Give it a year. That’s as long as it lasts.
Originally, I had a fairly good experience. I ordered the “Ouroboros Earrings” which, while lightweight, still resembled the product photos and fulfilled their function. After a few months of maybe biweekly use, I noticed the closing mechanism becoming looser. However, they still worked. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, though, and the clasp mechanism failed completely. Hoops that don’t close are effectively useless, so I decided to reach out about a replacement. I went to the company’s website and found that they had updated the design. In the description, they now note that the previous version was not durable and used cheaper materials. By the time I contacted customer service, I was conveniently (for them) a few weeks outside of the 1-year warranty period, so they would not send a replacement. It is my feeling that since the product stopped functioning due to error in the manufacturer’s design—error that they themselves recognize warranted a public re-release of the product—it should be eligible for replacement. Live and learn. I now know that a measly 1-year warranty means someone doesn’t believe in the durability of whatever it is they’re selling. Jewelry can last for more than one year. Jewelry SHOULD last for more than one year. And if this company is as dedicated to craftsmanship and quality as they say they are, I should be getting five years out of these earrings minimum. In the time since I placed my original order with Ask & Embla (A&E), I’ve explored actual fine, handcrafted jewelry and trained myself to better identify greenwashing. And I’ve realized that there is no way the jewelry A&E is selling isn’t drop shipped or just mass produced. The difference between A&E and Martha Rotten, for example, is mountains and caverns. All my Martha Rotten pieces still look and function like new. And—here’s the kicker—several of them were cheaper than these earrings! TLDR: Anyone who purchases from A&E, please know that the elevated price does not mean elevated quality. In addition, even if they do tremendously improve the durability of their jewelry, they’re still misleading about it being “handmade” in the sense that the average conscious consumer assumes. Lastly, no matter how “new and improved” their products are, they maintain their limited 1-year warranty, which tells me all I really need to know about much they believe in their craftsmanship. I cannot afford to and also have too much self-respect to spend $60 on the same earrings every year.