F.A.Q.

1. What does JOA mean?
J.O.A. is an acronym that means "Journey Of Amore", a passion project I started during the pandemic, to keep myself occupied, anxiety-free and inspired. It started as a deeply personal affair in a form of the art of jewelry making. I kept my hands working, making costume jewelry, at first, to keep creating. I fell in love with the process and what came of it, hence the name journey of love.
2. Why buy vermeil jewelry vs. solid gold?
Vermeil allows buying more affordable pieces that are still high quality in comparison to costume jewelry brass plated with gold. Vermeil is silver as a base heavier plated with 18kt rose gold. It allows the creation of heavier, larger pieces, that will cost less than what it would in solid gold. For example, my pavé self-love hoop earrings would cost x 4 times if they had been done in solid gold, because of the weight, size, and the number of gemstones.
3. Are gift cards refundable?
Gift cards are nonrefundable.
4. Will you be creating diamond jewelry in the future?
I am interested in working with diamonds in the future, however, I have not been able to partner with the 100% transparent, sustainable, and ethical diamond supplier yet.
5. I bought a dress from you before, are you going to bring your apparel back?
You can find some limited edition dresses I still offer on my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/joadiary. I will continue my passion for sustainable, handmade small dress capsules in the future, just follow me on IG: @joa_diary for updates and new releases, or simply favor my shop on Etsy for the launches.
6. Are your gemstones lab created or natural?
Sapphires and rubies I use are 100% natural. They are brilliant cut stones that are rich in color and have beautiful sparkle. I will not use lab-created gemstones.
7. Are your rings resizable?
Most of my rings are adjustable with an opening at the back, so you can always change the finger you wear it on. It also applies to the bracelets. The knot ring is not adjustable, but you will be able to resize it with any local jeweler of your choice.
8. What is so special about handmade jewelry?
Handmade jewelry has a soul. I think of it as a work of art. It has imperfections and beauty in the wabi-sabi way, which is my idea of beauty. Supporting a small business is much more ethical, than buying mass-market brands that don't put any effort into producing sustainably and ethically. My manufacturing is entirely done by a single goldsmith, who is located in Rome, Italy. He does all the local gemstone sourcing as well. My packaging is without any plastic. The paper from which the packaging is made is handmade in France also by a small paper shop. Typically handmade manufacturing is much smaller quantities which attribute to limited-edition models and unique designs.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out at info@joa-diary.com
With Love,
JOA