Choosing jewelry
You already got here, on this site and page so that is a lot. Well done you and thanks for considering to make my jewelry eventually yours.
Choosing jewelry is not easy. If you want to see everything I made, you can take a look at the webshop and you can find an overview there.
If you need help, know that I am here and you can contact me so we can search together and find what really suits you the way you are.
If you would like to see the jewelry in real life, you can make an appointment to visit my studio.
Yes, you certainly can!
You can make an appointment to visit my studio at Antwerpse steenweg 249 in Gent (Sint-Amandsberg) and talk over a cup of coffee or tea.
I am looking forward to meet you!
Shopping jewelry online wherever you want can be pleasant but sometimes it is hard to know which ringsize to choose.
If you are in the possibility to drop by my studio or another jewelry shop, you can always let me/them find your size.
But if that is not possible, you can follow these steps and do it at home.
-Measure a ring that fits perfectly
When you already have a ring that fits, measuring its inner diameter can be very helpful.
Try to center the ring’s diameter on a flat ruler so you really measure as accurately as possible.
You can find the size chart below to convert the inside diameter to a size.
-The ribbon + ruler method
When you don’t have a ring yet that fits perfectly (let’s change that!), then you will need a non- elastic ribbon and a ruler.
Wrap the ribbon around your finger and mark the spot where the ribbon makes a full circle around it (you can find an image below).
That way you will measure the circumference of your finger. Try to hold the ribbon as tight and as straight as possible.
You can find the right size by using the convert table below. Good luck!
| circumference (mm) | inside diameter (mm) | EU size |
| 37,8 | 12,04 | 38 |
| 39,1 | 12,45 | 39 |
| 40,4 | 12,85 | 40 |
| 41,7 | 13,26 | 42 |
| 42,9 | 13,67 | 43 |
| 44,2 | 14,07 | 44 |
| 45,5 | 14,48 | 45 |
| 46,8 | 14,88 | 47 |
| 48 | 15,29 | 48 |
| 48,7 | 15,49 | 49 |
| 50 | 15,9 | 50 |
| 51,2 | 16,31 | 51 |
| 52,5 | 16,71 | 52 |
| 53,8 | 17,12 | 54 |
| 55,1 | 17,53 | 55 |
| 56,3 | 17,93 | 56 |
| 57,6 | 18,34 | 58 |
| 58,9 | 18,75 | 59 |
| 60,2 | 19,15 | 60 |
| 61,4 | 19,56 | 61 |
| 62,7 | 19,96 | 63 |
| 64 | 20,37 | 64 |
| 65,3 | 20,78 | 65 |
| 66,6 | 21,18 | 67 |
| 67,8 | 21,59 | 68 |
| 68,5 | 21,79 | 69 |
-Ring Sizer
If you don’t trust the other methods, then opting for a ring sizer is the next best option that will help you measure any finger you’re shopping for. You can purchase it online and you can use it forever. Though I support to contact me so I can measure you (or the person you want to give it to) instead of buying something extra.
-Extra information that could help you.
If you don’t find the exact measurements go to the next closest.
If the ring you want to buy is wide, size up a half a size or more.
If the ring you want to buy is very thin, best opt for half a size smaller.
At the moment, studio stuk is a one woman thang.
So I am making my hands dirty with a big smile (most of the time because I am human) especially for you.
To be clear: I design and make everything on my own. I buy wire and plates of recycled gold and silver and then a saw it, bend it, hammer it, solder it, polish it etc… until it becomes what it eventually will be for you.
I am also experimenting with lost wax method. I make the jewelry in wax and then I send it to a begian company. They do complicated stuff and I get a piece of jewelry in silver or gold in return. When I use this method for a piece of jewelry I will always inform you about it. I am still searching for ways to make this method more eco friendly (no loss of wax etc.) and I will keep you posted about it.
Hence I make everything on my own, it is made in my studio in Gent (Belgium) with my bare hands.
When I use the lost wax method, there is also a company in Belgium involved who turn the handmade wax model into silver or gold.
The silver and gold I work with is recycled and comes from a factory in Belgium, Germany and Italy.
The reason I use recycled metals is very clear. Why should we mine new silver and gold if there is already plenty sitting in our broken phones or can be remelted out of old jewelry nobody wears anymore?
