Materials - no concessions
We craft our jewelry from the finest possible materials so that they're fit for your life, and will last a lifetime. We scrutinise every single gem, pearl and ounce of gold to make sure it meets the highest standards, and exceeds your (righteously) high expectations.
Gold
We only use real, solid 18-karat and 14-karat gold in our jewelry and we're one of very few fine jewelers to work in gold vermeil, giving you the most choice.
Diamonds
We're fastidious about our diamonds. We track every single one from mine to workshop to ensure they come from the most verifiably ethical and environmentally sound sources.
Pearls
Pearls come in various shapes, but round ones – the only kind AUrate uses – are the rarest and most valuable. They're made up of layer upon layers of crystals.
Our Gold
We only use real, solid 18-karat and 14-karat gold in our jewelry. The number of karats tells you how many 24ths of the total piece is pure gold (so 18 karats is 18/24 parts, or 75%, pure gold). The remaining percentage is an alloy, added to enhance the durability and hardness of naturally soft gold.
Vermeil pieces are silver, plated with gold. The definition of vermeil requires at least 10-karat gold to a thickness of 1.5 microns. Ours is 14-karat, and over 2.5 microns thick, because we're generous like that.
Originality by design
We make the jewelry we always wanted to wear but could never find. Some of our pieces are statements, some of them are classic staples, all of them are completely original – and so are the ways you can mix them up or switch them out depending on your plans, your mood, or whether your boss is coming in that day.
Learn moreThe gold
Our 18-karat gold is the perfect blend of pure and enduring, and our 14-karat gold, with its rich tone, is an even more practical (but still gorgeous) choice. We're one of very few fine jewelers to work in 18-karat, 14-karat and also gold vermeil, giving you the most choice.
Our Diamonds
The most straightforward way to size up your diamonds is using the 'four Cs': Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat weight, all of which are standardized by the Gemological Institute of the America.
Color
The perfect diamond is totally colorless, and is graded a 'D' on a scale that runs through Z (light color). We only use diamonds graded Colorless (D to F) or Near Colorless (G to J).
Cut
More than just the shape of your diamond, the cut is what determines exactly how your diamond sparkles – a correctly proportioned cut will return light from the top of the diamond, making it twinkle irresistibly. All of our diamond cuts are graded 'very good' or 'better' on the standardized scale.
Clarity
This describes any imperfections or 'inclusions' in your diamond (the clearer, the better). We'll only use diamonds graded S1 or higher – called 'Eye-Clean', where any inclusions are invisible to the naked eye.
Carat
Commonly thought to describe the size of your diamond, 'carat' actually refers to its weight. A bigger diamond isn't always better, though – diamonds that aren't as colorless or well-cut can actually look smaller.
Pearls
Our large freshwater pearls are the highest quality AAA-grade, plucked from the South Sea and reaching up to 12mm in size. Our smaller Akoya pearls, ranging from 6.0 to 8.5mm, are found in Japan.