Auvere
New York, NY
In their own words
"We specialize in 22 and 24-karat gold. We want to give our customers a way to indulge their passion for jewelry that they can wear every day and reap the values and benefits of investment-grade gold bullion."
-Gina Love, Co-Founder and Head Designer
Jason’s interview with Gina
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Jason: I'm doing an interview with Gina Love from Auvere. So, what do you love about jewelry, Gina?
Gina: Well, honestly, I love all accessories, whether it's jewelry, watches, handbags, you name it. But the thing that I think is different about jewelry is that it tells more of a personal story about someone. So, case in point, when I see someone wearing a ring with a very antique looking setting, I make up a story in my head that maybe it's a family heirloom or maybe this is a person who collects antique jewelry. When I see someone wearing big, bold gold jewelry like Auvere’s jewelry, frankly, I suspect that the person has a big personality and maybe he or she is comfortable showing that off. It tells a super personal story even more than other accessories do.
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Jason: Can you dig deeper? Is there a certain accessory that is the tell when you see it you’re like—
Gina: Rings, rings, rings, rings. Rings are where people really tell the truth. You're either wearing big rings and you love a big ring, or you love a smaller, delicate, thin ring. I rarely see someone who has big rings on then with a hand that has little delicate things on them. So that's how I know what kind of personality you have. Honestly, if you look at my rings, you would see that they're big. And interestingly, I do have a big personality more when I'm with a group of people I'm comfortable with. Yeah, I'm pretty loud. I wear very delicate necklaces, though. So, that must tell me that I'm still capable of being quiet and just observing the situation. I use jewelry to help me figure out who a person is—what's behind that somebody?
Jason: So, tell me, how did you become a jewelry designer?
Gina: It's not a straight path. It involves real estate law. It involves handbags. And so how you string those together is my story. I was a real estate lawyer through maybe April 2017 here in New York City. But to be honest, I've always nursed a passion for fashion, accessories, etc. And I've been sketching, whether it's shoes or bags and sometimes jewelry, too, but frankly, it began more as shoes and bags when I was a kid. About ten years ago, a good friend of mine encouraged me to take classes at Parsons to satisfy my design jones. I was still practicing law, but I was sketching everywhere. I focused on handbag design. That was how I actually met Bliss Lau. She also was a handbag designer and she teaches at Parsons, and I was in one of her classes. And it was in one of these classes that I conceived the idea for a leather goods brand. So, while I'm in this process of handbag designing and sampling, I met my husband. It was around 2015 that we met, and he is a co-founder in a fintech company with a focus on high carat physical gold as an alternative asset. Long story short, he sells physical gold as an alternative asset. And he came up with the idea around early 2016 to launch a jewelry company using investment grade gold, which is 22 and 24 carat gold. He asked me to partner with him. I was doing the handbags. I was also practicing law. It was hard for me to see at that time how I was going to have the time. But fundamentally, I believed in it and eventually quit law in 2017 to work on this. And this became Auvere.
But even before I met him I had already been collecting 22 carat gold jewelry during my travels, particularly to Greece and Turkey. So, I was already familiar with it. My mom also had a lot of 22 carat gold jewelry. So, I was already into the type of jewelry he was talking about, not necessarily for the reasons that he wanted to launch the business, but because I just love the hue, the color. I do all of the design and the creative direction and the branding for the brand, I operate the business day to day, and he focuses on finance and marketing. And that is how I got to be a jewelry designer.
Jason: What is it like as a duo in the industry?
Gina: It's fun. I already have a passion for jewelry, and he has a passion for business and entrepreneurship. So, you put those together and I think Auvere benefits from that.
Jason: That's amazing. And you know, your specialty, would you say that it's high karat gold jewelry is your thing?
