If you're getting a piece of custom jewelry, then you'll want to pay attention to the following expert tips. You'll avoid some common pitfalls in commissioning your custom piece.

Consider this: you have an occasion coming up, perhaps an engagement or charity event. You want to commission a piece of jewelry, a ring, pendant, broach, or something you don't even know the words for.

You want it to be unique, not something plucked from a catalog. You look at a number of jewelers and jewelry designers. You know that you want the best quality.

You consider a silversmith, goldsmith, a worker with diamonds. You look at local jewelry stores.

Then it hits you. You realize you don't really know how to recognize high quality in a designer, or to tell when you have found it.

At this point you know you need some expert advice to select a jewelry designer to do your custom piece. Where can you find advice that you can trust? That's what this article is all about. These are insider tips from the trenches.

Read and take them on board, and you'll find it easier to navigate through the world of jewelry design. And you will be better prepared to come out with the right work of art as well as a satisfying buying experience.

Now for the expert tips. These are pure gold if you use them.

• A custom jewelry design is not a commodity. Some jewelers make it a selling point to let shoppers try out a look-alike piece before they commit to buying. But that is not what you are looking for. You want something that is not a look-alike.

• If you want a one-of-a-kind piece of custom jewelry, you don't want to pick it out of a catalog that thousands of other people also look at.

• Your work of art should be touched by human hands and spirit. Computers may be able to make bad music on the piano and play chess quickly, but real art is still beyond their reach. For that, you need an artist.

• The designer should have a background in design and art. If he or she has works on display or in print, that's even better. It gives you independent proof of the designer's ability and track record. And for your own verification, this designer will be able to draw the complete piece right in front of you, without double-talk or excuses.

• You want to have a personal contact with a designer who actually does jewelry, not sales.

• One characteristic of real designers is that they don't have time to show off or impress people. They're too busy being designers.

• You will be happier not dropping off an existing irreplaceable piece for rework or repair, if it means it will be out of your sight for any length of time. Many owners of unique pieces want them to remain unique and uncopied. In these cases, being able to wait while the work is done is an important consideration.

• You will save on the work if the designer deals directly with the suppliers of the metal and stones that go into your jewelry.

• You will appreciate not being charged extra high prices because of an impressively decorated showroom or an exclusive location. Remember, if the showroom, landscaping, or environs look expensive, they probably are. And they are being paid for somehow. It's not hard to guess that it is through higher prices to you that have nothing to do with the actual jewelry you're buying.

• Last but not least, you will no doubt be happier with a designer who cares about you as a person, not just as a source of income. The designer may not have a fixed price because each customer, piece, and situation is unique. You will be unique to this designer, and valued as such. This kind of connection also enables the designer to get inside your mind and understand what you are really looking for.

These are only a few examples of the know-how and inside knowledge that could help jewelry shoppers if they only knew about them. And these are only a handful of the less technical aspects, not even touching on issues like diamond cut, color, clarity, and carat, or EGL/GIA certification.

In spite of what some people may tell you, not all sellers of jewelry place your interests at the top of their priority lists. As in many other markets, the watchword is "caveat emptor", let the buyer protect him- or herself.

So for a purchase with such significance for you, whether emotional, cultural, financial, or other, it is well worth your effort to absorb these tips and bear them in mind as you search for the designer of your next piece of custom jewelry.