Fair mined silver and gold is not enough. We don’t need to mine anymore. We need to recycle more. No fucking greenwashing. Real shizzle, pure shizzle, transparancy now.
Most plates and wires I work with are recycled and the mines where it originally comes from is fair mined and has an lbma certificate of good delivery. The other silver and gold I use is recycled too but the original mine it comes from is not known. Still, it is recycled, not newly mined or newly fair mind. And that is already a big step towards a sustainable way of life.
I am constantly learning, trying and failing and trying again. Not everything is perfect now. In the future I want to know every name and person involved and know every detail of where everything is from and I want to be 100% sustainable, but it is not possible for now.
So bear with me and we’ll get there with love, time and tenderness.
The biggest part of the silver I use is 925 and 935 recycled silver from factories in Belgium and Germany and Italy.
935 silver is argentium silver which means that it is a combination of 93.5 % precious silver and 6.5% germanium. It differs from sterling silver (925) due to the fact that there is a higher percentage real silver in argentium silver and that it contains germanium instead of copper. The silver is due to those reasons more tarnish resistant, has a brighter color than 925 silver.
Silver is a precious metal so it is soft for the skin, will not wear off and is hyppoallergenic.
That being said it is still a metal. And it is in the nature of silver and brass to tarnish overtime. Although it can be polished back to its original state, I encourage you te embrace the ever evolving finish of the metal.
I use 18kt and 14kt recycled gold.
18kt gold means it contains 75% pure gold, 12.5% copper and 12.5% silver.
18kt is the best option if you want the highest amount possible of pure gold, with enough scratch resistance and quality. Because of the high amount of pure gold, it is also a more solid investment and more expensive.
14kt gold means it contains 58,5% gold and 41,5% other metals such as copper, silver and zinc. This is a more budget friendly option than 18kt and is more scratch resistant than 18kt.
I hear you think why I don’t use 100% pure gold? It wouldn’t be a good idea because gold is a very soft material so your jewelry would be full of scratches in no time.
For the gold plated pieces, I use 18kt gold and it is plated with 5 micron gold (=thickness of the layer of gold, a lot of shops use 1 or 3 micron, I use 5 so the gold will not fade away quickly). The material underneath the gold is silver. In a lot of shops, they don’t use precious metals as base material. I do because of the fact that I want the jewelry to stay hyppoallergenic.
I can totally understand you have an emotional bond with some old gold you have and you want to keep it as close to you as you can, but that old gold is not really you in shape and form.
When you have different pieces of old gold, it often is a melting pot of different kinds of gold (14kt, 18kt and other weird alloys).
So if I would melt them together, the formed alloy will not be of good quality.
That is the reason why I will not do that.
What I can do is collect your gold and see if it is all 14kt or 18 kt gold. If that is the case, I can remelt it and make a design for you that suits you.
If your jewelry is a combination of a lot of different golds, I can collect them and see what it is worth. Then you can purchase the jewelry you want or I can make something very unique and personal for your with a discount of what your old gold is worth.
If you have one piece of old gold, I can test the gold and then I can maybe make and design something which is you out of the old piece.
You can always contact me for further questions about this subject. I am happy to help where I can!
Although I really want studio stuk its jewelry to fit you in every way you are, studio stuk is after all something that I am shaping and forming with my heart and soul.
Unfortunately my heart was never where diamonds or stones were.
It will not mean that I will never make something with diamonds or stones, but I don’t feel it at the moment. Maybe tomorrow or within 10 years. Will let you certainly know.
If, on the other hand, you have an idea with stones that would suit studio stuk’s vision and esthetics, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am always open to learn and get inspired.
If you don’t find your thang or are hesitating, you can contact me and I’ll be happy to think together with you how I can make/find the jewelry you want to wear and which expresses you.
If you notice a problem you encounter often about jewelry, please do contact me and I would be pleased to help you out.
For example: I met the other day a woman who have had stretches in her ear that she doesn’t wear anymore but she likes her ears the way they are now. They are marked as a period of her life and that is beautiful. Now she can only wear hoops because other jewelry will fall through the whole the stretches created. This is super interesting information for me and now I am working on jewelry that will fix this problem so she can wear other earrings than hoops when she wants too.
