Our Craftsmanship

Traditional craft, unparalleled quality.

Since our beginnings in 1952, artisan craftsmanship has been at the heart of everything we do. Each piece of jewelry is made entirely by hand by our Master Goldsmiths.

How do we manufacture our jewelry?

Each jewel we make starts as a block of precious metal. We then start rolling this block until we get a plate or wire in the desired thickness. These plates and wires are the basic components of each jewel.

We then forge this further into the desired components of the jewelry, such as, for example, the band of a ring, the gravels (legs) of the setting and the small rings that hold the gravels together. Before we solder the components together, they are always carefully sanded and polished. This allows us to fully finish the surfaces that are not machinable in a complete jewel. This provides a visibly much finer finish.

Once the jewel is fully assembled, it is polished again to achieve a perfect result.

Our Master Goldsmiths

The reason we can deliver high quality craftsmanship is, of course, due to our master goldsmiths

What makes our goldsmiths so unique is their talent, their passion, their attention to detail and most importantly, their training.

After they complete their goldsmith training at the vocational school, we select the most promising candidates for our own, three-year, in-house training to become goldsmiths and later master goldsmiths.

During this training, we not only drastically improve their basic techniques but also familiarize them with our own specific techniques and trade secrets. It is this know-how that makes us unparalleled in the field of jewelry.

Incomparable Quality

With every piece of jewelry, we strive for perfection. This is reflected in our choice to work only with top materials. The diamonds we process are of the highest quality, as are the precious and semi-precious stones. We only work with platinum and gold. After all, other materials such as silver are of too low a quality to be worked into fine jewelry. 

Of course, any manufacturer may choose to work with high-quality materials. But that does not mean that the finished jewelry itself is of high quality. Achieving the highest level is only possible with artisanal craftsmanship. This makes the jewel sturdy, much more resistant to wear and tear, and with a much finer finish. The result is a jewel unlike any other. A unique piece that is truly exclusive.

The difference between real handicrafts and castings

More than 99% of all jewelry, including those sold as "handmade" and even "Haute Joaillerie" are the result of casting. This involves first making a prototype of the jewel. From this, a mold is then made. By pouring metal into the mold and letting it cool, a rough but complete jewel is obtained. This is then sanded and polished.

The major advantage of this method is that the jewelry is much less labor intensive. Making a solitaire ring: from casting, finishing to setting the stone can be done in less than one hour, while it takes seven to 12 hours to forge the same jewel completely by hand.

The major drawback, however, is that cast metal is brittle. This makes the jewelry fragile and much worse for wear. In addition, a piece of jewelry cast in one piece can never be finished as well as a hand-forged jewelry.

This is why at Van der Veken Jewelers we never use castings. Each piece of jewelry is completely hand-forged according to the rules of the art. 

How is a solitaire ring made?

  • 1. Alloying, rolling & drawing

    We always start by making the right alloy of metal. The exact proportions are melted together and cast into a ingot. Then this rod is repeatedly pulled through a roller until it has the right thickness. Then this is pulled through a tensile iron to make a wire from it in the correct diameter and shape. These wires serve as the basic components of the jewelry.

    To make a solitaire, always start with the setting, which is custom-made for the diamond.

  • 2. Griffen

    The setting for larger stones consists of six faceted griffins. The griffins are cut one at a time from the base wire and then filed to the correct shape. It is essential that all the griffs be exactly the same size. The slightest deviation will cause the diamond to skew.

  • 3. The frame

    Once the parts of the setting are ready, the frame is made. Again, we start with a wire drawn to the desired size. From this we make a circle that will serve as the base for the frame.

  • 5. Assembly

    When each part is finished, each is polished for a first time. Then if is carefully soldered together.

  • 6. Finishing

    Once the jewel is assembled, it is polished again with different brushes. This gives us a beautiful luster. Nevertheless, we polish as briefly as possible to maximize the sharpness and fineness of the jewel.

  • 7. Set

    Finally, all the diamonds are set in the ring by the Master setter. The quality of the setting largely determines the brilliance of the stones, so this is a delicate specialist job.

    After all the diamonds are set in the ring, it is polished one more time briefly to remove all scratches and marks from the setting.