Oops...

There once was a client who required that every item have some special touch.  Each special touch had to have an extra detail.  Each detail had to have a unique twist.  Price was no object.  To those of you who are new to the field those last four words might sound miraculous.  To those of us who have been around they are dreaded. I will go into the unique challenges presented by clients with a near unlimited budget on a different day, remind me if I forget.

So, this individual wanted special tie-backs.  None on the market were exactly right, he handed me a drawing, and from there I said we would create them.  This led me in turn to a glass blower.  I have not yet received permission from him to tell the world of his skill, but if you need a glass blower I know the guy.  That being said we embarked on a months long quest to design the perfect 22K gold inlaid black glass finials.  Sample after sample, design after design, modification after modification, and finally we had it.  Six panels, each with two double tassels.  We would need 24.  I don't know if you have ever worked with glass before, but it is actually quite a bit tougher than you would expect.  He struck one on a table to show me.  Even still we decided that we would make a couple extra...

Good thing too, here is what remained after the install was completed:

Moral:  You might think about saving a few bucks by not getting that extra ring, yard of fabric, or hand blown glass finial, but at the end of the day what will the final cost be?