About Us

ABOUT US

Fine jewelry with rebel leanings.

Punk and preppy. Raw and polished.

Inspired by creative dichotomies, we make jewelry for the self-stylist.

Born and bred in Los Angeles, we are inspired by the sights and sounds of the 80's: modern art, power suits, graphic architecture, synth pop and vintage nostalgia.

OUR PRODUCT

We are passionate about our product, and have a deep appreciation for the materials and love for stretching the imagination to create new designs.  Our collections are a mix of staples and statement pieces to wear again and again.

Since '09 we have been making our signature pieces — oversized chain links, safety pin earrings, signet rings and ID bracelets.

OUR PROCESS

Produced in small batches in downtown Los Angeles and at a family-owned factory in Arezzo, Italy, our jewelry is made using traditional jewelry making techniques like lost-wax casting, hand-forging, vintage chain machines and punch-presses.  We strive to work responsibly, prioritizing recycled materials, as well as supply chain transparency.

OUR VALUES

Our mission is to make beautiful, high-quality fine jewelry while reducing our industry’s harmful impact on the environment.  In addition to understanding our materials and how our product is made, we want to contribute to building a better and more sustainable world. We are continuously working to make improvements to our jewelry production process, and within our supply chain, as it relates to our product, and all the hands that contribute to making our pieces, from mine to retail.

OUR MAKERS & MATERIALS

Sourcing Our Materials & Our Supply Chain

We collaborate closely with manufacturing partners who can meet our standards of accountability and are committed to continual improvement to the critical issues - human rights, the environment, and the transparency of our jewelry.

We are Certified Members of the Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC),  the world’s leading sustainability standard-setting organization for the jewelry industry.  We commit to operating all aspects of our business in accordance with the RJC Code of Practices Standard.  This commitment means integrating processes in our day-to-day operations and tracking performance, which is integral to our product, from the makers to the materials.  

Approximately 50% of our pieces are manufactured in the jewelry district in Downtown Los Angeles, and 50% are produced in Arezzo, Italy.  Our gemstones come from all over the world.  Our artisanal partners in Los Angeles, Italy, and India are talented Makers, and we have known and worked with most of them between 2 to 15 years. 

Tracing and producing materials is an ongoing process where we regularly visit the Los Angeles workshops and meet with our International partners to communicate our expectations and vision.  We strive to continually improve and track performance with the goal of preventing or mitigating risks of adverse impacts within our supply chain. 

Metals

Although our pieces are made in Los Angeles and Italy, the metals themselves, recycled and newly-mined, may originate from all over the world. We aim to use metals that are traceable to suppliers who are certified against international best practices such as the Responsible Jewelry Council.  To do this, we have implemented Supply Chain Mapping within our process, where we work closely with our suppliers to trace the metals used to make our products. We ask suppliers to fill out our Supplier Questionnaire, and adopt our Supplier Code of Conduct which details our expectations, to ensure our values are aligned, since it is important to us that our suppliers are also committed to a transparent supply chain.  

Made in Los Angeles, California

Since 2009, our local small-batch productions are made by jewelers and manufacturers who employ traditional, time honored techniques, such as lost-wax casting, hand-tooling wire to make chains, vintage chain machines and punch-presses.  Based on our Supplier Questionnaire, Supply Chain Mapping, and according to our suppliers, the metal used locally is procured from Metalor USA Refining Corporation,  an RJC certified refiner for recycled and newly mined metals.  

Made in Arezzo, Italy 

Approximately 50% of our collection is made in Arezzo, Italy at a family owned and operated factory, where the jewelers and technicians have been honing their skills for generations. Based on our supply chain mapping, and according to our supplier, the metal used to produce our Italian pieces is procured from Chimet S.p.A., a refiner that produces pure precious metals starting from materials for reclaim, mainly industrial scraps and used jewelry, and is certified according to the standards set by LBMA Good Delivery List for gold and silver, and the Responsible Jewelry Council.  

Hallmarking Standards 

Hallmarks are official marks used in many countries as a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles. Loren Stewart products are made of 10Kt gold, 14KT gold, sterling silver and vermeil (14KT gold plated sterling silver marked as 925).  To verify the integrity of our jewelry, we regularly test our gold and silver (a process called “assaying”) to ensure our manufacturers are adhering to the correct level of pure gold and silver in each piece. We require that all our gold is “585” meaning 85% pure gold content, and silver “925” is 92.5% pure silver.  Pieces are marked to indicate 14KT, 10KT or “925” to indicate sterling silver.  For pieces that are not stamped such as small studs, please refer to our product pages with details regarding your item.   

Gemstones

The gemstones in Loren Stewart pieces originate from all over the world. Our goal is to improve traceability of our gemstones to help us better understand how our stones are sourced and cut, and the working conditions for those involved.  We ask our suppliers for gem reports whenever possible, country of origin, as well as any additional information about the mines and lapidaries. There are many challenges in tracking clear information about mining, so although we note gemstone origin on every stone we offer, we recognize that this is referring to the geographical area where the stone was mined and is considered to be opinion, not fact. 

We primarily work with two gemstone suppliers who own lapidaries based in Jaipur, India, who are both members of the American Gem Trade Association. The Nephrite Jade and Malay Jade pieces we produce are mined and cut in Panyu, China. 

Pearls

We use freshwater and cultured pearls that are carefully selected for every piece. Each pearl is unique, no two are exactly the same. Our pearls are imported from a family owned pearl farm in Hang Zhou, China who provide us with certificates that the pearls are freshwater and cultured. 

We acknowledge definitions like “ethical” and “sustainable” can be misleading and mean different things to different people, we look to the Jewelry Glossary Project for accurate definitions within the industry.