If you're really interested in learning about spokes and wheelbuilding, there's a couple of good books out there. One is called "the Bicycle Wheel," by Jobst Brandt, a mechanical engineer (or former one) at Hewlett Packard, and the other is "The Art of Wheelbuilding," by Gerd Schraner, a race mechanic for professional and amateur racers for over 45 years.

You could have the best spokes and rims in the world, but if the wheel isn't properly tensioned, it won't matter. Equal optimum tension and truing, isn't always the same thing to each wheelbuilder, unfortunately. I would make sure your builder uses a tensiometer. It's even more critical for the rear.