Sales Help

How to
Order

To place an order;

Browse the product pages area of the web site and record the following information about the items you are interested in:

1) The item number
2) The color and shape of the item from the description.
3) How many of each item you would like.

Call our toll free number 1~888~378~1337 and talk to us! A real person will be available a minimum of 9:00 am ~ 6:00 pm CST Monday thru Saturday . Please feel free to leave a message on the secure voice mail if calling after hours. (Don't forget to leave a call back time and number.)

Phone numbers:

Toll free: 1~888~378~1337
Minneapolis Ceramic Studio: 612~378~1337
Cell Phone: 612~741~5911
After Hours: 651~646~1663

e-mail:

james@indigoturtle.com

Business correspondence and returns:

Indigo Turtle
P. O. Box 141210
Minneapolis, MN 55414~6210

Ceramic Studio Visitation:

If you ever find yourself in the Minneapolis area we would be thrilled to have you stop by our ceramic studio for a tour or to hand select merchandise! Just contact us using any of the above methods and we would be very happy to make an appointment for you to come by and receive personal attention.

General Policies

1) *Personal checks and money orders are accepted. Please be aware there will be a short delay in shipping merchandise if using this payment option. When funds have cleared at our bank, items will be shipped.
2) Shipping and handling charges are:
If ordering 1~9 items shipping and handling is $2.00
All orders of 10 or more items shipping and handling is FREE!
3) Return policy. Any item may be exchanged or returned at any time for any reason. As soon as we receive the unwanted item back, we will send out the replacement item or refund your money ~ your choice. Refunds are accomplished using the same method as original payment was made.
4) Delivery time estimates: If all items ordered are in stock and available, we strive to ship within a day or two of receiving the order. If some items need to be made, please understand that we make this product one-at-a-time by hand, and it will take a few weeks to fill some orders. We will always advise you at the time of ordering with an estimate of how long it will take for you to receive your items.
5) Sales tax:

Custom Solutions

We are happy to work with individuals to find a custom solution for your particular situation. We have been designing, producing, and marketing an extensive line of unique porcelain artwork for over twenty years. Our experience and expertise in this medium can be to your great benefit. Custom made porcelain art jewelry components specifically tailored to your concept or jewelry line could give you the competitive edge to greatly enhance your business and profits.

f.a.q.

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions ( F A Q ) area of the Indigo Turtle web site. In this area I hope to provide answers for the majority of the questions people might have about Indigo Turtle and our work.

If you have any question you would like a response to; or any comments (good or bad) Please e-mail us at: james@indigoturtle.com

And now; onto the questions and answers :

Q) Is this stuff ceramic?

A) Technically speaking yes, but by popular convention no. Explanation: The term "ceramic" is a very broad category that includes all ceramic materials. This includes everything from space shuttle heat shield tiles to spark plug insulators to winkie light pumpkins at craft shows. Porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, and other clay bodies are all sub categories under the broader heading of ceramics. This means our porcelain artwork does fall under the field of ceramics. However, overuse of the term "ceramic" for low fired earthenware craft items has changed the popular perception of the word. Today, when many people use or hear the word "ceramic", they think of the low fire earthenware craft items such as the winkie light pumpkins and the multitude of other craft items. Therefore, your perception of the word "ceramic" determines whether or not our porcelain artwork falls under this category.

Q) What is your return policy?

A) We guarantee one hundred percent customer satisfaction. If you are not completely satisfied you may return or exchange any item at any time for any reason.

Q) What is your Privacy Policy?

A) At Indigo Turtle, we value your privacy as much as our own. The Indigo Turtle Privacy Policy is very simple : We do not share any information with anyone else.

Any information Indigo Turtle may collect is used exclusively to enhance visitor and customer service at Indigo Turtle venues. You may receive :

An occasional Indigo Turtle newsletter
Special discounts that are not available to the general public
An occasional notification of special events such as an art show in your area

Indigo Turtle NEVER sends out :

Spam
Worthless junk mail

Thank You very much for your interest in Indigo Turtle. We sincerely believe that the occasional information and offers that Indigo Turtle plans to send out will be of value to you. We hope you will join the many people that are interested in receiving enhanced service from Indigo Turtle.

Q) I would like to order a specific piece of your work that I saw in your on line gallery or at an art show. Will I receive that exact item?

A) No. That particular item has probably already been sold by now. All of our work is created from scratch and made by hand so no two pieces are ever exactly identical. However, you will notice that there is a very consistent style to all of our work. We can create and send you an item that is very similar to the one you saw in the on line gallery or at the art show. It is quite unlikely you would be able to notice a significant difference at all. Also remember that if you ever receive anything from us that you do not like, you can always exchange or return it.

Q) The colors on the vases and jewelry are just fantastic, but will they always look this good or will they eventually fade?

A) No. The metallic luster based iridescent colors do not fade. We have saved a few of the very first pieces ever made, as well as a few others here and there, and they all look just like the day they came out of the kiln. Some of the pieces we have are about fifteen years old now. We are sometimes asked this question because the bright iridescent colors of the luster's resemble some of the brightly colored "Raku" pottery. The Raku pottery colors are created using a reduction process during the glaze firing. Unless protected from the atmosphere, many of the bright Raku colors will eventually oxidize and slowly fade. The luster firings we do are an oxidation process and therefore are not susceptible to this problem.

Q) Are you making a truckload of money with this web site?

