ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR JEWELS
You’ve asked for it, we answer all your questions!
Learn everything you need to know about our jewels from the design process to the jewelry care steps.
Let us guide you through the full process at DRAE.
DESIGN PROCESS
All our jewels are designed by our founder, Aurelie. As the main brain of the brand, she always starts by looking at the upcoming trends in the fashion industry and then adapts them to DRAE’s identity. Once she’s set, she draws sketches of the jewels she has in mind to our manufacturer with all the specifications including specks, desired metals and other specifications.
Then our manufacturer sends us videos of the 3D samples created from the sketch. Once they are approved, our manufacturer sends us the samples so we can try them out and adjust the products according to our needs. If she likes it the way they are, the samples then go to the testing process.
TESTING PROCESS
The testing process means that we’ve received and approved the samples and that it’s time to test them to make sure they respect the quality standards we’ve established at DRAE. Meaning that they are long-lasting jewels that won’t tarnish and that will be water-resistant.
In that order, each member of our team will test the products on a daily basis. From wearing them at the gym, to taking them to the pool or simply wearing them all day long for a minimum of 2 weeks. If the samples pass the test, we then place the order with our manufacturer. That’s when you’ll finally be able to buy our products from our website.
COMPOSITIONS
Did you know our jewels are tarnished free and water resistant? Well, now you know! At DRAE we want to ensure a high level of quality and to guarantee long-lasting products, we meticulously select each metal so you can wear them all day long and everywhere you go. Our jewels are made from silver sterling 925 and either plated with 14K gold metal or plated with rhodium for our silver jewels. If you don’t know what it means, find out down here.
SILVER STERLING 925
We want the best of the best just for you! That’s why we make our jewels with high quality material. Each of our jewels are based with a Silver Sterling 925. What does that mean you might think? The 925 stamp represents the purity of the silver we use to create our jewels. Ours are composed with 92.5% of silver and the 7.5% left represent an additional metal.
GOLD PLATING
Now, our gold jewels are not only composed of silver sterling 925. We actually plate them with 4 to 6 microns of 14K to 18K gold metal. That means, it won’t tarnish and you can wear them all day long! Isn’t it fantastic?
RHODIUM PLATING
Why are our silver gems so bright? It’s simple! We want you to have the shiniest jewels of all. That’s why not only we make our jewel with silver sterling 925, but we also plate them with rhodium to give a beautiful polished look to our jewels. You can almost say our silver is white. That’s what makes them so special and unique.
STAINLESS STEEL
As some of our jewels are chunkier, we sometimes go with a base of stainless steel. In that case we will still plate them with 14K/18K gold metal or with silver sterling 925.
CRYSTALS
People often ask us if our crystals are real. Not to disappoint you, but if they were, I promise they would cost you a lot more.
Although they are not real crystals, they are still real stones and still good quality. The stone we use is called AAA cubic zirconias. Let us explain what this means! Like you will see in a diamond evaluation, a specialist will look at the cut, quality, and colour. It’s pretty much the same for cubic zirconias. So an AAA-rated cubic zirconia stone is considered as the most popular grade for high-quality fashion jewelry.
FRESHWATER PEARLS
The same question will come for our products made with pearls. Are your pearls real? Our pearls may not be the typical natural saltwater pearls you find, but we can assure you they are real pearls. Ours simply come from non-saline waters which means they grow in lakes, rivers and ponds. That’s why they are called freshwater pearls. We select ours in white, but they also come in pastel shades of pink, lilac and peach.
ALLERGIC REACTIONS
If you’re concerned your skin will turn green or get a rash from an allergic reaction, do not worry! Unless you have a specific allergy to silver or gold, our jewels are hypoallergenic. If you usually get skin reactions to jewels, always make sure to go with high quality products such as ours.
JEWELRY CARE
You want to keep your jewels as shiny as possible? You want to be able to wear them every day, no matter what your activity is leading you on? Well, this doesn’t come easy without proper care. Follow our steps on how to clean your jewelry right here.
ASK YOUR QUESTIONS
Now that you know a little more about our jewelry, we want to hear your questions. Send us what else you’d like to know about jewels and we’ll make a second blog.
