Frequently asked questions

In a world where everything moves at a dizzying speed, you sometimes come across small oases of time. Ginger and Velvet is one of them: a designer jewellery brand with its own workshop in the Barrio de las Letras in Madrid, where every piece is thought out, designed and made by hand, one at a time.

We don't make mass-produced jewellery. We work in collections that grow out of a story, and we create with time, sensitivity and sustainability. We tell the whole of it on The brand.

Maite G. Tejedor. A graduate in Spanish Philology, with piano studies and a master's in acting at the Juan Carlos Corazza school, Maite approaches each collection like a play: first the theme, then the story and, finally, the pieces that tell it.

You can get to know her better on her page.

In our workshop at Calle Alameda 4, in Madrid. 100% Spanish-made, and one piece at a time:

1. They are cut with a piercing saw.
2. They are soldered with a blowtorch.
3. They are shaped by hand and with other tools.
4. They are sanded, polished, given a matt finish and gold-plated.
5. And then the enamelling begins, with bisphenol-free resins.

We call it slow work, and that is exactly what it is: slowly and by hand. You can see it in detail on the workshop page.

That behind every piece there is an author and an idea, not a catalogue of trends. The designs are original and our own, they are produced in short runs and many are never repeated. That is why our jewellery doesn't look like anyone else's, and why a piece sometimes sells out and takes a while to come back.

Yes. It is an open kitchen: our workshop is open to the public at Calle Alameda 4, right in the Barrio de las Letras. You can come in, look at the pieces, try them on and, if you catch us at it, watch us work. We also run enamelling courses in which you make your own piece.

Most pieces are copper alloy with 24-carat gold plating and a hypoallergenic lacquer. Some have silver plating or aged gold finishes.

Many pieces are finished with hand-applied enamel — with bisphenol-free resins — and others include natural stones, such as agate, onyx, aventurine or rose quartz, or certified Swarovski crystal. We always list the materials on each piece's product page.

No. We enamel with bisphenol-free resins. It is a decision we took in the workshop and it isn't always the easiest or the cheapest one, but it seems to us the right one for something that is going to be in contact with your skin every day.

It is a layer of pure gold deposited onto the base piece through an electrochemical process. 24-carat gold is unalloyed gold, the purest there is, and it gives that warm, deep tone that characterises our jewellery.

We explain it in detail in this article from the Workshop Notebook.

Our jewellery has a hypoallergenic lacquer that isolates the metal from the skin and protects the finish, and the enamel is made with bisphenol-free resins. If you have a particular sensitivity to a metal, write to us before buying and we will tell you exactly what the piece you are interested in is made of.

It is the technique we use to give colour to many of our pieces. The enamel is applied by hand, layer by layer, onto the already-plated metal, with bisphenol-free resins. It is slow work with no shortcuts: every colour is laid down by hand and every piece is finished one at a time.

If you are curious, it is exactly what we teach on our courses.

No, and that is the beauty of it. Being made by hand, there may be small variations in the enamel, the polishing or the tone of the plating. They are not defects: they are the mark that someone made that piece, and not a machine.

On each piece's product page, within its description. Measurements vary from one design to another, so we don't give a general size: we would rather you saw the one for the particular piece. If any detail is missing, write to us and we will measure it.

Yes. It is one of the things we most enjoy. We can start from an existing design and adapt it, or create a piece from scratch with you. Write to us telling us what you have in mind and we will tell you whether it is feasible, how much it would cost and how long it would take.

You can measure a ring you already have that fits you well, or measure your finger directly with a thread or a strip of paper. Our size guide explains both methods step by step, with the conversion table.

Most of our bracelets and bangles are one size or adjustable, so in general you don't have to worry. If you still want to be sure, measure the circumference of your wrist at its widest point and add 1 to 2 cm depending on whether you want it tighter or looser.

You have two easy options. One: choose an adjustable piece, which fits several sizes. The other: give a gift card and let whoever receives it choose. And if you would rather get a particular piece right, write to us and we will help you.

It depends on how and how much you wear it, on the pH of your skin and on what you expose it to. With reasonable care, a plated piece stays in perfect condition for years. We explain it thoroughly, with no promises beyond that, in this article.

With a soft, dry cloth after each use, without conventional jewellery cleaning products: abrasives and ultrasonic baths destroy the gold plating and the enamel.

You have the full method, with what to do and what not to do, in this guide from the Workshop Notebook.

Better not. Chlorine, salt water, sweat and soap are the enemies of gold plating and enamel. The rule that works best: your jewellery is the last thing you put on before going out and the first thing you take off when you get home, after your cream and your perfume.

