FAQs

  1. What is your jewelry made of?

We use high quality sterling silver, brass or bronze and genuine gemstones.  We like to mix materials so you might even see silver, bronze and other materials like leather in one piece. 

  1. I have sensitive skin – will your jewelry cause allergies?

We use 24K gold plating and high purity metals so these are less likely to cause allergies. We avoid using nickel, lead or cadmium which are harmful to skin and are often the cause of skin reactions.   We also put a skin-safe protective coating on bronze pieces for added wearability.  (In fact many of our clients with sensitive ears have shared that they can wear Alchemista sterling silver earrings whereas their ears will swell or turn red immediately when it comes to other non-gold earrings)

  1. Is it okay to wash/wet the pieces?

Yes we even recommend washing your Alchemista jewelry in mild soap and water from time to time.  Each purchase comes with enclosed care instructions and contact details since our products carry a lifetime service guarantee. 

  1. Will it tarnish/ rust?

Our pieces do not rust because we don’t use iron in our metals.  Our items do not easily tarnish (especially if the wearer does not put abrasive substances like perfume directly on the piece), but results will vary depending on the wearer’s use and skin chemistry.  From our experience some wearer’s items may become a bit darker or the plating wears off after several years, but our lifetime guarantee means that you can bring your Alchemista piece to the Alchemista store for free servicing/cleaning. 

  1. Tell me more about the brand

About the brand: Alchemista is a Filipino-designed and produced line of limited edition designer  jewelry and accessories.  Our multi-functional items merge beauty and practicality to suit the busy lifestyles of our clients.   Our jewelry is created from hand-carved molds  and is carefully crafted and hand-finished.  Since many of our materials are from nature (metals, natural stones, leather, etc), any variations in texture or color are inherent to the process and material, and do not mean the piece is defective.  Alchemista items have a service guarantee and are nickel, cadmium and lead-safe.

Behind the brand:   Designer/cofounder Georgina Teng is a banker-turned designer who learned metalsmithing under Australian art jeweler Valerie Aked.  She carves her own prototypes/molds and works with a small team of skilled smiths.  She believes that you don’t have to suffer for fashion, and loves merging influences from a wide range of arts and crafts to architecture and nature.  This is why her designs often have eclectic and paradoxical elements such as nontraditional color combinations, mixed materials and gemstones, interesting metalwork and components that have multiple uses. 

Georgina has won two international awards – Best Necklace Design and Best Menswear Design – in the Royal Asscher Company of America’s 2013 Rebel Chique International Design Competition.  Her designs have also placed as finalist in the 2010 Guild of Philippine Jewelers’ design competition, nominee for Best Product Design in the 2012 Manila FAME show, and semifinalist in the 2013 Gemological Institute of Thailand’s International Design Competition.