Frequently asked questions.

A diorama is a fully preserved, sealed world — built with dried and treated botanicals, moss, miniatures, and other materials that will never change. No watering, no light requirements, no maintenance. It lives on a shelf and looks exactly the same in ten years as it does today. These can ship anywhere in the US.

A terrarium is a living ecosystem — real plants growing in a glass vessel. It requires light, occasional watering, and a bit of attention. Because living plants can't safely travel, terrariums are available for local pickup in the Denton / DFW area only.

Preserved dioramas require no maintenance at all. Keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent fading over time, avoid high-humidity rooms like bathrooms, and dust gently if needed. That's it.

Living terrariums need indirect bright light and light watering every one to two weeks. Care instructions are included with every living piece. If you have questions about your specific terrarium at any point after picking it up, reach out — we're happy to help.

Yes, completely. Every piece is built once and never reproduced. The specific combination of vessel, botanicals, placement, and theme is unique to that build. Sold pieces remain visible in the gallery as portfolio — so you can see past work for commission inspiration — but they can't be purchased again.

Possibly. Not everything we bring to markets is listed online, and some pieces sell at the booth. If you saw something specific, email us at hello@ariaterrarium.com and describe it — we may still have it, or we can point you toward something similar in the gallery or commission process.

It starts with the Commission Wizard on this site — a short guided process that captures your vision, preferred style, size, budget, and timeline. We respond personally within 48 hours with a concept direction and a transparent quote.

Once you're happy with the quote, a 50% deposit secures your build slot. We send photo updates throughout the build. The remaining balance is due at completion, before shipping or pickup.

It varies depending on complexity, the materials involved, and our current build queue. We discuss and agree on a timeline before your deposit is taken — there are no vague 'a few weeks' estimates. If anything changes during the build, we communicate immediately.

If you have a specific deadline (a birthday, a holiday, an event), tell us at the start. We'll confirm whether it's achievable before you commit to anything.

We limit active builds to four at a time. This isn't a calendar rule — it's a capacity limit based on how many pieces we can build simultaneously without quality suffering. Some builds take longer due to special materials or complexity; they stay in the queue without blocking new slots when they're not actively being worked on.

The Commission Wizard shows live slot availability when you reach the final step.

Yes. The person paying for the commission and the person receiving it can be different. The deposit secures the slot in your name. The intended recipient can then work directly with us on the design — or you can surprise them and handle all the decisions yourself. Just let us know at the start how you'd like to handle it.

Note that slots are tied to the piece being built, not to a specific person. They're non-transferable in the sense that you can't re-assign the slot to a different project — but gifting is absolutely fine.

Deposits are non-refundable once materials have been sourced and work has begun. If you need to cancel before that point, contact us directly and we'll do our best to accommodate. We're a small studio and we handle these things like people, not policies.

The Gallery and sold-piece archive on this site are the best reference — especially pieces marked 'Found a Home,' which show the full range of what we've built. You can click any sold piece and hit 'Want one like this?' to start a commission pre-filled with that piece as inspiration.

Preserved dioramas ship anywhere in the United States. Living terrariums are available for local pickup in Denton / DFW only — they can't be safely shipped.

We don't currently ship internationally, but if you're outside the US and interested in a piece, reach out and we'll see what's possible.

Photograph the outer packaging and the piece immediately upon arrival. Contact us within 48 hours of confirmed delivery at hello@ariaterrarium.com and we'll work with you toward a resolution. We can't accept damage claims reported after that window.

We pack everything carefully and specifically for the vessel type — damage is rare, but we take it seriously when it happens.

Yes. Local pickup is available at our Denton, TX studio by arrangement, and at any market or convention where we have a booth. If you purchase online with 'Market Pickup' as your delivery option, we'll hold the piece at our booth and contact you to coordinate.

Yes — for online orders, you can select 'This is a gift' at checkout and include a personal message. We'll make sure it's packaged appropriately. For commissions, mention it at the start and we'll handle it at completion.

We don't offer shipping insurance as a separate add-on. Instead, we invest in packaging quality — every piece is packed specifically for its vessel type and dimensions. USPS Priority Mail, which we use for most shipments, includes automatic coverage for qualifying items.

If your piece arrives damaged, our 48-hour damage claim policy covers you. See the Store Policy for full details.

Yes, occasionally. We run terrarium and diorama workshops in the Denton area — typically small groups with hands-on instruction. Dates and registration are listed on the Events page.

If there's nothing currently scheduled, you can sign up on that page to be notified when the next one is announced.

We've done private sessions for small groups — birthdays, team events, that kind of thing. It's not a standard offering yet, but email us at hello@ariaterrarium.com and we'll talk through what might work.

We work out of a home studio, so drop-in visits aren't available. The best way to see our work in person is at one of our market or convention appearances — dates are on the Events page. Commission customers are sometimes able to arrange pickup in person; we'll discuss that during the commission process.

Email us directly at hello@ariaterrarium.com. We read every message and respond personally. There's no support queue or ticket system — just us.