The team behind the boutique Charleston-based fine jewelry brand AL&EM believes in crafting pieces that transcend age and gender boundaries, working with clients to create custom engagement rings and other fine jewelry.
The couple behind the brand, Alexander Klaes and Emily Hill, started AL&EM out of their living room in 2015, and this month, they celebrate the opening of their own studio space downtown at 1630 Meeting St.
“We wanted to create a line of accessories that both of us could wear and borrow from each other and jewelry that would work for every age and every gender,” Hill said. “We want to make long lasting pieces that can be shared and borrowed by friends.”
Over the past few years, AL&EM have made a name for themselves around Charleston for their offering of solid gold permanent jewelry. Permanent jewelry doesn’t have a typical clasp for easy removal — the ends are welded together with the intention of never taking it off. Klaes and Hill said the permanent jewelry makes for a gorgeous “BFF” bracelet or a stunning memento for life’s big milestones.
Beyond permanent jewelry, AL&EM offers custom wedding and engagement rings. Plus, Klaes and Hill also offer a fine jewelry collection inspired by the marriage of their individual design aesthetics.
How it started
Klaes and Hill’s own romantic story started with their first brief meeting at a 2013 New Years’ Eve party on Folly Beach. Not long after, Klaes and Hill, then in their 20s, both separately embarked on traveling the world.
As fate would have it, their paths crossed again in Thailand. Klaes went to study under a family friend who was a jeweler in Australia, and Hill joined him. When the couple returned to Charleston, they decided to open their jewelry brand, first working out of their living room before establishing their studio a few years later at Redux Contemporary Art Center.
Now, they’ve opened up a space of their own — by appointment only on the second floor at 1630 Meeting Street Road. The Meeting Street site was renovated in 2018 by Flyway Development, (formerly owned and occupied by Exxon Oil since 1926,) and now houses a total of 19 creative businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofits.
Klaes and Hill moved into the new studio space over the summer and said they are excited to bring in clients. When designing custom engagement rings, providing a welcoming space and engaging in conversation with clients are pieces of the puzzle which Klaes and Hill are particularly passionate about.
“A lot of our custom work is push presents, engagement rings, that kind of stuff,” Klaes said.
“We’ve learned in this process how important jewelry is to people and having keepsakes and mementos. Learning people’s stories is really important and the focus of our conversation when making custom pieces.”
Klaes and Hill are working towards launching their own wedding and engagement collection later this fall, inspired in part by some of their favorite custom rings they’ve made for specific clients. Hill said the line will be AL&EM’s “modern interpretation of classic designs.”
“People want something that is unique and special,” she said, “but also something that’s recognizable as an engagement ring. So we’re playing around with that and seeing where that line is. We’re interested in pushing the conventions of what an engagement ring can and should be.”
Klaes and Hill agree: The number one goal for AL&EM is to continue to provide a highly personalized jewelry shopping experience.
Klaes said, “With buying jewelry, it can be this very traditional, kind of soulless experience. We enjoy our work, and we want people we work with to enjoy their experience as well. We want to make memories and make it a very personal experience for our clients.”
“There’s all these couples and people that exist out in the world that are wearing our rings and our jewelry, and for that, we are so honored. It’s very special,” Hill said.
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