THE HANDMADE DIFFERENCE

Aquila’s handmade jewellery isn’t necessarily trend-driven. Their collections are timeless in their designs and have been made for everyday wear, special occasions and sentimental gifts.

You won’t see their pieces being made using pre-made parts or machinery, and there isn’t a factory in sight. Every piece is handmade by their lovely artisans whom they have a great relationship with. They use handheld tools and age-old techniques passed down from generation to generation.

Only experience tells the artisan how long to spend on a piece to achieve the level of detail they need rather than a pressurised factory quota. It’s a beautiful thing to see just what the human hand can do through dedication to a craft.

The result? Aquila’s customers get carefully crafted pieces made from raw materials with a durability and quality that surpasses that of high street jewellery.

TRAVEL-INSPIRED

Aquila’s boho jewellery has the unique characteristic of being inspired by travel. The founder has always taken inspiration from her travels and the designs for the jewellery are always based on places in the world like Halong Bay in Thailand.

Travel continues to be an integral theme in Aquila Jewellery today and a big differentiating factor in why their jewellery is unique. Not only does each piece come with a special handmade design but it carries a sentimental story and an ode to the world around us. This is why so many of their customers buy for themselves but also give our jewellery as thoughtful gifts.

The planet is full of amazing places to visit and behold – and small details to appreciate. Like a humble Indonesian ceramic in a yoga class that resulted in the Ubud silver detailed pendant!

THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR ARTISANS

Aquila have fostered such a great relationship with their artisans over the years, travelling to see them in India, Thailand and Indonesia in person. They know them by name, speak with them regularly and know for a fact their working conditions and pay are of an excellent standard.

AGE OLD TECHNIQUES

Their artisans draw from their cultural legacies in India, Thailand and Indonesia to create beautifully boho jewellery. For example Jawan, the technique that inspired the founding of Aquila Jewellery features prominently in our collections.

This technique is where thin threads of metal and tiny metal beads e.g sterling silver, are placed on flat piece of jewellery and arranged in an ornate and often symmetrical fashion. The base metal is oxidised to create a contrast in the design.

Additionally, Aquila have pieces displaying fine filigree, hand-hammered, and dot work. You can learn more about the jewellery types and techniques here.

THEIR AUDIENCE IS WIDE-REACHING

It’s pretty amazing that they have customers all over the world due to their online store. But not only that, the customers that buy from Aquila are of all ages and all genders. Their jewellery is made for everyone and inclusive of everyone.

WHY BUY FROM Aquila?

AQUILA ARE AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

Aquila aren’t part of a chain. They don’t have a head office – or even an office! They are just an independent business built from a love of handmade boho jewellery and travel.

By supporting small businesses, customers are investing in a new point of view and a passion you won’t find from a chain. Customers choosing to shop independent are using their money to encourage independent creativity and a small, intimate customer experience.

Aquila are pleased to say they have many repeat customers who pop into the shop just to say hello and have a catch up. This is the beauty of independent businesses.

A SUSTAINABLE FOCUS

All of their silver pieces are made from recycled silver. Nothing is wasted. There are no extra extraction processes and no additional energy and co2 created through mining and transportation. Just recycled silver, melted down and remade by our artisans in their workshops.

They are also aiming to be a fully recycled metal jewellery within the coming year. They will be hitting 80% recycled metals this June, so they are nearly there!

They have developed their packaging so it is fully recyclable with uncoated craft boxes and organic cotton bags.

QUALITY

Quality metal is very important to Aquila. They want their customers to be able to enjoy their pieces time and time again (upkeep and maintenance help by the way). Their silver pieces are 925 sterling silver which means 92.5 parts out of 100 are solid silver and the other 7.5 are made from copper – a specifically chosen hypoallergenic alloy metal that won’t irritate sensitive skin.

Sterling silver is durable, strong and with some cleaning every now and again maintains its lustre perfectly. You won’t find any fake silver from Aquila Jewellery!

Their gold pieces are primarily made from 925 sterling silver and have a gold vermeil 2.5 micron coating on them, a five-times thicker coating than gold plated jewellery. For their solid gold ring, they use 9ct gold and 18ct gold on their mixed metal rings.

All of their pieces have an official hallmark, a necessary stamp to verify the piece’s purity.