JEWELLERY MAKING
WHERE AND HOW IS YOUR JEWELLERY MADE?
All Maja Lava jewellery is made by hand.
Depending on the design, I handcraft the pieces out of silver/gold wire or sheet, as well as I form them into a wax model that gets casted.
The studio where I make the jewellery is in Utrecht, Netherlands. It’s a metalsmith workshop – Edelsmederij van der Leen, that I share with several colleagues goldsmiths.
All the pieces are formed, assembled and finished by hand, by me in our metalsmith workshop. This means that the collections are made in small batches. There is no over production and no waste.
The casting is done professionally by a small casting foundry nearby Utrecht.
Each Maja Lava piece is made with love and attention to the detail.
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE YOUR JEWELLERY?
CAN I LET AN ORDER ARRIVE AS A GIFT TO ANOTHER ADDRESS THAN MINE?
Of course!
When you place your order, you can fill in the address you want me to send your gift.
All the jewellery comes nicely packed, in an elegant jewellery box.
I WOULD LIKE TO ORDER A CUSTOM PIECE MADE BY YOU. DO YOU ACCEPT COMMISSIONS?
Custom pieces are on hold at this moment.
Exceptions go to the making of the wedding rings. I have a few spots each month reserved for soon to be married couples. Let me know if you are looking for wedding rings and you would like to make an appointment!
MATERIALS
RECYCLED
Did you know that gold and silversmiths are one of the oldest recyclers?
These materials have always been precious and recycling is an important part of the trade.
In our workshop, no metal goes to waste. The workbenches are designed to capture all the silver and gold which doesn’t end up in the design. And all the metal dust that ends up on the floor gets collected too – the vacuum cleaning bags are sent to a refinery so that the metal dust can be reused.
I put every effort to use as much recycled material from suppliers as possible.
The gold I use is 99% recycled.
For the silver the percentages are just a bit lower at the moment, and I’m looking into the ways to use only recycled silver from the suppliers as well.
SILVER
Maja Lava silver jewellery is made out of sterling silver (925).
925 means that 92.5% out of 100% is pure silver and the copper holds 7.5%.
This alloy is called sterling silver and is most commonly used due to its strongness and durability.
BLACK – OXIDISED SILVER
Black coloured jewellery is made out of sterling silver. Due to a chemical process, the copper in the sterling silver alloy reacts and tarnishes, which makes the silver turn black.
However, this is a process that happens on a surface of the jewellery. Under that, the silver keeps its original silver colour.
Notice that through extensive wear, the surface layer which is oxidised can wear off, and the original silver will become visible. This will especially happen on places where there is friction, with rings in particular .
You can always send me a piece which you want to have oxidised again and I will do it for a small charge (€5 + sending costs).
GOLD
Maja Lava gold jewellery is made of 14K and 18K Gold.
The gold I use is 99% recycled.
Do you have old gold jewellery at home that you never wear? We can melt it and make a new piece out of it. Contact me if you would like to know more about this option.
Making your new jewellery out of old gold is at this moment only available if you live in the Netherlands.
GOLD PLATED
Gold plated jewellery is made of sterling silver with a layer of gold.
The plating is a 2 micron, a thick layer that will last long.
In the description of the item it is mentioned if a piece is gold plated silver or 14K / 18K pure gold. Pieces in pure gold will have 14K / 18K gold in their name.
If you are not sure about gold plated or pure gold, contact me, I will gladly help you out!
