A small house, on purpose
Aurelis makes about four hundred pieces a year. That number is a decision, not a limitation, and it is the reason everything below is possible.
How a piece gets made
A piece starts as a drawing and a weight. The weight matters more than the drawing, because it decides whether the thing will survive being worn or whether it will bend the first time it catches on a coat pocket.
From there it is carved in wax, cast, and then almost entirely remade by hand. Casting gets you a rough approximation of a piece of jewellery. Everything that makes it worth owning happens afterwards, with files.
Setting is the part that cannot be rushed. A pavé line of thirty stones takes most of a day if the stones are to sit level, and stones that do not sit level are the difference between something that sparkles and something that glitters.
One setter carries a piece from bare metal to finished and marks the inside of the band. If something is wrong with your ring in ten years, there is a name attached to it.
Where the stones come from
Four cutters. Two in Antwerp, one in Jaipur, one in Bangkok. We have bought from all four for long enough that they call us when something unusual comes through rather than putting it on the open market.
Every diamond over half a carat arrives with a GIA report and leaves with it. Coloured stones come with origin documentation where origin can honestly be established, and without it where it cannot. We would rather say we do not know than guess in a direction that flatters the price.
Caring for a piece
Warm water, a drop of dish soap, a soft brush. Nothing else. Ultrasonic cleaners are fine for plain gold and will loosen a pavé setting over enough cycles, which is why jewellers own them and customers should not.
Sizing
Measure at the end of the day, when your hands are at their largest, and measure the hand you will wear it on. If you land between two sizes take the larger. A ring that is slightly loose is an inconvenience; one that is tight is unwearable in summer.
Returns and resizing
Thirty days to return anything unworn, made-to-order pieces included. One free resize in the first year. Beyond that we charge for the metal and not the labour.