That said, our pieces are made to be worn naturally, not to be kept in a drawer waiting for a special occasion.

It can happen, and nearly always for the same reason: contact with perfume, cream, hairspray or cleaning products. A soft, dry cloth usually takes them off. If a mark doesn't come off or you notice something odd about the piece, write to us with a photo before rubbing any harder.

Somewhere dry, each piece separately so they don't rub against each other, and away from direct light and bathroom damp. A fabric pouch or an individual compartment is enough.

Write to us with a photo and we will tell you. As we make the pieces ourselves, we can carry out many repairs in our own workshop. We will tell you frankly whether it can be fixed, what that would involve and how much it would cost.

In many cases, yes. We work in short runs and it is normal for a piece to sell out before we make it again. Write to us telling us which one it is and we will confirm whether we can make it.

There is one exception: some older or discontinued pieces can no longer be produced. If that is the case, we will tell you clearly rather than leave you waiting.

A week is usual. When we are very busy it can stretch to two. We confirm the timescale before you decide.

Yes. During checkout you can enter a delivery address different from the billing address, so the parcel goes directly to the person you are giving it to. If you would like the price left out, or a handwritten note included, tell us when you place your order and we will prepare it that way.

Write to us as soon as you can and we will try. We prepare orders Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00, so if you let us know before it leaves the workshop there is normally no problem. If it is already on its way, it will have to be handled as a return.

As soon as it leaves the workshop we send you an email with the tracking number. If you created an account when you bought, you can also see the status of all your orders by logging in from the person icon, at the top right.

Credit or debit card, Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay. You will see all the available options before you confirm your purchase. We don't offer cash on delivery.

At checkout, in the discount code box, before you confirm your order. The discount is applied to the total at that point, so if you don't see it reflected, don't complete the purchase and write to us.

You will see the exact cost before you pay. The most common ones:

• Mainland Spain: 3 €, and free from 100 € of purchase.
• Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla: 5 €, free from 100 €.
• Canary Islands: 9 €.
• Portugal: 6 €, free from 100 €. Andorra: 6 €.
• Rest of Europe, the Americas and other destinations: depending on the zone.

You have the full table on Shipping and Returns. Shipping is charged once per order, not per piece.

We prepare orders Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, from 9:00 to 15:00, once payment has been confirmed. From the moment it leaves the workshop: 1-2 working days in mainland Spain, 2-3 in the Balearic Islands, 2-5 in the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, around 5 in Europe and 5-7 in the United States.

When it goes out, we send you an email with the tracking number.

Yes, we ship to much of Europe, to the United States and Canada, and to several other destinations. If yours doesn't appear when you place your order, write to us and we will prepare a quote for you.

Yes, and we would rather tell you before you buy: orders to the Canary Islands go through customs. The Import DUA (single administrative document), the IGIC (Canary Islands general indirect tax) and any carrier charges are payable by the buyer and are paid on delivery. We cannot calculate or control those amounts.

Yes, you have 14 days from receiving it, without having to give any explanation, provided the piece has not been used or damaged. We refund 100% of the price of the product, including any shipping costs you paid. Return postage is at your expense.

Write to us at info@gingerandvelvet.com telling us which order it is and which piece you want to return, and we will take you through the steps. The piece goes back to: Ginger & Velvet, C/ Alameda 4, 28014 Madrid.

Then we pay for everything. Let us know within the 7 days following receipt; as soon as we have verified the manufacturing defect, we refund all costs within a maximum of 14 days.

You can exchange it within the first 14 days for another of equal or higher price, paying the difference. On the first exchange, we cover the shipping of the new piece; return postage for the previous one is always at the customer's expense.

Send it in its original packaging to: Ginger & Velvet, C/ Alameda 4, 28014 Madrid. We recommend sending it by courier, given the type of product. We cannot accept carriage forward shipments.

Yes. You can buy one here and it is the answer when you aren't sure about the size or the taste of the person receiving it.

Calle Alameda 4, 28014 Madrid, in the Barrio de las Letras.

Monday to Friday: 10:30–14:00 and 17:00–20:30. Saturdays: 11:00–15:00 and 16:30–20:30.

Yes. On our cold enamelling courses you learn to plan your piece, enamel it, assemble it and some basic jewellery techniques. You go home wearing what you have made.

By email at info@gingerandvelvet.com, by phone on 911 298 246, by WhatsApp on 603 78 85 18, or by dropping in at the shop. There is also the contact form.