FAQ

Ecology and values

Ecology is an important value for us. We have chosen wood as a material because of its ecology. We also strive to minimize wastage. The related answer can be found in a separate paragraph.

We manufacture products that fit into flat, easy-to-dispatch packaging. It allows even large quantities of products to fit into a small space. It plays a role in the transportation and air freight, for example.

We want to shape a world in which the choice of materials and packaging is durable.

The waste material from manufacturing is very small. We aim to optimize the laser cutting of wood parts so that the waste material generated during the cutting process is minimal. For example, in the Halo and Korona jewellery series, the principle of zero waste has been taken into account already at the product design stage.

The jewellery in our set of buttons comes from the middle parts of other Valona jewellery pieces, so the waste material is practically zero.

A small amount of surplus wood material is burned when we are unable to use it.

We use packaging surplus material as backfill for outgoing packages for resellers.

Ecology, zero waste, meaningful work culture, and beauty are our core values. Read more about ecology and zero waste in the previous two answers.

Materials

The Finnish birch we use is ecological and certified material. It is safe to use in jewellery and as part of the interior decoration. Birch jewellery is breath-light and even spectacular jewellery is comfortable to wear all day long. Wood is soft as a material. It feels comfortable against the skin and stays warm even in cool weather. Because of these things, you hardly notice when wearing such jewellery. Because the products and their packaging are lightweight, shipping them is inexpensive. Take a look at our products at this link.

Birch is a pleasant and safe material on the skin. In dyeing we use substances that are suitable for skin contact. Earrings hooks are made of very good quality silver. It suits most people. However, there are people who cannot wear silver. For them, we recommend changing the hook to surgical steel or gold. We use nickel-free jewellery metal for necklaces. You can access our selection of jewelelry from our homepage.

We use high-quality Finnish birch plywood made at Koskisen plywood mill in Hirvensalmi. You can visit the plywood mill here.

In fact, we do not paint the products but dye them. This is because when painting, the cause of the wood becomes clogged. The surface then becomes “more plastic”. We want the products to retain the feel and look of the wood. That’s why we use dyeing in our production. We have developed our own technology for this, which allows us to preserve a lively and woody surface even in our dyed products. We mix the colors of each batch manually. Because the color of the wood and the size of the dyeing batches vary, the color of the products may differ slightly between dyeing batches. But it’s part of dealing with natural materials.

Birch is an extremely light material. One earring weighs less than a gram. That is why wood is so well suited for jewellery use. Many customers, who have abandoned the use of large jewellery in the past simply because their ears have been pulled by heavy jewellery, have been able to reintroduce impressive jewellery made from birch. We have small and large earrings in our range just to allow everyone to find their own size and look, without having to worry about the weight of the jewellery. We encourage women to choose stylish jewellery. After years of small jewellery, now is the time for spectacular jewellery. And, of course, you can choose for example smaller and more spectacular jewellery for everyday use.

Production

Valona birch products are manufactured in Finland. This means birch material, laser cutting, and jewellery assembly. We have a few manufacturers all over Finland. We all know them personally. That is important to us.

We do product packaging and brochures partially in Finland, but some of the packaging and materials for the metal parts of the jewellery come from Estonia or directly from international wholesale suppliers.

It is true that wood jewellery has gained a lot of popularity in Finland and has become a trend. At Valona, we are delighted and proud that we have been creating something that has become a trend. For example, we have been designing diamond and crystal jewellery for the Birch Crystal series since 2011, even before other brands began to bring the idea to the market.

Valona’s products have been awarded in several design contests both at home and abroad, such as Folk Pop in 2014, Finnish Handicraft Novelties 2016 and FORM # 2018 in Germany. Elina’s design has been characterized by the creation of new from the beginning. We rely on our customers to recognize the high quality and value of the design.

Storage and care

We recommend storing the jewellery in a jewellery rack or jewellery box. In particular, three-dimensional earrings can withstand the use of them but not strong squeezing. Our most sensitive products, 3D jewellery, are packed directly in a box where they are best stored. It is advisable to spray perfumes and hairsprays before putting on the jewellery so that the color of the jewellery will not be affected by prolonged use.

To restore the wood to its original colour, mix a small amount of baking soda and water and use it as a cleaning agent. For example, a soft toothbrush is used as a cleaning brush and a toothbrush for smaller gaps.

