We have been on the go non-stop. It feels like we rarely sleep in our own beds…and Ashley hates not seeing her daughter everyday of her life. Luckily, we absolutely love what we do! It’s the only reason Ashley’s able to leave her precious little face. We returned last week from an amazing week-long trip to our factory in Mexico. While we make our Stella Valle line in the USA, we’ve been so fortunate to find a perfect jewelry factory in Mexico to help produce our Women Warriors by Stella Valle line. We had no idea what to expect when we hopped on the plane to Mexico to check out the factory. Our husbands thought we were absolutely nuts for going to the middle of Mexico by ourselves—I think they forget we were Army girls :P The trip turned out to be extremely productive, and we continue to learn so much about how our jewelry is produced.

We’ll let you in on some little known facts on Stella Valle jewelry making. First, all of the pieces are designed on computer software and then 3-D printed as part of the mold development process. That’s right, we use the best high-tech equipment so that each piece comes out just perfect. Secondly, the pieces are plated in 14K Gold and Rhodium. Most people don’t know what Rhodium is—it is a natural metal that is more expensive than silver, doesn’t tarnish, and doesn’t wear easily! Thirdly, each of the crystals in every piece are hand set. It was absolutely crazy to watch the factory employees set the 134 teeny tiny crystals in the Aspire Bracelet. Can you say, patience?! Finally, during the final packaging step of the process, the pieces get the white glove treatment. The employees handle each piece with white gloves as they check, clean, and place each piece in a box ready to be shipped.

We had such a blast hanging out with the factory owners and their entire family. It was really neat to meet another family that had built their business from the ground up. The factory has been producing jewelry for over 30 years and now has over 600 employees and produces over 500,000 pieces of jewelry a month! Almost everyone in the family has a management role in business…We not only learned a ton about how our jewelry is made, but we also learned a ton about business and gained a few new role models, too!

Our factory visit definitely reminded us how much tender, love, and care goes into making each piece! Next time you put on your favorite Stella Valle piece, remember that dozens of people have handled it to make sure its just right for you!

Lot of Love,
The Stella Valle Sisters