Know that I am only a message/ phone call away from you. You can make an appointment by clicking here.
Buying your jewelry
In order to have an overview of what I make, you can go to my webshop.
Then you can click on an item you like, fill in the asked information and then add to basket.
In the right corner on the site, you will see a basket. Click on that and you will see an overview of what you added to the basket.
Then click on checkout and you can fill in everything so you can pick up the order or let it be delivered.
That’s it! If you have more questions, you can always contact me.
How sweet you want to give someone you like something I made!
Many thanks for that.
You can contact me and pick up your gift card in my studio in Gent or you can buy a gift card by clicking here.
Getting your jewelry
After carefully gift wrapping your beloved item(s) I aim to send them as quick as possible or I will contact you and you can pick it up in my studio.
When shipping is required, I will send you a shipment confirmation by email with the delivery information and a link to track your order online.
Please note that it can take a few days before the tracking information is updated. If you haven’t received a confirmation by email please check your spamfolder.
If you can’t find it there either, please contact me asap.
It depends on the specific jewelry piece.
Count 2 weeks (+the time the post order company needs to deliver it) to be certain for the pieces you can find on the site. When it is a custom made piece, I will tell you how long it will take when you contact me. Make you appointment for a custom made piece by clicking here.
You can choose to pick it up at my studio. If you choose that option, I will contact you and we will find a date to meet!
If you want it to be delivered you need to calculate some extra time until you can wear it. You will receive a code when I brought it to the postal office so you can track your parcel.
I start to process your order as soon as you place it.
I encourage thoughtful shopping but if you have changed your mind or realised that you made a mistake after placing your order, please contact me as soon as possible by sending an email to info@studiostuk.com or call me +32486 65 97 26 and I’ll be happy to help.
Having your jewelry
Precious metals are still metals so they do react a bit (gold less than silver) with air and water. Store jewelry of studio stuk best in a dry, clean & safe place. Avoid storing it in e.g. your bathroom.
I advise you not to swim, exercise, shower or wash your hands whilst wearing the jewelry because of the oxidising process (for golden pieces it is less of a problem) to keep it in the best shape as possible. In general, it is also a good idea to keep your jewelry away from cosmetics and perfumes.
But hey, I know you won’t follow that advise and that is ok because you live and already need to think about a thousand things so you will forget it.
Just know the color will get dull faster and it will shine less bright faster.
Then you will need to clean it or polish it. Or you can choose to let it be the way it is and cherish the ever evolving state of the jewelry.
When you want to clean the jewelry yourself at home:
– Silver jewelry can oxidise over time (black tarnish). You can clean them with a special soft cleaning/polishing cloth you got from me when you bought your jewelry. Just rub the cloth several times over the jewelry and it will be cleaned in no time.
– Golden jewelry usually does not need any cleaning, but you can clean it with a special soft cleaning/polishing cloth your got from me when you bought your jewelry or by soaking it in warm water and a dash of mild detergent for 15 minutes, using a soft tooth brush and then rinsing it with water and drying it with a soft cloth.
When your jewelry is really dirty or there are scratches:
– Contact me and I will give it a deep clean/ get the scratches out for you.
Every piece of studio stuk is designed and produced in Gent, with lots of love for you. I encourage thoughtful purchasing but you are human and can be mistaken.
So if something isn’t quite right, you have 14 days to return it or exchange it in my studio in Gent. Do contact me asap if that is the case.
When you want to clean the jewelry yourself at home:
– Silver jewelry can oxidise over time (black tarnish). You can clean them with a special soft cleaning/polishing cloth you got from me when you bought your jewelry. Just rub the cloth several times over the jewelry and it will be cleaned in no time.
– Golden jewelry usually does not need any cleaning, but you can clean it with a special soft cleaning/polishing cloth your got from me when you bought your jewelry or by soaking it in warm water and a dash of mild detergent for 15 minutes, using a soft tooth brush and then rinsing it with water and drying it with a soft cloth.
When your jewelry is really dirty or there are scratches?
– Contact me and I will give it a deep clean/ get the scratches out for you.
I made your jewelry with material that is thick enough so it won’t bend quickly and did solder it in a way it would normally not break, but if that is the case please do contact me!
