You must do the things you think you cannot do.
~
Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday, September 13, 2010

Review of The Silver Maple

You may not know that I've been extremely blessed in the last several weeks to have won some pretty sweet giveaways.  I used to write curriculum reviews and I miss telling people what I think (who doesn't love to do that!) so I thought I'd review some of the stuff I've won. 

I figured I'd start with The Silver Maple because it just arrived in the mail (woot!), but I'll probably write them in no particular order.

One thing that's really important to me is good customer service. Not grovel at my feet no matter what, but friendly service and good communication. I've always worked in some kind of 'service' industry ranging from being a waitress to a corporate event planner - and now the ultimate service industry as a mom! - so I've dealt with all sorts of customers over the years, and I've seen plenty of good as well as really bad customer service. So you'll hear lots from me about that in my reviews.

Now onto the fun!

I won a $40 gift certificate to The Silver Maple (hosted by Angie, thanks!!) and I could make this very short and sweet by saying the whole experience from start to finish pretty much rocked. Jacque answered my questions really quickly and was super friendly, and I *love* my necklace.

For folks who crave more details, here ya' go!

The Silver Maple makes hand crafted, custom jewelry so your imagination is the limit when choosing your piece.

I'm so indecisive that it's almost painful. And with something like this I wanted to be completely positive that I chose what I really, truly wanted.  I had narrowed my choices down to two and Bill very generously agreed I could get the more expensive of the two (the one I *really* wanted). :-D

I placed my order and promptly began stalking my mailbox. About 2 weeks later this little beauty arrived. Even though I was a discounted customer (I did pay some out of pocket but $40 of it was free money), Jacque wrote a short note wishing me well along with a code for a 15% discount on a future purchase. She also included a polishing pad. How nice is that!

What I chose is The Perfect Balance and if you look at the sample on her site, it shows the heart with a child's name and the rectangle with a wedding anniversary date symbolizing how as running/tri moms we balance our sport with caring for our children and husband.

Well, I have 4 kids and their names wouldn't all fit on the heart so the wheels started turning. I decided to put "Family" on the heart because not only are my husband and children supportive of my crazy desire to run so are our extended families. I really couldn't do what I do without them, and I'm profoundly grateful for them all.

On the rectangle I put 'Soli Deo Gloria' (bonus points to anyone who knows what that means without reading ahead!). My faith is extremely important to me and Christ is the foundation on which I stand. The fact that this 41 y/o overweight mom of four with a bad back can run for miles is amazing, and I count it as a gift from God. I want to be sure I don't take it for granted and lose sight of what's most important.



LOVE this!

If you're on the fence about ordering from The Silver Maple, please know that you'll receive excellent service and a gorgeous, well-made product. Husbands of running/tri wives write this down as a solid Christmas/birthday gift idea. You can't go wrong with a gift from The Silver Maple for your love.


*Soli Deo Gloria is Latin for glory to God alone

I wasn't compensated in any way for this review. All opinions are my own.

4 comments:

Teamarcia said...

You chose a gorgeous piece! I have purchased from Jacque and agree the service and product are exceptional!

The Green Girl said...

Congratulations on winning an awesome giveaway. I love the necklace you chose - it's always nice when you can find something that will have a lot of meaning for you.

Rad Runner said...

Oh! Thats lovely! Congrats! I cant wait to have my 26.2 one made this OCt!!!

Molly said...

beautiful necklace! enjoy it!

and thanks for your comment about my first marathon!! : )

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