Working with Marc was amazing. If you're thinking about custom-designing a piece of jewelry for your loved one, whether you have an idea of what you want or not, HAND in HAND is an excellent choice to make.
I knew that I wanted to get my wife a wedding ring that was custom designed, but as someone with little artistic talent I was overwhelmed with the prospect of trying to draw something up and bring it to someone to design. My (now) wife had read about Marc and HAND in HAND on the web, and we scheduled an appointment with him. It was absolutely perfect and exactly what I was looking for: someone with artistic talent, a friendly attitude, and extremely meticulous attention to every detail. But most importantly, Marc made it clear that while he would be happy working on something concrete that I would bring him, he was also interested in learning about us, our interests, and our love for each other, and working that into a design.
We met with Marc for 3 hours at his home, sharing drinks and talking about each other. He took notes, asked questions, listened, and laughed with us. By the end of our first session, we were 100% certain that Marc was the designer we wanted to work with. We cancelled all other appointments we had with other jewelers. Marc ended up being spot on with his design. We exchanged emails over several months, with me updating him with ideas, both fully-formed and half-baked.
I can't say more about how enjoyable it was to work with Marc. I told him what I was hoping to pay and he worked with that budget with no questions asked and no offers and no hard sells. If you want to design custom jewelry for your loved one, I strongly, strongly urge you to make an appointment with Marc and HAND in HAND.