Yes, you can. Wood is resistant to moisture. Birch jewellery has been tested in hiking, skiing, sauna and even in the ice hole swimming. However, soaking them for a long time may discolour the jewellery. This should be taken into account when drying the wet the product. Then the appearance of the product will not be affected by dampness. It’s a good idea to avoid showering with 3D earrings because the material is thin and glue is also used with them. However, they are resistant to moisture. 

Our nickel-free metal chain may discolour if in contact with salt water, e.g. when swimming in the sea.

Although we work with care and refinement and are proud of the quality we achieve, we also sometimes make mistakes. If the jewellery you have purchased is damaged due to a manufacturing defect, we will, of course, send you a replacement or part of the jewellery against the defective jewellery you have returned. Please contact us within two months of purchase. In exceptional cases, we may also send a piece of jewellery against a photograph of a damaged piece of jewellery. In the case of some piece of jewellery, you can send the product to us for repair. However, first contact us by email for further assistance.

If the jewellery is broken due to careless use or improper storage, such as pulling the jewellery off or forcefully flattening it, this is no problem either. We can sell a replacement product/part of the product to replace the defective product. Please send us a picture of the broken product so that we can invoice and ship the correct piece. As a general rule, we create a personalized jewellery item for the online store. We will ship the replacement product once you have paid for your order of that item online. You can also order a product repair from us in case the product is repairable.

Please store the jewellery in a jewellery box or jewellery holder. Three-dimensional jewellery cannot withstand heavy flattening, so be aware of it when using and storing it.

Shipment and orders

You can buy products from our online store or from our retailers.

Click the product you like in the online store. Add it to your cart. Choose the payment method and shipping method from the shopping cart and pay for your order.

You can pay for the products with most common credit cards, debit cards, bank transfer (in Finland) and Paypal.

It is important to us that our customer’s confidential information is protected. That is why we use well-known and trusted payment agents. We direct payments through Checkout and Paypal.

We send light and small orders mainly by mail. For large and/or valuable orders, we deliver through the parcel service to the post offices or parcel points or through GLS’s parcel service. International reseller orders are shipped through GLS or DHL. Other transportation options can be negotiated with the customer. We are also working to update our shipment options.

We send online orders three times a week, daily in high season. Your products will, therefore, leave us no later than two days after ordering. During the Christmas season we strive to deliver on the same or the following day. International shipments will be sent as priority letters or economy packages, depending on the size of the order, unless otherwise requested by the customer. Faster delivery is possible at an additional cost. The Post promises to send letters to Finland for 2-5 working days to Europe and, for example, to the United States and the rest of the world for 4-8 working days. However, we recommend that you reserve plenty of transmission time during the seasons so that traffic is not unnecessarily slowed down by mail.

The delivery time for the products we ship to resellers is mainly 1-2 weeks. If we have the products in stock, delivery can be faster if needed.

Phone ordering is only possible for our retailers. If you would like to inquire about the situation of a particular product, for example, directly at a store, the easiest way to do this is to contact one of our retailers directly at this link. We will be happy to answer your questions and inquiries by phone and email and will also advise you on the use of the online store if necessary.

If you would like us to send the item as a gift directly to a friend, please enter a cover letter in the message field, up to 150 characters (incl. spaces and punctuations). Enter the recipient’s address as the address. We write the message on a small card that goes with the product to the recipient. On a single Birch Crystal ornament, we write the message directly on the product package, which we send as a postcard to the recipient.

Note: If the product goes to another country, please choose the shipping method according to the recipient country.

If the product is unused and in its intact packaging, replacement is possible. All shipping costs associated with the replacement will be borne by the customer. Please contact us prior to the replacement.

You may return the unused product in its intact packaging within 14 days of receiving the shipment to: Valona Oy, Harmaapaadentie 1aB, 00930 Helsinki, Finland. Include your name, address and order number with the package. We will refund the product price to the buyer of the product to the payment method they used. In case you want the refund to your bank account instead, include your also your bank account details with the package. Valona does not reimburse product return shipping costs.

If the product or packaging is damaged in transit, please send us pictures of the product and packaging and the order number by e-mail: info@valona.fi so that we can agree on further actions.

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