WHAT DO THEY COST? I price custom ketubot according to the amount of time I anticipate that the artwork will require to complete. Simpler works—very personal, colorful and beautifully executed, but requiring less time to complete—begin at approximately $1500 (US). Very much more complex and time-consuming ketubot range up to $5000-$8000. My current median price is approximately $2500-$3000.
You may notice that my Custom Ketubah Gallery does not include pricing. Why not? I’ll be delighted to provide you with price information when we speak, but I don’t want prices for specific works to limit your imagination! My last question in my initial meeting with you will be your budget for your ketubah. Last, because price should not color our discussion of your lives and interests! I listen carefully to your life-stories and interests and taste and find the best possible means of expressing you within your budget. No single factor such as size or shape controls price. Rather, I balance many design factors, with your story and my imagination, to arrive at the right design within the budget you provide. Feel free to contact me with questions now, or at any time once we begin to work together.
HOW EARLY SHOULD WE BEGIN? Six to nine months prior to your wedding date is the optimal time working with me to create your original ketubah, yet, more than one of the ketubot you see in my gallery were accomplished in far less time! However soon your wedding may be, please don’t hesitate to contact me, and if it’s humanly possible, I’ll create your glorious one-of-a-kind ketubah.
BUT YOU LIVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY? How can this work? This is a problem nowadays? I’ve created hundreds of original ketubot for couples across the US, Canada and abroad, in every case working together closely by means of telephone and video-chats, e-mailed sketches and exacting packing and shipping.
CAN WE HAVE THAT ONE? Every custom ketubah I create is one-of-a-kind, and NEVER duplicated. Unlike the “originals” offered by many artists, I never work with stock designs, just tinkering with details or color. However, if you see an image, or a shape, a color-scheme, or some other detail that draws you, please let me know. Always, though, be confident that your ketubah will be truly unique, and will never be copied or reproduced.
DO YOU USE HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS? I use the highest quality papers and other materials on every ketubah, regardless of price. Papers are acid-free, glues, and the silks and boards I use for mounting ketubot are all conservation-quality, and only the most lightfast inks and paints, non-tarnishable 24KT gold leaf and palladium go into every work I create. You will receive your ketubah in the specially-made, color-coordinated protective display envelope in which you should take it to your wedding. I’ll also send you the pen, filled with lightfast ink, for signing your ketubah. Each work is carefully constructed to last many generations if framed to the conservation standards that every high-quality framer knows.
WHAT TEXTS DO YOU USE? I can work with any variant of the traditional Aramaic text that you and your rabbi prefer (including the Conservative Movement Lieberman text). I have my own fine modern egalitarian texts in Hebrew and English to accompany the traditional text or stand alone, in the case of Reform or Reconstructionist ketubot, and am familiar with most of the leading such texts available today. We will discuss the most appropriate texts during our initial meeting.
HOW DO WE PAY FOR OUR KETUBAH? I ask for a deposit of 50% of the cost upon signing the commission contract, with the remainder due prior to shipping or picking up your ketubah. Payment may be made by personal check, bank transfer or credit card.
WHEN WILL WE RECEIVE OUR KETUBAH? My policy is to ship (or invite you to pick up) your ketubah at least one month prior to the wedding date.
OK, HOW DO WE GET STARTED? Drop me an e-mail or give a call and we’ll schedule some time either by video-chat or in my studio to have a first meeting to discuss your lives and begin to design your own original ketubah.
OTHER QUESTIONS? Contact me by telephone (301)765-6248 or e-mail with any other queries.