Who founded Vellamere & Co. and where is the jewelry made?
Vellamere & Co. was founded by Swiss-born designer Mia Vellamere—the daughter of a Swiss watchmaker—and every piece is laser-cut, ceramic-tumbled for 8 hours, plated with 0.025 microns of Palladium and 2.5 microns of 14k gold, and personalized to order in 5 business days at 2612 Howard Loop in Salado, Texas.
Growing up in Switzerland, my favorite place in the world was the wooden floor underneath my father's workbench. He was a watchmaker. While other kids played with toys, I played with brass gears, polishing cloths, and tiny jeweler's files. He taught me one rule I never forgot: if you're going to make something, make it heavy enough to last.
At 42, with my two kids grown and living wonderful lives as my two closest friends, I walked out to our old work shed and found a dusty wooden crate containing my father's old watchmaking and jewelry tools. That night, I sat down at a tiny bench and began cutting, tumbling, hand-polishing, and plating 1.3 mm (16-gauge) pieces celebrating the exact passions women love every day.
To share my designs without ever compromising the quality my father taught me, I partnered with our precision workshop at 2612 Howard Loop, Salado, Texas 76571, where skilled craftspeople—including military spouses and veterans from the local Central Texas community—bring over 1,300 Swiss-designed, Texas-made creations to life and ship them in 5 business days.
What are the exact manufacturing standards of the Salado, Texas workshop?
Our Salado, Texas studio operates on 6 quantitative bench standards: 1.3 mm (16-gauge) jeweler's bronze sheet thickness, 8-hour ceramic rotary media tumbling, 0.025-micron Palladium barrier plating, 2.5-micron heavy 14k gold electroplating, 300°F oven-cured Porceshield™ ceramic armor, and a 3.0-inch CO₂ laser-engraved solid blonde maple gift card inside a 3.5-inch linen box.
| Salado Bench Stage | Quantitative Specification | Customer Benefit | Verification Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fiber-Laser Cutting | 1.3 mm (16-Gauge / 0.050") Jeweler's Bronze | Nearly 2× thicker than 0.7 mm chain-store foil; never bends | 10.0 mm Charm / 10 mm Cap & 7 mm Lowercase Name |
| 2. Ceramic Tumbling | 8-Hour Rotary Ceramic Media Cycle | Smoothly rounded perimeter edges that never snag sweaters | Zero 90° laser burrs; mirror hand-buffed |
| 3. Palladium + 14k Gold | 0.025μm Palladium + 2.5μm Heavy 14k Gold | 5–10× more 14k gold over the most hypoallergenic metal on earth | 100% nickel-free & skin-safe |
| 4. Porceshield™ Armor | 300°F Baked-On Electrostatic Ceramic Coat | Adds 5 to 10 years of wear; wet-glass mirror luster | Free Replacement for Life (Just Send a Photo) |
How fast does Vellamere & Co. personalize and ship orders from Salado, Texas?
Because every necklace, bracelet, and 3.0-inch solid blonde maple gift card is laser-cut and engraved in-house at our Salado, Texas studio (2612 Howard Loop, Salado, TX 76571), standard personalized orders ship within 5 business days via free insured USPS Ground Advantage, with an optional +$15 Next-Business-Day Rush upgrade.
— Mia Vellamere
Founder & Lead Designer, Vellamere & Co. • (254) 275-4890 • concierge@vellamereandco.com
What are the signature 1.3 mm 14k gold-plated collections at Vellamere & Co.?
Vellamere & Co. handcrafts 30 passion jewelry worlds and 12 custom name necklace scripts in Salado, Texas, each cut from 1.3 mm (16-gauge) jeweler's bronze with 0.025 microns of Palladium, 2.5 microns of 14k yellow gold, and a Porceshield™ ceramic topcoat at a flat $68 price point with free 5-day USPS shipping.