A) No. The primary purposes of the Indigo Turtle web site is to enhance customer service by providing direct, convenient access to Indigo Turtle products and services and to provide information and educational benefits. We subscribe to the get rich slow scheme. Be honest, work hard, do it a little better than any one else, and you will be successful in the end.

Q) I own a store / art gallery / gift shop / or other retail venture. Will you sell me a quantity of your work wholesale?

A) Yes. We have developed a multi-tiered pricing structure to accommodate customers ranging from hobbyists to professional designers to stores and other resellers. Here is the pricing structure for the porcelain pendants:

Porcelain pendant quantity discounts
Quantity	Price
1 ~ 9	$ 14.00
10 ~ 24	$ 12.50
25 ~ 49	$ 11.00
50 ~ 99	$ 9.50
100 +	$ 7.00

Q) Where are these pieces made? Are they imported from China or somewhere?

A) Every item in the Indigo Turtle line is created by our studio which is located at 2715 4th Street South East Suite #50 Minneapolis Minnesota USA. If you would like to know more about how the pieces are created, please visit the Technique page of this site.

Q) What has influenced you as an artist? What kind of inspirations did you draw on to create this kind of work?

A) The answer for this question has changed over time ~ as it should. I will compose a current answer for this in the near future.

Q) Do you take special orders?

A) Yes in most cases. If the request is within the scope of the processes, color palettes, and production schedules that we use, we will happily fulfill your special requests. Please keep in mind that special requests are worked on in conjunction with other projects and usually require additional time to create. Typically this time period is four to six weeks but can vary depending upon our season. Summer and Fall traditionally have been our busiest seasons and requests placed during these seasons may sometimes take longer.

Q) The jewelry and vases are beautiful on their own but are they functional as well?

A) Yes ! Although contemporary in appearance the jewelry and vases are made from a similar porcelain as the traditional fine china you may already have in a china cabinet. They are fairly durable, hold water, and are washable. The vases are absolutely wonderful for fresh flower arrangements (or any arrangement you choose to do with them).

Q) Tragedy has struck. My beautiful piece of porcelain has been broken! Is there any way it can be repaired?

A) Yes if it is a clean break. Super glue actually works quite well in the case of a clean break. Run a small bead of the super glue along the entire length of the edge of the broken piece. Carefully, but firmly press the broken piece back into place and pay particular attention to matching the alignment of the two pieces. You may even want to practice matching the two pieces before you apply the glue. A small bead of super glue will ooze out of the joint. Allow this to dry. Then, carefully chip the excess bead away with a fingernail or other medium sharp object. An object sharp enough to scratch glass is also sharp enough to scratch the porcelain.

In the case of a complicated break or if there are pieces missing, this probably is a real tragedy. There are some people who specialize in the restoration of ceramics, but it is a pretty specialized area, and they mostly work with antiques. The techniques mostly involve patching and then creating a closely matching finish on the patch. In reality it is more of a disguise than a fix, but then again some of the disguises are pretty good. The down side is this is usually pretty expensive and in most cases you are better off replacing the piece. If it was an Indigo Turtle item that was fatally damaged, we can make you a new piece that will be very similar to your original. In these cases we almost always give a nice discount on the replacement item as some consolation for the tragedy.

Here is a general list of answers to some of the more frequently asked sales help questions:

Return Policy : Indigo Turtle guarantees that you will be one hundred percent satisfied with your purchase. Any item may be exchanged or returned at any time for any reason. Refunds are made by crediting the credit card account that was used to make the original purchase, and are done as soon as we receive the item back.
Shipping and handling charges : We charge the absolute minimum possible for shipping and handling. Shipping and handling for Jewelry components of less than 10 items is $2.00. Any order of 10 or more jewelry items ~ shipping and handling is FREE! A good estimation of shipping cost for the vases is approximately 10 percent of the price of the piece. Handling charges are usually just $1.00 to $5.00 depending on the item. We will always provide you with an exact amount for the TOTAL of your order before we charge you.
Payment methods accepted : Indigo Turtle is pleased to accept; Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, money orders, and Personal Checks.
How long will it take to receive my artwork? There is a good chance I will have the item you are ordering already made and available for immediate shipping. In this case; you would receive the item within a week of the time you provide the payment information. There is also a chance your specific item will have to be made from scratch. As you may know from the Studio Tour page, there are numerous steps involved in creating this type of artwork from scratch. If this is the case; it may take six to eight weeks (depending on the season) for us to create the piece and ship it to you. We will always advise you of the status of an item and NEVER charge you until the item is actually shipped.
Sales Tax : We are required to collect 6.5 % (7% metro) Minnesota sales tax for Minnesota residents unless you provide us with a Minnesota Department of Revenue ST-19. Our state and federal tax ID numbers are available upon request.
It may be possible that not every color and shape combination is pictured on the web site. If you are unable to find what you are looking for please call 1-888-378-1337. It is likely we can fill in any information gaps or even make custom pieces for you.
Where is the shopping cart and forms to fill out? At this time Indigo Turtle uses the simple, cost-effective, and secure procedure detailed on the Sales Help ~ Order now page. The procedure only requires you to contact us once. If enough people want a shopping cart and forms to fill out we will provide them. Most people have found our current procedure to be functional, easy to use, and have been happy with it. Please remember; Indigo Turtle sells original, unique artwork, not computers, books, or software.

about us

	We accept all major credit cards plus money orders and personal checks*
Order now ~ Contact us ~ General policies ~ Custom solutions ~ f.a.q. ~ about us