Questions from the Workshop

Your Hairy Growler account is the best place to start. It brings your order information, available updates and tracking details together in one place.

If you’d like a more personal update, just email me with your order number and I’ll let you know how things are progressing at the bench.

Visit Your Account →

Occasionally automated emails wander into spam or junk folders, particularly with some Microsoft and Google email accounts.

Please check those folders first. You can also sign into your account to check your order. If you’re still unsure, contact me with your order number and I’ll happily investigate.

Often, yes, particularly if making hasn’t begun. Please contact me as soon as possible with the changes you’d like.

Once a personalised piece is well underway, some alterations may be difficult or require additional work and materials.

Please contact me as soon as possible, preferably before your order has been dispatched.

You can update saved addresses in your account, but changing a saved address does not necessarily update an order that has already been placed.

Yes. Create an account using your preferred email address, then contact me with your order number. I’ll help associate your existing purchase with your account where possible.

Most made-to-order pieces take approximately 7 to 21 days, depending on the design and workshop workload.

Intricate Signature Pieces, layered coin designs and bespoke commissions may take longer. If a particular date matters, please contact me before ordering.

I’ll always try to help with important dates. Birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions are often the reason a particular coin or design is chosen in the first place.

Please contact me before ordering with the date you need it. I’ll let you know what is realistic.

Available means I’m currently accepting orders for that design, subject to suitable materials and workshop capacity.

Archived means the piece is part of the Hairy Growler story but is no longer routinely offered for sale.

Some archived designs may occasionally return, or be considered for a special commission.

International delivery may be available depending on your destination and the shipping services currently offered at checkout.

Customs duties, import taxes or handling charges may apply in the destination country.

For current delivery information, please see Shipping & Delivery .

Your jewellery is carefully prepared for its journey from the workshop, with protective packaging and Hairy Growler presentation details.

The precise packaging may vary according to the size, shape and nature of the piece.

Yes. Many of my pieces begin as genuine old British coins, including shillings, sixpences, florins, half crowns and pennies.

Others begin as antique silver cutlery or reclaimed precious metal.

Rather than hiding their history, I enjoy allowing traces of their earlier life to remain part of the finished jewellery.

No, and it’s an important distinction.

Many British silver coins dated before 1920 contain 92.5% silver, while many issued from 1920 to 1946 contain 50% silver.

Later coins may contain no silver at all. The exact material depends on the coin, denomination and year.

I aim to describe the materials used in each design accurately.

Depending on the design, I may flatten, shape, saw-pierce, carve, engrave, solder and polish the original material using traditional jewellery-making techniques.

Some pieces are constructed in layers, allowing a landscape, animal or symbolic scene to emerge from separate pieces of old silver.

The design will follow the description and agreed specifications, but small variations are part of individually handmade work.

Old coins may carry different dates, original markings, patina and traces of their history. Each finished piece has its own character.

These natural differences do not affect your rights if an item is faulty or not as described.

Much of my work grows from the natural world, British folklore and the old stories that connect people to particular places.

A hare beneath the moon, an oak leaf or a fox in the woods can mean something different to every person who wears it.

That’s part of the pleasure of making jewellery with a story.

Often, yes. A birth year, anniversary or meaningful date can make an old coin especially personal.

Availability depends on the coin type, its condition and whether it is suitable for the intended design.

Please ask before ordering if a particular year is essential.

Sometimes. I can consider suitable customer-supplied coins or silver, depending on the material, condition and proposed design.

Please contact me before sending anything, particularly if it has sentimental value. Not every material is suitable for every making technique.

Bespoke work may be possible depending on the idea and workshop commitments.

I particularly enjoy designs with a personal story, whether inspired by an animal, a place, an old coin or a meaningful symbol.

Send me your idea and we can explore what’s possible.

For the most reliable measurement, I recommend visiting a local jeweller.

Your Hairy Growler account also includes ring-size guidance and printable resources. Printed guides should always be checked for correct scale.

Ring Sizing Guidance →

Often, but it depends on the construction, engraving, decoration and available material.

If an incorrect size was ordered, resizing may involve an additional charge. Where an item is faulty or supplied in the wrong agreed size, your statutory rights remain unaffected.

A soft jewellery polishing cloth is often the gentlest starting point.

Avoid abrasive products and take particular care with intentionally darkened details, fine engraving, delicate pierced sections and pieces incorporating other materials.

Your account includes additional silver-care guidance and a cleaning video.

I recommend removing jewellery before bathing, swimming or showering.

Chlorine, detergents, perfumes and oils can affect surfaces and other materials, especially leather.

Please don’t repeatedly pull the ends apart.

Slip the opening sideways over the narrowest part of your wrist, a little above the wrist joint, then gently rotate it into place.

If you’re unsure, please check the fitting guidance before wearing it.

In many cases, yes. I enjoy seeing pieces return to the bench after years of adventures.

Send me a photograph and a description of the problem. I’ll let you know whether a repair or alteration looks practical.

Please contact me with your order details so I can help.

Most standard online purchases have a statutory 14-day cancellation period after delivery. Exceptions may apply to genuinely bespoke or personalised goods.

Your rights regarding faulty or misdescribed goods remain unaffected.

Read Returns & Refunds →

A hallmark is an independent assurance of precious-metal fineness, applied through a recognised assay system.

UK hallmarking is governed by the Hallmarking Act 1973, as amended. Qualifying precious-metal articles must be hallmarked unless a legal exemption applies.

Not necessarily. UK law includes exemptions, including a weight exemption for certain silver articles.

Silver articles below 7.78 grams are generally exempt from compulsory hallmarking, subject to the applicable rules.

I aim to describe materials accurately and ensure that articles requiring a hallmark comply with UK law.

The British Hallmarking Council provides information about UK hallmarking requirements and the statutory Dealer’s Notice.

British Hallmarking Council →

The official Dealer’s Notice must also remain displayed or directly accessible on the website in the required form.

Selected Hairy Growler Signature Pieces include a digital Passport recording details about the piece, its original materials and the story behind its making.

Where issued, you can access the Passport through your Hairy Growler account.

A Certificate of Provenance records information about a qualifying piece, helping preserve its story and connection to the workshop.

Certificates are available for eligible purchases and can be accessed through the customer account where issued.

Yes. Your Hairy Growler account includes order history and personal collection features, along with eligible Passports, certificates and other useful resources.

Visit Your Collection →