Sharon,
Many artists who paint on gallery wrapped canvases leave the edges unfinished. I have asked artists to go back and paint the edges for a client. This means either wrapping the painting around the edges or simply painting them a complimentary solid color. The artists are usually happy to oblige. She should offer to reimburse for their time, though.
If she has an artist in mind, there is always the commission route. If she is not ready for the committment, maybe she can simply pay the difference in cost between a standard canvas and gallery wrapped so the artist can paint freely and she is under no obligation to buy (probably a sub $50 investment).
There have been a few times where my clients have requested the exposed look, but the piece we found was too shallow to pull it off. They were very satisfied with the floater frame effect. Contemporary, slick, and finished.
Hope this helps,
Danielle