FAQS
DO YOU SHIP TO POST OFFICE BOXES?
Madame Mak currently does NOT ship to P.O. Boxes for international (non-Australian) buyers. This is due to some of the postal carriers not being part of the P.O. Box network within the designated country. Please provide a valid street address during your check out to ensure your parcel will arrive to you!
Madame Mak does ship to all addresses and P.O. Boxes locally within Australia!
DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?
Yes, Madame Mak does ship internationally however only ships to select locations only. MADAME MAK DOES NOT CURRENTLY SHIP TO P.O. BOXES AT INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS. Please check out using a valid street address to ensure your delivery arrives to you and isn't returned to sender. Unfortunately at this stage Madame Mak is unable to ship to any countries that fall within the European Union and the United Kingdom due to new customs regulations and VAT/tax laws. Members from these regions will be able to add items to their cart, however they will be unable to proceed with the transaction once their shipping location is selected in the dropdown menu of the cart.
HOW DO I WORK OUT MY SIZING?
It is important to order all of the MMJ rings in your TRUE SIZE. This allows Madame Mak to make any size compensations to your ring as necessary, depending on the width of your ring. Ring sizing can be complicated and as such I don't offer a ring sizing chart. If you are unsure of your size, the best way to find out is to be sized by a local professional jeweller (usually free!). Madame Mak can also send you a universal ring multisizer in the mail for a very small fee. Madame Mak creates some designs that don't run true to size. Regardless, she will be able to figure out your size based on the ring design if you tell her your TRUE size using a regular ring sizer! It's also a great idea to measure the internal diameter of one of your own rings that you wear (as well as its width) and send Madame Mak a photo of it, and maybe your hand as well! She'll take it from there! Please refer to the General Store Policies for more information on ring sizing.
WHAT ARE THE PAYMENT OPTIONS?
Items purchased online can be paid for using most cards (through the Stripe payment gateway), or through PayPal. Any bespoke commissions are payable in full prior to commencement via PayPal, and MMJ also accepts direct bank transfer from local customers within Australia. Any relevant payment details or links would be sent by Madame Mak directly to you in the event you engaged our services for a custom/bespoke creation. At this stage MMJ does not offer AfterPay or lay-by/layaway services.
HOW IS MADAME MAK JEWELLERY PACKAGED?
Madame Mak jewellery is packaged in black gift boxes made of a high quality hard (and recyclable) cardboard. If there are multiple items in an order, each item is boxed or pouched individually, and then placed into a larger solid recyclable box with recycled shredded filler. All items are packaged carefully before dispatch. Your order will include a silver or gold polishing cloth and a hand written thank you card. The outer ribbons are made of 100% recycled paper raffia. Madame Mak avoids the use of plastic packaging where possible. Currently, MMJ colours are hot pink and black!
DO YOU OFFER CUSTOM AND BESPOKE CREATIONS?
Madame Mak has devoted the first 6 months of her start up business to custom/bespoke creations, however she has made the decision (as of June 2021) to cease this aspect of her operations until further notice. Currently, all made-to-order silver and gold jewellery is not customisable and is being offered as-is, as per the product descriptions and photos.
DO YOU HOST JEWELLERY MAKING CLASSES?
Yes! Madame Mak endeavours to bring you value by hosting personalised tutorials. She is currently offering private (one-on-one) tuition online through zoom to help you create your own designs in wax. Students aren't required to have a jewellery set up at home- they will be able to watch Dahna demonstrate step by step, and can ask questions and take notes along the way. There are multiple classes on offer, available for purchase through the website.
Any topics that fall out of these agendas can be discussed with Madame Mak via email, and she can structure a tailored class just for you (where possible and where her skills allow)!
The studio has also opened (as of May 2022) for in-studio classes; introductory/beginners wax carving and bespoke classes tailored to the students specific needs. The beginners workshop is available for purchase through the website, and all bespoke classes are arranged separately via email communication.
Emails with enquiries and for bookings can be sent to dahnamak@gmail.com
HOW SHOULD I CARE FOR MY JEWELLERY?
With a few simple steps and a few guidelines, you'll be able to keep your Madame Mak jewellery looking brand new! For full details, please visit the "Jewellery Care" tab, under this "FAQ"tab.
WHAT TYPE OF GEMSTONES DO YOU INCORPORATE INTO MADAME MAK JEWELLERY?
Specific details of gemstone particulars are listed in each item description.
Madame Mak works with a variety of gemstones, both natural and synthetic (laboratory made).
All "natural" sapphires used are mined naturally from the Earth and may or may not have undergone a standard form of heat treatment to intensify their colour.
Madame Mak also uses synthetic sapphires and rubies in some of her creations. The term "synthetic" encompasses any material that has not been produced by the Earth. Synthetic gemstones share similar properties to their naturally occurring counterparts (such as chemical composition and physical characteristics) for a fraction of the cost of a natural gemstone. They are vivid, bright and fun and particularly great for casting-in-place!
HOW IS MADAME MAK JEWELLERY MADE?
Madame Mak utilises the ancient technique of "lost wax casting" to produce all of her jewellery. In summary, a design is hand carved out of a hard jewellers carving wax. The wax model is placed on a wax "sprue" rod which is positioned on a rubber base within a steel cylindrical flask. A mixture similar to plaster known as 'investment" is poured into the flask to surround the wax model. After the air is vacuumed out, the investment sets/hardens and the wax contents of the flask are 'burnt out" in a kiln - ie. the wax is "lost". What's left within the cylinder is a void- an exact impression of the wax model that was originally placed within the flask. After the burnout procedure, molten metal is poured into the flask which fills the cavities, creating a direct metal copy of the original wax item. The flask is cooled and submerged into water to "devest" - the investment breaks apart in the water to release the metal objects/jewellery from within. The jewellery is high pressure blasted to break off the investment, and the item of jewellery is cut off from the main sprue using cutters. The piece is sanded, filed and finished before being polished and sent to you! The procedure is the same for gemstones that are cast in place!
WHERE IS MADAME MAK JEWELLERY MADE?
Madame Mak Jewellery is proudly Australian made. All jewellery is made in-house in Dahna's quiet-but-vibrant jewellery studio in Melbourne. Dahna works closely with a production (casting) partner in Melbourne, Australia and occasionally engages Melbourne-based stone setters to complete the setting for certain projects. The only exception are the Italian-made and machine-manufactured chains which are usually sourced directly from Australian suppliers.