Gina: Yeah, I would say that's my thing. That's what we began as actually. We began completely as 22 and 24 carat gold, no gemstones, just gold. Let me back up a bit because the thing that people don't necessarily realize about gold because it seems common is that it's actually rare. I mean, it was created by neutron stars colliding and brought to earth by asteroids, millions and millions of years ago. So, the chances of us getting more gold that way is not going to happen. There's tons of gold in the center of the earth, the chances of our getting it out is slim and next to none. What we have is what we have. The other thing people don't necessarily think about with gold is that it actually functions as money. Gold can be converted into any currency in the world, right? And gold bullion serves as a hedge against any number of things, including the stock market risks, inflation, fiat currency risk. So that's the kind of stuff Steven taught me about gold. The kind of stuff I know about gold is that it's just beautiful. It suits almost everyone. And the 22 and 24 carat gold pieces that we make are even richer looking because it contains significantly more gold than what you find on the market, which is largely 14 carat. So yes, we specialize in 22 and 24 because we want to give our customers a way to indulge their passion for jewelry that they can wear every day and simultaneously reap the values and benefits of investment grade bullion.
Jason: And you started working with gemstones and diamonds last year. Are there any stones that are your favorite?
Gina: I mean, I like diamonds. I've always loved diamonds. Who doesn't love diamonds? Diamonds sparkle. They make me happy. Rubies I love too because I've always loved the color red. The richer and deeper the better. But one of my true favorites is turquoise and I'm going to be doing something with turquoise later this summer.
Jason: Why turquoise?
Gina: Because I'm from the Caribbean and turquoise reminds me of growing up next to the sea. It always had this very turquoise-y color. I'm looking right now at the East River and I love it because it's water, I miss that color. I miss that turquoise of the sea that I used to swim in every day when I was a kid.
Jason: I love that. And is there a special sourcing process you have for turquoise stones and your gold and diamonds?
Gina: Well, we make our gold jewelry in New York, Chicago, and Jaipur, India. We have three different partners who make our pieces and we source from three refiners. And we try to vet those refiners as best as we can. One of the refiners uses only recycled gold and the other two use a mix of recycled gold and new gold. Now, I appreciate that people are pushing towards using only recycled gold, but at the same time, I think that point of view does ignore the fact that there are still people who sustain themselves and their families on mining new gold. That is the point of view of some of the refineries that we use. Val Camby is one of them, they have set up programs to help local artisanal miners to follow the guidelines necessary to ensure that their gold is saleable. None of the refiners can buy that gold if it doesn't comply with strict standards, including being conflict-free and all of that. With respect to diamonds, we only use diamonds that are Kimberley Process diamonds. Colored gemstones, however, don't have a Kimberley Process. So that's where you have to really trust your vendor. So, when you talk about trust in this business, that's where it comes in, because you have to trust that your vendor understands that you need to get stones that are conflict-free and that I have a good provenance. And that they're taking the necessary steps to do so.
There is block chain technology now, though. One of them is called Provenance Proof Block Chain that is hoping to be the equivalent of the Kimberley Process one day, but it requires that anyone and everyone who is involved in the gem industry joins it and uses their ledger to ensure that we know where each stone is coming from. So, we signed up and we've encouraged all our suppliers to sign up as well. Another one of our vendors uses Signet Responsible Sourcing Protocol (SRSP), and that's another comprehensive guide to help vendors provide conflict-free gems. So, we're doing the best that we can, especially as a small company, to make sure we're mindful and being responsible vis-à-vis sourcing.
Jason: You know, you're definitely doing your part. Thank you for that.
Gina: I have to. I don't think people can be blind anymore. Even if you're a small business, you have to do your part.
Jason: Is there something that's inspiring you, like right now?
Gina: You know what, Jason? Travel is usually my big inspiration, and I haven't been able to travel except up to the Catskills. And I'm not saying the Catskills aren't inspirational, but I'm not going to lie, it hasn't been the thing that has inspired me. So, before the pandemic, I used to take maybe two or three trips a year and always found something that I brought home from those trips that would trigger a drawing or an idea.
