Perimeter Arts Gallery & Custom Framing

A great place to frame and mount your Rice sheepskin diploma… if you’re not in a hurry.
After getting duped by Aaron Brothers, my Rice sheepskin diploma started wrinkling because they failed to properly mount the document. They claimed that they were able to properly frame my diploma, but within weeks it started wrinkling as it hung on my office wall. I called them back to complain, but they claimed there was nothing that they can do since they didn’t know how to properly frame it — oh, the lies!
In complete frustration, i went onto Unilocal to see which nearby framing companies could help me out. With only a few reviews but close proximity to the Rice campus, I decided to give Perimeter a shot. Upon walking in, the store is a little cluttered with frames and artwork everywhere. Walking up to the even more cluttered front desk in the back left of the store, I was greeted by Aubrey, who said that he could fix the mounting mess that Aaron Brothers left me for only $ 75 — not bad, if you ask me. He quickly took my contact information down and casually said that it shouldn’t take more than a week to complete and that he would call me next week to collect it.
After 3 weeks had passed, I finally decided to drop by the shop to check in. Aubrey said that he was planning to work on it the next day, since there hasn’t been a low-​humidity day over the past few weeks (not so sure about that though…). Another 2 weeks went, and I finally gave Aubrey a call to get another update. He said he was going to work on it that morning, and to my surprise, he called me in two hours letting me know that it was done!
Overall, the diploma looks great and hasn’t wrinkled over the past week or so. Besides the extremely long wait time and the disappointment I faced after being promised a quick turnover in work, my experience with Aubrey was much better than with Aaron Brothers.

If you graduated from Rice or have any sheepskin that needs to be framed, check this place out. Aubrey has been framing sheepskins for years and this is probably a safe bet for you. You can buy your own frame elsewhere or use one of the selections he provides you with. His price is inline with the average market value. He’s also a funny guy and provides great customer service. (Note: If you want an official Rice medallion, you’ll have purchase the frame directly from a licensed reseller.)
But with that said, here’s why I only gave this place 3 stars.
Both my wife and I graduated from Rice. I chose the sheepskin option while she chose the regular parchment option. Since we don’t live in Houston anymore, our visits here are rare. Aubrey guaranteed a 2-​week competition time but he actually missed the deadline. So we didn’t get our diplomas until 3 months later. (–1 star)
Now, when we actually picked up the diplomas, my wife’s diploma was crooked. Not too much but definitely noticeable when placed side-​by-​side with my diploma. If you’ve never seen a crooked frame, let’s just say that it’s one of the biggest eyesore you’ll ever see. You have this gorgeous looking giant frame and everything looks perfect… except this one tiny thing. It was also my fault for not checking properly when picking it up (I was in a rush) but I didn’t expect this from a professional framing service. Since I don’t live in Houston, I had to get it reframed somewhere else. (–1 star)
Also, the sheepskin framing method has been up for debate for a long time. There isn’t really a one single way to do it correctly. Aubrey literally frames it with a back board so that it lies perfectly flat. It works and I guess most people are fine with that. However, I’ve done a lot of research myself too and one of the main reasons for getting a sheepskin (as opposed to regular parchment) is to have a more «natural» look, which can involve some slight wrinkles that changes throughout the year. I actually had my sheepskin framed differently for 2 years with a more «natural» look from another reputable framer from my city. He has over 30 years of experience framing sheepskin and has a lot of support behind his method as well. Having seen both styles, I think I prefer the more «natural» look it had before. Oh well.
I would definitely recommend this place if you need something framed (don’t go to those big craft stores). But just make sure to check you item very carefully and remember that there are more than one way to frame a sheepskin.

I had a wooden puzzled framed at Perimeter for Christmas 2013. I wanted to be able to show the intricate puzzle pieces, so the back had to be clear as well. The owner, Aubrey Mendonca, recommended two different materials and a unique way of securing the puzzle in place.
It turned out AWESOME!!! It was on time and reasonably priced. I’ll be back!

Aubrey has now framed two very important things for me, and each time they’ve been done wonderfully and quickly! He’s got a dry sense of humor and is totally honest with you about what you should do with a piece. This is a gem in a world of overpriced frames; he will not disappoint.

i graduated from rice university and received my sheepskin diploma last may. when i started to do some research about framing sheepskin, it was difficult to find anyone who would frame it. i also found out that a large percentage of places who did offer the service are not actually trained to do it correctly. the sheepskin framing process is pretty complicated and if done incorrectly, can damage your diploma forever. at rice, a replacement diploma is $ 120 so i definitely wanted to get it done right the first time. i visited perimeter gallery because it was just down the street from rice and supposedly had tons of experience with rice diplomas (which btw are huge — 18“x23″). it was a small store and had a good selection of frames to choose from, along with lots of sample pieces of matted and framed rice diplomas. aubrey also showed me lots of examples of peoples’ diplomas that were framed at various other places (mostly outside of houston) that were completely messed up. apparently some places just frame sheepskin as if it were a piece of regular paper, disregarding the fact that it can shrivel up with heat and humidity. sheepskin needs to be mounted in a certain way, usually using water. it’s complicated, so lots of people try to take a shortcut route and figure the customer will never know the difference. he showed me examples of diplomas that were taped to the mat and others that were glued — all incorrect ways of framing sheepskin. aubrey said that you might not be able to tell the difference for the first ten years, but with time, the acid from the tape or glue will yellow the sheepskin or the sheepskin will shrink and become wavy rather than flat. i took aubrey’s advice and decided to get my diploma framed in houston even though i was in san antonio at the time. i shopped around at some other framing places in houston, but none of the prices were as good as the package that aubrey offered at perimeter. i actually found a frame at a place that would have charged about $ 30 more, but aubrey said that he could order it for me and i would pay the same amount as if i had just chosen a frame off his wall. he also let me choose a custom mat and a custom size for the mat. all the work was completed in less than a week and now i have a sleek framed diploma that will last for years. aubrey did an excellent job and was very flexible with my being from a different city. he offered to have the framed diploma shipped, but i happened to have a friend who could pick it up for me. in the end it all worked out perfectly. the only downside was that the price, although cheaper than the other places in houston that i visited, was still $ 300. i’ve heard of lots of places that will frame sheepskin for as low as $ 50 – 100, but i don’t know how trustworthy those places are.

If I could give Aubrey at Perimeter Gallery 10 stars, I would. He is the framing wizard. His selection may appear small upon first glance, but he is always willing to cater to whatever you can dream up. I had one of a kind prints from Indonesia and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with them but Aubrey. While I moved away for over a year, he kept my pieces without complaint.
I have worked with him for professional and personal framing needs and he gets the job done. Also, not only is he incredibly fair in pricing, but he is a delight to work with. His sense of humor is a breath of fresh air.