I’ll see what I can do to repair it. I would like you to wear the jewelry of studio stuk for a lifetime or longer so I will do my very best to fix it.
Yes, we are all in change for as long as we live and yes I understand if you change in a direction that is not alined anymore with the piece of studio stuk that you have.
If that is the case, I encourage you to give it to a loved one who still likes it.
When there is no one around, contact me and I will see what I can do.
The chances are big I will make something new for you and you only need to pay for the hours I need to work on it, not for the material because you already paid for that when you purchased my jewelry a while ago.
That way it does not catch dust in your cupboard and you will wear it where I like you to wear my jewelry the most: on your skin.
Do notice that for silver the biggest cost on a piece of jewelry is the cost of the hours I work on it. This is not the case with golden jewelry.
Something else
You can mail me: info@studiostuk.com
Or phone me: 0032 486 65 97 26
Send me a text on instagram: @studio.stuk
Or make an appointment to meet me and the jewelry at my studio in Gent.
Please read these terms of service (“terms”, “terms of service”) carefully before using https://studiostuk.com website (the “service”) operated by studio stuk (“us”, “we”, ”our”) and Justine Carpentier (“me”, “I”, “mine”.
Conditions of use: We will provide their services to you, which are subject to the conditions stated below in this document. Every time you visit this website, use its services or make a purchase, you accept the following conditions. This is why we urge you to read them carefully.
Privacy policy: Before you continue using our website we advise you to read our privacy policy regarding our user data collection. It will help you better understand our practices.
Copyright: Content published on this website (digital downloads, images, texts, graphics, logos) is the property of studio stuk/ Justine Carpentier and/or its content creators and protected by international copyright laws. The entire compilation of the content found on this website is the exclusive property of studio stuk/Justine Carpentier, with copyright authorship for this compilation by studio stuk/ Justine Carpentier.
Communications: The entire communication with us is electronic. Every time you send us an email or visit our website, you are going to be communicating with us. You hereby consent to receive communications from us. If you subscribe to the news on our website, you are going to receive monthly emails from us. We will continue to communicate with you by posting news and notices on our website and by sending you emails. You also agree that all notices, disclosures, agreements and other communications we provide to you electronically meet the legal requirements that such communications be in writing.
Applicable law: By visiting this website, you agree that the laws of the [your location], without regard to principles of conflict laws, will govern these terms of service, or any dispute of any sort that might come between studio stuk/ Justine Carpentier and you, or its business partners and associates.
Disputes: Any dispute related in any way to your visit to this website or to products you purchase from us shall be arbitrated by state or federal court [your location] and you consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue of such courts.
License and site access: We grant you a limited license to access and make personal use of this website. you are not allowed to download or modify it. This may be done only with written consent from us.
User account: If you are an owner of an account on this website, you are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your private user details (username and password). you are responsible for all activities that occur under your account or password. we reserve all rights to terminate accounts, edit or remove content and cancel orders in their sole discretion.
Privacy policy of studio stuk: studio stuk operates the https://studiostuk.com website, which provides the service. This page is used to inform website visitors regarding our policies with the collection, use and disclosure of personal information if anyone decided to use our service, the https://studiostuk.com website. If you choose to use our service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation with this policy. The personal information that we collect are used for providing and improving the service. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this privacy policy. The terms used in this privacy policy have the same meanings as in our terms and conditions, unless otherwise defined in this privacy policy. We may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name, phone number, and postal address. The information that we collect will be used to contact or identify you.
Log data: We want to inform you that whenever you visit our service, we collect information that your browser sends to us that is called log data. This log data may include information such as your computer’s internet protocol (“ip”) address, browser version, pages of our service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics.
Cookies: Cookies are files with small amount of data that is commonly used an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your computer’s hard drive. Our website uses these “cookies” to collection information and to improve our service. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies, and know when a cookie is being sent to your computer. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our service. For more general information on cookies, please research ‘what are cookies’.
Service providers: We may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:
• To facilitate our service;
• To provide the service on our behalf;
• To perform service-related services; or
• To assist us in analyzing how our service is used.
we want to inform our service users that these third parties have access to your personal information. The reason is to perform the tasks assigned to them on our behalf. However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose.
