At Essential Jewellery, we believe you should know the story behind the jewellery you wear.
In a world of fast fashion and mass production, it's easy to wonder where products really come from and who made them. That's why we're sharing the behind the scenes to show you exactly how our jewellery is made, where it's sourced and the skilled people behind every piece.
As a family- run business transparency into this industry has always been important to us, we feel it is important you know where your jewellery is from and how much effort, product testing and production goes into choosing each piece for our collections.
Choosing the Right Partners
We don't manufacture jewellery ourselves. Instead, we work with trusted manufacturing partners who are experts in what they do.
Over the last 36 years, we've built long-standing relationships with suppliers across Thailand, Italy, Poland, India and Hong Kong. Rather than constantly switching manufacturers, we choose to work with partners we've come to know and trust.
We regularly visit our suppliers and they also visit us, see the manufacturing process firsthand and work closely together to ensure every piece meets the quality standards our customers expect.
One of our Bangkok-based partners, for example, creates flexible opportunities for women who may otherwise struggle to access traditional employment. Materials are provided directly to women who can handcraft pieces from home, allowing them to earn an income while working around family responsibilities.
It's one of the reasons long-term relationships matter to us. We want to know the people and processes behind the jewellery we sell, not just the finished product.
Read more about our relationship with this supplier here.
Crafted by Skilled Hands
Behind every piece of jewellery is a team of incredibly skilled craftspeople.
Many of the finishing stages are still completed by hand, from polishing and stone setting to quality inspections. These are skills developed over years of experience, with every detail carefully checked before a piece is ready to leave the factory.
It's this level of craftsmanship that helps create jewellery designed to be worn and loved for years.
It All Starts with Wax
Believe it or not, every piece begins life as wax.
A detailed wax model is created first, which is then used to produce the mould for casting the sterling silver. For some styles, the initial design can also be developed using CAD technology, depending on the type of jewellery being made.
One detail we love? One of our leading manufacturing partners creates a completely separate wax mould for every ring size.
Some manufacturers simply stretch one ring mould to create different sizes. While that's faster, it can change the proportions of the design.
Creating a new mould for every size takes more time and skill, but it means every ring keeps its intended shape and fit rather than being distorted for cheaper mass production.
Sometimes, it's the details you never see that make the biggest difference.
From Wax to Wear
Once the wax model is complete, it’s used to create a casting mould. Molten 925 sterling silver is then poured into the mould and left to cool, creating the shape of the jewellery.
But the casting is only the beginning.
Once removed from the mould, each piece is carefully filed and tumbled to remove imperfections and smooth the surface. Where needed, individual parts are then soldered together, such as attaching a stud post to an earring or joining a pendant to its bale.
The jewellery then goes through both rough and fine polishing, gradually creating the smooth finish you see on the finished piece.
Gold-plated designs are then finished with a layer of gold over sterling silver.
Before leaving the factory, every piece goes through quality checks to ensure it meets the standards we expect.
Why We Source Around the World
Every country has its own speciality, and we believe in working with the experts.
Thailand is renowned for sterling silver craftsmanship and is where most of our jewellery is made.
Italy is famous for producing high-quality chains, hoops and tube jewellery using specialist machinery.
Poland is home to some of the world's finest Baltic amber.
India is where many of our beautiful gemstones are sourced before being set into jewellery in Thailand.
Hong Kong is an important jewellery hub, particularly for freshwater cultured pearls.
By sourcing from a variety of specialists, we can offer the best quality across every collection.
Quality Over Quantity
We're incredibly selective about the jewellery we add to our collections.
Every piece is chosen for its craftsmanship, finish and quality before becoming part of Essential Jewellery.
Our manufacturing partners carry out quality checks throughout production, and we continue those checks by testing the jewellery in house before jewellery reaches our customers.
If it doesn't meet our standards, it doesn't make it into the collection.
Recycled Sterling Silver
One of our leading manufacturing partners uses recycled sterling silver in many of the pieces they produce.
Recycled sterling silver is exactly the same quality as newly mined sterling silver. It can be melted down, refined and reused again and again without losing its strength, durability or beauty.
It's one of the ways our suppliers continue to invest in more responsible manufacturing while producing jewellery that's made to last.
Built on Trust
We've spent years building trusted relationships with specialist suppliers around the world. Those partnerships are one of the reasons we're able to offer genuine 925 sterling silver jewellery at exceptional value.
While we keep our suppliers' identities private, we're proud to be transparent about how our jewellery is made, the materials we use and the people behind the process.
For us, transparency isn't about revealing every business relationship. It's about showing you the care, craftsmanship and expertise that goes into every piece.
Jewellery with a Story
Every piece of jewellery has a journey.
From a wax model carefully created by hand, to molten sterling silver, filing, tumbling, soldering, polishing, gemstone setting and rigorous quality checks, every stage is completed with skill and attention to detail.
When you choose Essential Jewellery, you're not just choosing a beautiful piece to wear. You're choosing genuine craftsmanship, trusted partnerships and jewellery that's been made with care from start to finish.
