How and where is the jewelry from DEAR DARLING BERLIN made? We tell you all about this in this exciting article. In February 2022 we visited our production in beautiful Tuscany (Italy) and documented the entire process for you - from the blank to the finished piece of jewelry. Did you know, for example, that an earring is lovingly worked on by up to 9+ different people before it finally ends up in your jewelry box?
We speak openly about our values - and we live them: sustainable action, a family working atmosphere and transparency. That's why we only work with trustworthy manufacturers, family businesses and long-standing jewelry experts who - just like us - strive for excellent quality, unique designs and responsible production.
Where is our jewelry produced?
Our jewelry is made locally in Italy and Germany. It is important to us to know the people who make our jewelry and to know that they work under fair conditions and with love for their craft. Because we transport this love - and send it to your home in small, high-quality boxes.
Around 40 people work in our production facility in the romantic heart of Italy - Tuscany. The majority of management and employees there are women. High-quality silver jewelry has been made here in a family atmosphere for 30 years. When you walk through the factory you can feel the passion and expertise for jewelry crafts everywhere.
How is a piece of jewelry made?
After the designs and models for our collection have been finalized (from the first sketch to the finished 3D model), we go into production! This means that the pieces of jewelry are cast or cut at very high temperatures and a blank is created.
There is a lot of love and many hours of handwork in each and every one of our pieces of jewelry, because a Dear Darling piece of jewelry does not come out of the machine 'finished', but is put together individually and individually with attention to detail.
For example, the blank of our popular earring is a twisted creole initially completely 'round' and is first cut into shape.
The blank is then made into an earring! For this purpose, the open ends are closed for a high-quality look and the pin with closure is soldered in place. Whether a piece of jewelry is 'hollow' or solid on the inside depends largely on the size and style of the design. For wider earrings, a hollow shape is usually used as it is lighter and therefore more comfortable to wear.
Once the pin is fixed, it's time to polish. Each of our pieces of jewelry is carefully polished by hand , assisted by a professional polishing machine. This is where the somewhat rough surface of the raw silver gets its unique shine. Fine jewelry is polished by hand. For coarser chains, a vibrating machine is used in which small ceramic particles grind the surface.
Last but not least: Our jewelry now receives its high-quality, long-lasting 18-carat gold plating or rhodium plating . For this purpose, each earring is attached to a special hanger, which then goes through a complex finishing process until you finally hold the finished piece of jewelry in your hands. The finishing process, also known as electroplating , is carried out under the strictest quality and safety standards by a maximum of 1-2 people who have completed special training.
Our production also has a state-of-the-art drainage and cleaning system.
It is important for us at DEAR DARLING BERLIN to give you transparent insights into our production. We believe you deserve to know how and where your jewelry is made. And we are incredibly proud to be able to work with such wonderful partners! That's why we regularly check on-site to ensure occupational safety and product quality.
Last but not least, our beautiful jewelry has to be dried before it makes its way to us, where it is lovingly packed in our DEAR DARLING BERLIN jewelry boxes. There are special drying ovens for this - basically like an oven for jewelry! This process may take a few hours depending on the complexity of the design.
Before the jewelry makes its way to us from Italy, the quality is checked again by the wonderful team on site . On our necklaces, for example the pearl choker , our logo tag is also attached by hand.
We hope we were able to give you some exciting insights! Do you have any additional questions about us or our production? Then feel free to write to us at any time. Take a look at our Instagram channel for even more behind the scenes impressions!
♡ Your DEAR DARLING team
