FAQs

Is there an age limit for hand & footprints?
Not at all, as long as a hand or foot will fit onto the A4 size special print card, then we can create hand print jewellery or footprint jewellery for you!  We have worked with the prints of grandparents and new borns!
Is there an age limit for fingerprints?
We are all born with fingerprints, but they are really faint in babies and very small children.  Our prints become more defined as we grow up and funnily enough fade again as we start heading into our dotage!  If it is clear whirls you want, Impressions to Keep recommend from 3 years old.  However, we all vary and your younger child may have clearly defined prints earlier.  The method used to take the prints does capture every detail, but Impressions to Keep cannot enhance them.  However, the cutest fingertip impressions of a young baby is still a gorgeous reminder of their tiny finger.
What size will my prints be on the jewellery?
Prints are shrunk in size keeping as much detail as possible, so that they best fit onto the size and shape of silver you have chosen.  This means we can fit hand and footprints from newborn babies right through to adults on all the jewellery.  If you order a piece featuring prints from more than one child on the same piece of silver, then we will try to keep the proportions between the different prints as true as possible.  Prints on different pieces of silver will be sized according to the silver size.
How much is it to have engraving?
Nothing!!
How much engraving can you fit on?
That will depend on the size of the piece.  Impressions to Keep hand engrave on the reverse of jewellery and sometimes use stamps to do lettering on the front.  As a rough guide a charm will fit one word, a regular or large pendant 2/3 and an XL 3-4 words.

If you wanted a name on the front of your jewellery, please bear in mind the space for the prints will be limited. If you are at all unsure then please get in touch and let us know what you have in mind and we will let you know if it is possible.

I already have prints - can you use them?
We can work with prints you already have and sometimes photos of prints.  If you are using your own prints please email them to impressionstokeep@btinternet.com.
I have ordered before - can you use the same prints?
Yes you can! For hand and foot paw prints & handwriting we hold electronic copies on file.
How will the fingerprints appear in the silver?
Fingerprints will appear in the silver as they appear in the mould – all detail, good or bad, will transfer to the silver, so it is important you are happy with your moulds before returning them. If you can see lines and whorls in the mould then you will see them in silver. If the detail in your mould is very fine, then it will be very fine in the silver, we cannot enhance them.  You should note that fingerprints will appear a shade smaller in the silver, this is because silver shrinks during the firing process. This shrinkage is unavoidable and will apply to all fingerprint jewellery, whoever makes it.
How will the hand and footprints appear in the silver?
We shrink your prints to fit the hand print jewellery whilst preserving a few of the stronger lines in the print, assuming your print has lines present, not all do. Don’t worry about extra fingerprints on the paper, or if you have a double set of toes – obvious things like this we will edit out. However, we will not alter the actual shape of your prints in any other way unless you specifically request this. So if you are missing a part of the hand or the foot on your print, without specific instruction we will maintain the integrity of the print and you will get a print in the silver hand print jewellery that is a miniature version of the print provided on paper.
I have some handwriting I would like to use, is this possible?
YES!  Signatures or words are great to pop onto keepsake jewellery.  The first time a child wrote their name is especially perfect, we have also made ‘Marry Me?’ jewellery!  So a signature or a few words are great for us to use to create your handwriting jewellery.
Can I specify how I want the prints positioned?
You are welcome to request a particular layout on your order summary. Where possible we will try to accommodate your requests, sometimes we may need to get in touch if your layout is not possible. If you do not give specific instructions regarding positioning then we will use our own artistic judgment and place them as we feel best, this will usually be similar to the layouts shown in the products photos, but sometimes the size or shape of a print will mean that we need to adjust the layout a bit.
Can I order several items from the same prints?
Yes of course, we can make as many pieces of hand print jewellery, foot print jewellery, finger print jewellery and paw print jewellery as you want from the same prints.  Each piece will be subtly different as each piece is handmade and therefore absolutely unique. We do our utmost to ensure consistency but there will inevitably be very minor differences.
Is the jewellery made with real silver?
All Impressions to Keep jewellery is made with pure silver, silver that is 99.9% pure.  Not to be confused with sterling silver that is  92.5% pure.  It is a bit like having 24ct or 9ct gold. For key rings which will be bashed about a bit more, we use harder sterling silver.

The silver starts off life as silver clay an ingenious substance. Silver clay is made up of tiny particles of silver held together with a binder. We fire the clay to a very high temperature in a kiln to burn away the binder leaving solid silver.

How long will my order take?

For silver jewellery we quote 3-4 weeks from receipt of prints for your order to be with you.  For personalised spoons, jewellery and copper keepsakes 2-3 weeks from date of order.

Each piece is handmade in person by Emma.  At times the lead times are much quicker, at peak times possibly a little slower!

Delivery

Kits are sent by 1st class post and dispatched within 48 hours. Jewellery is sent by local post.  High value orders will need to be signed for.    Spoons and copper are sent via local post .

Upon your order being received I aim to deliver your personalised items, copper, spoons etc approx 3 weeks.  Upon prints being received for hand print or foot print jewellery we aim to deliver 3-4 weeks from the date of the prints arriving with us.

What Silver do you use for the keepsake jewellery?
Your Jewellery is made with fine silver which is 99.9% pure silver, a soft precious metal. Sterling silver has a 92.5% silver content, the other 7.8% being other metals , including copper.

The silver starts life as a clay, tiny silver particles held in an organic malleable binder. The impressions are pressed into the clay. After drying and firing in a kiln, the binder burns off and the silver particles fuse to make your silver jewellery.

I am Allergic to silver, will I be allergic to this silver?
Impressions to Keep cannot guarantee you won’t be! However, many people are allergic to the copper content in sterling silver. As your jewellery will be made with fine silver, you may be fine!

Many people successfully wear the silver pendants on a gold chain, or chain they already own with no reaction. Please note chains and fittings (jump rings) used by Impressions to Keep are sterling silver. We can source white & yellow gold fittings and chains at an additional charge. So, get in touch if you need us to!

Will my prints fade?
As your jewellery is made with fine silver it is softer and purer than sterling and maybe prone to wear if not looked after, continually touched etc.

Occasionally customers have noted their jewellery prints have faded, but have remarked that they have almost been touching their jewellery like a worry bead. Keyrings are particularly prone to wear due to the continual contact with other items on a key ring.

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