Security: We value your trust in providing us your personal information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Links to other sites: Our service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of these websites. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
Children’s privacy: Our services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13. In the case we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we will be able to do necessary actions.
Changes to this privacy policy: We may update our privacy policy from time to time. Thus, we advise you to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately, after they are posted on this page.
Contact us: If you have any questions or suggestions about our privacy policy, do not hesitate to contact us/me.
Please read these terms of service (“terms”, “terms of service”) carefully before using https://studiostuk.com website (the “service”) operated by studio stuk (“us”, “we”, ”our”) and Justine Carpentier (“me”, “I”, “mine”.
Conditions of use: We will provide their services to you, which are subject to the conditions stated below in this document. Every time you visit this website, use its services or make a purchase, you accept the following conditions. This is why we urge you to read them carefully.
Privacy policy: Before you continue using our website we advise you to read our privacy policy regarding our user data collection. It will help you better understand our practices.
Copyright: Content published on this website (digital downloads, images, texts, graphics, logos) is the property of studio stuk/ Justine Carpentier and/or its content creators and protected by international copyright laws. The entire compilation of the content found on this website is the exclusive property of studio stuk/Justine Carpentier, with copyright authorship for this compilation by studio stuk/ Justine Carpentier.
Communications: The entire communication with us is electronic. Every time you send us an email or visit our website, you are going to be communicating with us. You hereby consent to receive communications from us. If you subscribe to the news on our website, you are going to receive monthly emails from us. We will continue to communicate with you by posting news and notices on our website and by sending you emails. You also agree that all notices, disclosures, agreements and other communications we provide to you electronically meet the legal requirements that such communications be in writing.
Applicable law: By visiting this website, you agree that the laws of the [your location], without regard to principles of conflict laws, will govern these terms of service, or any dispute of any sort that might come between studio stuk/ Justine Carpentier and you, or its business partners and associates.
Disputes: Any dispute related in any way to your visit to this website or to products you purchase from us shall be arbitrated by state or federal court [your location] and you consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue of such courts.
License and site access: We grant you a limited license to access and make personal use of this website. you are not allowed to download or modify it. This may be done only with written consent from us.
User account: If you are an owner of an account on this website, you are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your private user details (username and password). you are responsible for all activities that occur under your account or password. we reserve all rights to terminate accounts, edit or remove content and cancel orders in their sole discretion.
Privacy policy of studio stuk: studio stuk operates the https://studiostuk.com website, which provides the service. This page is used to inform website visitors regarding our policies with the collection, use and disclosure of personal information if anyone decided to use our service, the https://studiostuk.com website. If you choose to use our service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation with this policy. The personal information that we collect are used for providing and improving the service. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this privacy policy. The terms used in this privacy policy have the same meanings as in our terms and conditions, unless otherwise defined in this privacy policy. We may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name, phone number, and postal address. The information that we collect will be used to contact or identify you.
Log data we want to inform you that whenever you visit our service, we collect information that your browser sends to us that is called log data. This log data may include information such as your computer’s internet protocol (“ip”) address, browser version, pages of our service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics.
Cookies: Cookies are files with small amount of data that is commonly used an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your computer’s hard drive. Our website uses these “cookies” to collection information and to improve our service. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies, and know when a cookie is being sent to your computer. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our service. For more general information on cookies, please research ‘what are cookies’.
Service providers: We may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:
• To facilitate our service;
• To provide the service on our behalf;
• To perform service-related services; or
• To assist us in analyzing how our service is used.
we want to inform our service users that these third parties have access to your personal information. The reason is to perform the tasks assigned to them on our behalf. However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose.
Security: We value your trust in providing us your personal information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Links to other sites: Our service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of these websites. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
Children’s privacy: Our services do not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under 13. In the case we discover that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we will be able to do necessary actions.
Changes to this privacy policy: We may update our privacy policy from time to time. Thus, we advise you to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately, after they are posted on this page.
Contact us: If you have any questions or suggestions about our privacy policy, do not hesitate to contact us/me.
All rights of this site are reserved to studio stuk/Justine Carpentier.
We never will know all the answers.
But I can try to help you where I can.
Just call me or text me on instagram or mail me or talk to me when you see me.