Materials

Materials

“Gold does not tarnish. It deepens.”

Each Atelier Wolff jewel is a story, a feeling, a memory, encapsulated in gold and gemstones. Linking age-old craftsmanship with new, recycled and repurposed materials, each jewel is designed to be worn constantly, loved completely and passed onto someone who will love it just as much.

A woman wearing a 22k gold chain necklace with a baroque pearl drop pendant

Our Gold

Atelier Wolff uses recycled gold and platinum.

All jewels are made from our signature alloy of 22 karat gold, which closely matches that found in the pieces made by the ancients and on display in museums around the world. Platinum is used as an accent on certain pieces. Ductile and malleable, 22 karat gold has been used since ancient times - in the worlds of ancient Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Greece and Rome, to name just a few.

Today, many of these remarkable works of beauty and extraordinary quality can be viewed in the great museums and repositories of the world. Inspired by this enduring quality, our alloy gives a rich, warm and buttery color and texture, allowing the structure of our jewels to soften with time and become attuned to the wearer. Many pieces begin with a matte finish, the natural polishing over time by the wearer's skin gives a lustrous patina.

A one ounce fine gold bar alongside coiled gold wire, chains, and paperclips, representing recycled gold used in Atelier Wolff jewelry

Our Gems

Atelier Wolff is known for its use of colored and unusual gemstones. Our gemstones are sourced from artisanal and small scale mining operations around the world and most are cut by master lapidarists in and around Idar-Oberstein in Germany, a center of cutting excellence for generations. We work with these master artisans to help bring our designs to life. Although we use faceted gems, we favor distinctive styles like cabochons and old cut diamonds, many of which are reclaimed.

Loose colored gemstones labeled by type and origin, including Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil, Colombian emerald, Nigerian mandarin garnet, and an antique old mine cut diamond

Pearls & Corals

Atelier Wolff uses cultured pearls.

Pearls are a significant part of our decorative material language and they play an important role in the health of our oceans. We source our South Sea pearls from Australia where our suppliers are certified with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an organization recognized globally as the benchmark for sustainable wild fisheries. Our Tahitian and Akoya pearls are sourced from family owned farms that use sustainable methods that preserve their surrounding ecosystems. All coral used in our designs is sourced from reclaimed, antique coral.

Loose white, golden South Sea, and Tahitian pearls of varying colors and sizes on a grey background