From Sketch to Studio: Inside Our Craft

Every Coralie Lu piece starts with a pencil and a notebook. Most of them never make it past that page — the ones that do earn it.

The sketch

We draw obsessively. Rings in the margins of books. Earring backs on grocery receipts. When a shape keeps coming back to the same sketchbook after weeks, we know it's asking to exist.

The prototype

We 3D-print the shape in wax, cast it in brass, and wear it for 30 days. This is where most ideas die. A signet that photographs beautifully can catch on sweaters; an elegant drop earring can feel heavy by dinner. If the prototype doesn't live on the body, we don't make it.

The material choice

For vermeil pieces: we use 2.5μ of solid 18K gold over recycled brass or sterling silver. Most fashion jewelry is plated at 0.5–1μ, which dulls within a year. Thick vermeil costs more per piece but keeps its color for 3–5 years of normal wear — and we'll re-plate it for the cost of shipping, forever.

The atelier

Production happens in small, long-term ateliers we've worked with for years. Every piece is hand-finished — polishing, stone-setting, stamping — by the same few craftspeople. We keep the relationships close because it's how the quality stays consistent.

The check

Before anything ships, every piece is inspected by hand. We check the solder, the plating, the clasp, the stone setting, the polish. If it fails on any of those, it goes back to be redone.

None of this is fast. None of it is scalable the way a fast-fashion feed is scalable. We think that's the point.