FAQ
Click on any question to see the answer below.
The time required varies from as little as 45 days to 3-4 months. The things contributing to long development time are: the size and complexity of the image, the clarity of the concept, or lack thereof and the inability of the customer to review and provide feedback quickly during the development process.
The general steps are:
- Identifying an image or concept;
- Providing an image or images to give us guidance with respect to the image or concept;
- We then create a sketch of the image or concept as a statuette or deep relief casting and present the drawing for your approval.
- Following approval of the sketch, a wax image will be hand-carved from a solid block of wax and presented to you for your comments and approval. At this stage changes can be made and, if necessary, another carving is made and provided to you for further comments and approval.
- After approval of the wax carving the castings are made, finished and delivered as completed products.
The process affords the customer ample opportunity to evaluate the image and to provide guidance on its development. Only once the customer has approved the wax carving from which the final mold will be made are the metal castings poured. Please review the video presentation in “The Customization Process” section on the home page. This is a link to a video clip that contains images of various drawings, wax carvings and final castings.
Yes, we will work with you to identify subjects that you might use to create a unique award, drawing upon things of significance to your club, organization or event. Things as straightforward as the club’s logo or as complicated as a bust of the golf course architect or as unique as the pistols used in a famous duel that occurred on the grounds of the San Francisco Golf Club have all been created by Mantel Masterpieces. It is best to have some thoughts on images that are important to the club or tournament, but we can assist you in the creative process by sharing our experiences and working with you to embody your concepts into drawings and ultimately castings.
The image can be just about anything that assists us in the creation of a unique image for you. Generally, the concept is conveyed through a number of images. For instance, a club might ask for an image of their golf course architect standing in his golf attire with his golf bag (which includes his initials). They might also want to emphasize a special hat or shoes etc. Separate images of the emphasized aspects of the image such as the specific golf bag, the hat, or shoes might be provided or at least described. We will pull all of these things together in the initial sketch. But the better the images, the better the communication, the quicker and easier the process.
Generally no. The products we create were created specifically for customers and, as such, we reserve the castings specifically for that customer. However, we will take any image that we have created and make something unique for you based upon it. An example might help here. Oakland Hills Country Club has had a Scottish Bagpiper as its invitational trophy for over 40 years. We make that statuette for them and will not sell it to any other customer. We were ask several years ago to sell the Piper to Interlachen Country Club. We respectfully refused but offered to create a special bagpiper for them. We produced the Willie Kidd Piper that is unique to Interlachen. The Willie Kidd has a unique hat and bagpipes. It also has the club’s logo as a shoulder patch on the piper’s uniform among other details that make it uniquely theirs and only theirs. This is what we are trying to achieve - the creation of an image that is unique to our customers and that our customers and their members embrace.
The most common way to do this is to create 2 sizes of the same image with the larger one going to the winners. There is generally a substantial difference in size and weight between the two. Please refer to our gallery to see some examples of the winners’ vs runners’-up awards.
Yes and we often do. We can scale the logos to proper scale and include it with the name of the tournament or event with the designation “Champions”, “Winners” or any other designation desired. The names of the individual winners can also be included, but this generally requires that the nameplates be provided after the event.
Yes we can. We generally do not actually replicate existing trophies but we will work from existing trophies to enhance them and provide a trophy that embraces the tradition but which is improved or enhanced. We have done this quite often. Generally not until the trophies are set side by side and viewed with a critical eye are the differences discerned and appreciated.
Generally, No. We absorb the creative fees if our minimum order of 12 trophies is met. We do create one-of-a-kind pieces for which we charge a creative fee which is charged only after we produce an image that is acceptable to the customer. Our goal is that every customer is fully satisfied.
Generally 45 days is sufficient for reorders.
