Ethical jewelry

Environmental Policy

I handcraft eco-friendly jewelry in New York City, my collection is sold throughout the United States and internationally. I am passionate about the living consciously and committed to continually improving my environmental performance as part of my business strategy and operations. I hope as a customer you will enjoy reading a bit of background to how I am doing my small part to provide you with not only a beautiful but also environmentally friendly product.

Metals: All metals are sourced from a supplier certified to sell fine gold, silver and brass with 100% recycled content.

Gems: I strive to ensure all gemstones I use in my jewelry are ethically sourced. I am really concerned with the principles behind the diamond industry. For me, the best way to ensure that a diamond is not from an area of conflict is to purchase a cultured diamond. A lab-grown diamond should not be confused with cubic zirconia or other types of “fake” diamond; it is a real diamond, but one that happens to be completely cruelty-free. Should I use a naturally produced diamond it will be from a retailer who sources diamonds who abides by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, a system which is designed to eradicate the blood diamond from the global gem trade.

Leather: All leather I use in my pieces is 100% reused from offcuts generated by the leather goods industry.

Packaging: Your jewelry will arrive to your home in a pretty signed jewelry box made from 100% recycled paper. My business cards and promotional material are all printed on paper sourced from sustainable forests and chlorine free.

Local Suppliers: I am also passionate about supporting local businesses. I ensure that all my supplies and subcontractor services are sourced from local businesses so supporting the local community and reducing C02 emissions by avoiding lengthy transport.

Charity

In an effort to bring support to organizations close to my heart and values, my company will be donating:

• 15% of all sales from the Monstera capsule collection to NRDC.

• 15% of all sales of the NYC logo necklaces to ACLU.

Certifications

I am committed to running my business in an environmentally friendly way. To ensure this continues and to collaborate and learn from other businesses my company is currently in the process of becoming B Certified through B Corporation. B Corporation is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of entrepreneurs using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. If you want to read more about this fantastic scheme click here.

Handmade in NY

What does Handmade in New York means?

Your jewelry is not just “designed” in New York, every step of its fabrication happens here in Big Apple upon your order. A big part happens in my jewelry studio, and some specific steps are executed by the hands of skilled professionals in Diamond District, New York.

When will I receive the jewelry?

It takes roughly two weeks to finish a piece of jewelry from start to finish, sometimes when customization for size or enamel color is not required or when you are lucky and the piece you ordered is in my inventory you get it much faster. If you have a time sensitive occasion, contact me prior to the order to make sure I can have the piece ready for you on time.

What are the steps involved in making my jewelry?

In most cases the jewelry involves a design element that is cast using the lost wax technique. My caster uses the molds of my designs and casts them using metals like brass, silver or gold that are recycled and refined. Then I clean up the piece from the mold metal arrivals also called “sprues”: I use a hand saw blade, little and big files and a little foot controlled motor tool called a “flex shaft”. Once I am done with pre-polishing the piece, I bring it to my local expert polisher who will give my bring my favorite finish to the piece: a mirror polish, super clean and shiny! Once polished, I bring the pieces to my gold plater who will cover the piece either with a nickel free coating of silver or gold with a thickness of 1 micron. When the jewelry has been plated, the fun part starts: I mix the pigment with the resin and start hand decorating the pieces with enamel, bringing my colorful signature look. After 24 hours, the enamel is dry and the piece is ready to be assembled with jump rings, chains and all that good stuff that makes up the jewelry! You see why it takes two weeks?

100% satisfied

When will I receive the jewelry?

It takes roughly two weeks to finish a piece of jewelry from start to finish, sometimes when customization for size or enamel color is not required or when you are lucky and the piece you ordered is in my inventory you get it much faster. If you have a time sensitive occasion, contact me prior to the order to make sure I can have the piece ready for you on time.

Can I return my order?

Our goal is to make you happy so be sure that we do our best to accurately describe the material, size and color of the jewelry you see on your computer screen. We know detailed description will never replace in person interaction so if you had envisioned the piece you received differently, we accept returns within 7 days of receipt of your unworn intact jewelry in its original packaging and will offer store credit or exchange. The only exception concerns sized rings as they are made to order and final sale. The original shipping cost and returned shipping cost are at the charge of the buyer. Credit will be applied once the jewelry is received back to the studio in its good original condition.

Secure payment

All your orders placed on virginiemillefiori.com are protected by secure encryption. You have three options for payment, all of them approved worldwide and meeting high safety standards:

• Direct on site checkout secured by Square Inc. This is the preferred and fastest method.
• Paypal, which redirects you to the Paypal fast checkout page.
• Afterpay, to pay in four installments. Payment is interest-free and minimum order is $35 for this method.

You will also notice once you click on “checkout” that the address in your navigation bar starts with a green “https” with a padlock icon next to it: this is the sign that your information is  encrypted with SSL and thus securely protected.