fountain for a quick bath. A great blue heron fishes in the stock tank pond. Bees hum over the rosemary and oregano blossoms. Native plants bloom continuously, even under the Texas death star sun.

My designs start as either sketches or small sculptures inspired by those garden scenes. I work originally in metal clay, a novel material that works like clay, but then kiln fires into pure metal. The master models are then reproduced in sterling silver via lost wax casting performed in small batches. Hand finishing brings out the design with a dark patina in the recesses. Then I add a chain or hand-made hypoallergenic ear wires or posts, as needed. A custom gift box is the finishing touch, before I carefully pack in tissue and ship via USPS Priority Mail.

To follow my studio adventures and snag regular special offers, sign up for my newsletter at
http://eepurl.com/VuJbP

Shop members

  • Vickie Hallmark

    Owner

    After many years of exploring artistic media, I've finally come home to metal. With a birth name like Hallmark, perhaps it was inevitable. I always collected jewelry and now I make it myself for others to collect.

Production partners

  • Snell Casting

    Grass Valley, CA

    As top notch custom jewelry manufacturers with over 40 years of experience in gold and silver casting processes and production, Robert Snell Casting offers mass production of quality artisan jewelry components to professional designers and jewelers.

Shop policies

Last updated on August 16, 2019
Welcome! Thank you for visiting Vickie Hallmark Jewelry on Etsy!

All the jewelry you'll see in my shop was designed and made by me in my central Texas studio, sometimes with the help of a small artisan caster who produces my custom components a dozen at a time. My designs start as either original pen & ink sketches or as tiny sculptures worked directly in metal clay. Most of my jewelry is sterling silver, usually Argentium silver, because I love the fact that it resists tarnish, is hypoallergenic, and is produced from recycled silver. I sometimes use accents of fine silver, 14k rose gold, 18k green or yellow gold, and 22k yellow gold, as well as hand-selected gemstones to accent my special pieces.

My jewelry is marked on the reverse, either with a custom tag bearing my logo and the purity of the metal, or for one-of-a-kind pieces, with my engraved signature along with the date and purity.

I love custom orders, and frequently make variations of past pieces for clients with their input on specific details. No two of these pieces are ever exactly the same. I can also make changes to available designs such as different stones, ear wire type or material, necklace length, etc. Occasionally, these changes may entail a small fee. Please convo me for info. Custom orders take more time since there is more work involved. We can discuss the expected delivery along with the details of the order.

For more information about my work, please visit www.vickiehallmark.com

Accepted payment methods

Paypal Mastercard Visa American Express Discover Apple Pay Giftcard
Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
Contact me within: 7 days of delivery
Ship items back within: 14 days of delivery
I don't accept cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
  • Custom or personalized orders
  • Perishable products (like food or flowers)
  • Digital downloads
  • Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
Returns and exchange details
If you have questions about a piece of jewelry, please inquire PRIOR to ordering.

If an item arrives damaged, please contact me immediately (within 24 hours of delivery signature date) with photos and information about the damage, so that we can work out a solution. If the item arrives defective in some way - a broken chain or ear wire, for example - I will repair or exchange the item at my discretion.

Please bear in mind that handmade items bear marks of their maker. Small imperfections such as tool marks, variations in dark patinas, or other slight irregularities are not indications of flaws, but rather an indication that a real person made the piece.

Rings are custom made to your specifications, so please make sure that you know the correct desired size. Variations in ring sizers can lead to mismatch between what I think is a size X and what you think is a size X. If you'd like to ensure accurate sizing, I can assist you with that. Resizing rings after delivery incurs a service charge.

Custom orders are not returnable, as they are made only with extensive discussion as to your needs and requirements. Stock items are returnable, if for some reason you find they don't meet your expectations. Again, please contact me within 24 hours of delivery confirmation with the reason for the issue. Note that the items should be in pristine condition for return and shipping is the buyer's expense.
Payment
I accept payment for online purchases through PayPal. Credit card owners can pay through PayPal without a PayPal account.

Texas State residents will be charged 8.25% sales tax.

Full payment is due with the purchase of stock items. Orders not paid within 24 hours will be canceled and items relisted in the shop. Made to order pieces cannot start until payment has cleared through PayPal. Fully custom designs require a non-refundable 50% deposit to start the design process, with the balance due before shipment.

Pieces in stock are usually shipped one business day following the order, to give me time to carefully gift package your order.
Shipping
For in stock items, I strive to ship orders by the following business day, but it occasionally may take up to 3 business days. If you have a particular time constraint, please convo me before placing your order to make sure I can meet your requirements.

For made to order items, the item is shipped as soon as it is finished. These items may take several weeks in lead time, depending on my studio schedule and load, so I will communicate with you about expected ship dates.

My normal domestic shipping method is USPS Priority Mail flat rate box. I am not responsible for items lost or damaged in transit.

International shipments will be shipped with insurance and delivery confirmation. PLEASE note that international purchasers are responsible for ANY and ALL DUTIES and CUSTOMS CHARGES that may be incurred.

All items are beautifully gift wrapped and padded for shipment.
Additional policies and FAQs
Jewelry Care

I normally apply patinas to my jewelry to bring out the details of the textures. Please do not use chemical jewelry cleaners, unless you wish to remove this enhancement. A jewelry polishing cloth will quickly and easily brighten the raised highlights while leaving the recesses darkened as they are meant to be. Most of my jewelry is Argentium sterling silver, which is very slow to tarnish unless you live in a high sulphur area, so hopefully you won't need to clean very often.

Some of my designs have a lot of dark patina. Again, only the bright, raised areas should be cleaned with the polishing cloth.

To minimize tarnish, WEAR your jewelry! However, don't expose jewelry to environmental chemicals, such as cosmetics, household cleaners, chlorinated pools, high sulfur showers, etc. When not wearing, store your jewelry in an airtight container like a plastic bag, along with anti-tarnish tabs (I'll send the piece with one or more), to extend the time between polishings.

Wholesale Buyers

Please contact me for access to my wholesale catalog.