MATERIALS & CARE
We are committed to sustainable and ethical practices throughout our entire creative process. Having a circular approach to jewelry, we thoughtfully create modern heirlooms that are made to last. Respecting the environment, people and animals are very important to us.
We design and carefully handcraft our jewelry in our studio in Luxembourg.
OUR MATERIALS
All our pieces are made with responsibly-sourced materials. We are mainly working with local suppliers in France and Germany.
THE MATERIALS THAT WE USE EXPLAINED:
925 Silver and 935 Silver
We use 925 Sterling Silver as well as 935 Argentium Silver.
The main difference is that argentium silver consists of 93,5% pure silver compared to 925 silver with an amount of 92,5%. The remaining alloys in 935 silver are 5,5% copper and 1% germanium while 925 silver is usually made up of 7,5% copper. This makes 935 silver very resistant to fire stain and it improves durability. The resulting jewelry normally has a much whiter and brighter appearance and stays longer shiny.
Additionally, argentium silver is gentler on the environment as it is made of recycled silver and offers better traceability. We do not yet offer everything in 935 silver, as we can not yet find all types of findings that we use in argentium silver, but we try to as much as we can.
If a piece is fully made in 935 silver, you can find it in the product description next to the item.
If it’s not 935 silver, we use 925 silver that is recycled.
The pieces we make in 925 silver are plated with rhodium to keep the shine longer.
Gold Vermeil
For our pieces in Gold Vermeil, we use 925 or 935 silver as base metal and a coating of 18k gold with a thick layer of gold.
Unlike other gold plating, in order to be regarded as Vermeil, a piece needs to consist of a thicker layer of gold, at least 2.5 microns and of higher quality, plated over a silver base.
We work together with a local electroplater that carefully coats our pieces with 3 microns of gold. All our rings are plated with 5 microns of gold as rings in general will wear off more quickly.
18k has a rich and strong yellow tone compared to 14k gold.
14k Gold
We use 14k Gold as it is extremely durable and does not tarnish or oxidize fast. It is composed of 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. As it is resistant to wear and tear, it is perfect for your every day.
14k has a beautiful bright hue and has a paler yellow than 18k gold.
Lab-grown gemstones
Lab-grown gemstones are chemically, physically and optically identical to gemstones mined underground. We choose to use them for our pieces as they are a more ethical and environmentally friendly.
Glass beads
Our glass beads are either handmade by artisans or vintage.
Pearls
Our pearls are vintage and vegan (they are made out of glass)
OUR PACKAGING
The packaging that we use to safely ship your new jewels is environmentally-friendly. This means that our jewelry boxes as well as our mailer boxes are made out of recycled material - FSC®-certified white cardboard and water-based glue in Denmark. You can find the ECO stamp under our boxes. All of our packaging is recyclable.
LAÔMA ATELIER is a creative studio that was founded in Summer 2021 by sisters Laura and Martine Feiereisen combining their love for jewelry, design and photography.
Together, they thoughtfully design and handcraft sculptural and fluid jewelry and body adornments in small batches in their Luxembourg based atelier, which allows them to have a responsible production.
Creating well-balanced objects that connect and move with the body made out of precious metals. Crafted from durable and responsibly-sourced materials, they aim to create wearable sculptures to last beyond seasons.The pieces are made-to-order to avoid overproduction, so they can keep their environmental impact to a minimum.
The manual process of making jewelry is meditative for them. Like the practice of yoga, it is an endless process of self-experimentation, learning, dedication and repeating. Fascinated by the interplay between soft - hard, liquid - solid and wax - metal, they explore materiality and find poetry in form.
Craftmanship
LAÔMA is built on kindness and consciousness. Coming from a family of woodworkers, they have always been deeply interested in different materials as well as traditional craftmanship. Watching their father work in his atelier, showed them the dedication to the handcrafting process and the importance of quality and longevity. They believe that honoring the artisanship behind objects, knowing how they are made and who they are made by, is very significant in a world where a lot of people have lost touch with the product they buy.
Creating is a process for them that often starts with a thought, a dialogue, an emotion or a memory and sometimes with no intention - carving and fluidly sculpting the wax until it evolves into its final form. Designed with wearability in mind, their collections comprise of reimagined classics combined with statement pieces. From finding the shapes of their designs, to forming the metal, soldering parts together and giving the pieces the last finish, they carefully work on each step.
Growing up in a small country, always having been surrounded by nature but living in different cities like Berlin, Melbourne, Paris and New York over the years, they draw their inspiration from the pulse of big cities, contemporary art and architecture as well as landscapes and phenomenon in nature. After studying Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing in Paris, they took Metal and Jewelry Arts classes at Pratt Institute in New York while working in a studio in Brooklyn to create their first pieces for LAÔMA.
Contemporary aesthetics are paired with traditional craftsmanship using metalsmith techniques and lost-wax casting to create high-quality jewels that can be passed down from generation to generation.
They are also involved in all their artistic direction as well as their photography and videos. Having a background in photography, Laura takes all of their campaign shoots and product photos.