For instance, when I went to Istanbul and then Jaipur, that inspired a ring I have called the Byzantium Ring, and it has rubies in it. Jaipur has a lot of incredible rubies and the style of the ring and the name of the ring came out of my trip to Turkey. So, during the pandemic, I've kind of relied on my old school inspirations, the things that are the hallmarks of my design, which is architecture. It's probably the real estate lawyer in me, but everything I do kind of has an architectural bent or feel to it. My handbags, my jewelry. So, architecture, sculpture, geometry.
I also look at minimalist furniture to get ideas, lighting sometimes. I just go to the lighting shop, and I look at lighting to see how lighting can be transformed into earrings. I know that sounds crazy, but there are a lot of beautiful chandelier lights out there, and with some imagination, you can imagine them being on your ear. Another big inspiration is always New York City and the gold itself, right? Ultimately, I want the gold to be seen in its best light, and for me, that means less, less is more. Minimalism and showing off gold as a piece of sculpture.
Jason: So, Gina, tell me about Auvere. How did you come up with the name?
Gina: It's not easy to come up with a name Jason, let's start there. So, it took a minute, but Auvere derives from the Italian word “avere.” Avere means to have—to have, to hold, to wear, and to receive. It's a multitasking word. So, I put a “u” between “a” and “v” because AU means gold. And then the “-vere” became the word “true”—it's the Latin word for true. And all of a sudden, I had the name Auvere. I liked how it sounded. It said true gold. True gold for me is the purer form of gold, which is 22 and 24 carat gold. And what are we doing with it? We are owning it, holding it, wearing It, giving it, receiving it. So, it was kind of perfect.
Jason: Love that, love that. And if you had an opportunity to dress a famous person alive or from the past, who would it be?
Gina: Michelle Obama. I love her. She seems very compassionate and kind but at the same time she has an air of strength and authority. And as a result of that, I could see her in our jewelry, especially the bigger necklaces and rings. I just think she's fantastic.
Jason: Is there a piece in your collection right now that you're like, “Oh, this is perfect for Michelle?”
Gina: Yeah, the Golden Apex ring that is 24 carat gold. It’s a big hunk of gold I think she would look great in.
Jason: That's awesome. And you know, jewelry, some would say, it's all about trust. What does trust mean to you?
Gina: Trust means honesty, reliability, and consistency. And in our business, I think this translates to doing our best work for the customer, ultimately. Making sure that the customer is educated about our jewelry because it is different. Providing excellent customer service. Engaging in consistent and very good communication with our customers, which means accepting their feedback, especially when they are not happy. I want to know exactly why. I want to have that conversation with them, so they feel heard. And I want to address the particular issue immediately and carefully and with respect.
I think it also means being consistent in terms of setting forth your policies and following them. And, when you're an online business, that 30-day return policy is important because the only way someone can feel, touch, enjoy your jewelry, know whether it's for them is to order it, take a risk, bring it home. So to diminish or minimize that risk we have a 30-day policy, pretty much no questions asked. And finally, I think finding the right makers and creators and vendors to work with is also an important part of the trust process. I need to find people who I can trust to help us build our brand, and that they can trust me to let them blossom, do their work, and get paid for it and not have to worry about that.
Jason: So, you know, when you're not busy and jamming away, designing jewelry, what other creative pursuits do you have?
Gina: When I'm not designing jewelry, I'm running Auvere. It's a startup. I work Auvere almost 24/7. Same with my handbag brand which I also work on, just not as much. So I'm pretty much working most of the time on Auvere. If I'm not working, I'm traveling. I am also a photographer. Maybe that was one of my first creative pursuits. And I now use my photography for Auvere. I photograph some of our shoots. I like to write, so I write stories. I also like telling people's stories. So again, I use my writing skills for Auvere. So I guess when I'm not designing jewelry, I'm just obsessing about the brand. If I compare my life to what it was four and a half years ago, I'm living my dream honestly. I’m loving every second of it. I work just as hard, if not harder, but it's different when it's your thing and it's your creation.
