Nickel & Suede
Quality
We founded Nickel & Suede with the mission to design and manufacture just the right thing™ which includes all of the materials we carefully select for each accessory.
Material Sourcing
Our founder and lead designer, Kilee Nickels, travels to Italy to design and hand-select the premium Italian leathers that we source for all of our leather earrings and handbags.
We have partnerships with Italian factories to produce leather handbags made from the same leather as our earrings. We also work with premium factories in Thailand, India, China and the United States.
Leather Earrings
Premium Italian leather that is versatile, durable, and feather-light weight. All leather earrings come on 14k gold-filled or rhodium-plated sterling silver hooks. These hypoallergenic metals will not tarnish and are always nickel-free.
Nappa Leather
Made from fine gain European lambskin which gives these earrings a buttery smooth texture.
Select Leather
Meet our highest quality full-gain leather. You'll often see this leather used to create designer handbags.
Embossed Leather
This leather is versatile and can be cross-hatched, pebbled, hammered, or patterned.
Foil Embossed Leather
Artfully hand-stamped leather with metallic and/or iridescent foils.
Metals & Stones
We carefully select our metals, gemstones, and other jewelry components from sources that use the highest quality materials. We always use gold, sterling silver or rhodium metals for nickel-free, hypoallergenic jewelry.
Luxe & Vermeil
Our Luxe jewelry is designed with high quality 18k gold plated brass or vermeil. Vermeil jewelry is plated with 2.5 microns of 14k gold over 925 sterling silver.
Gold Filled & Rhodium
All ear wires are 14k gold-filled or rhodium plated sterling silver. Many of our peices are gold-filled or rhodium-filled. These hypoallergenic metals will not tarnish and are always nickel-free.
Enamel
Enameling is a technique where a glossy substance is applied to the surface of metal. We use epoxy resin enamel that is more durable and resistant to chipping than traditional glass-based enamel.
Gemstones
We use a range of high quality, natural gemstones, as well as imitation glass stones. All of our authentic gemstones are genuine mineral stones that are highly valued for their beauty, longevity and rarity.
Handbags
Our signature handbags are made in Italy by skilled artisans with genuine Italian leather and/or premium materials. Each bag is exclusively designed for Nickel & Suede by Kilee Nickels using the same leathers we use in many of our leather earrings.
Made in Italy
Designed by Kilee Nickels
Blog posts
Introducing Handbags from Nickel & Suede
Nickel & Suede started with leather jewelry and most recently we have expanded into handbags as well! Read the story in this post.
What is Gold-filled Jewelry?
Gold-filled jewelry is a type of jewelry that has become more popular in recent years. Read more about gold-filled jewelry in this post.
Vermeil vs. Gold Plated Jewelry: What's the Difference?
At Nickel & Suede we offer vermeil and gold plated jewelry. What's the difference? Let's take a closer look.
Why Do We Wear Birthstones?
Why DO we wear birthstones? Where did this tradition come from? Learn more about the birthstone tradition and the unique meanings and symbolism behind each stone.
Have questions?
Visit our FAQ page for more answers, or contact us at info@nickelandsuede.com