About — Linnea

Maya at her bench, working on a gold piece

The story

Maya started Linnea after years of buying jewellery she had to take off.

Most metals reacted with her ears. The few that didn't were either expensive enough to feel precious about, or cheap enough to break within a year. Neither was right.

In 2020, after a year of researching what materials actually don't react with sensitive skin, she started designing pieces that would. The first Linnea collection launched in 2021 from a small studio in Leslieville, Toronto. The brand has been growing slowly since.

Today, Linnea is still a small operation. Maya designs and oversees production. The pieces are made by hand in Toronto by a small team of three. Every piece is named clearly: solid 14k gold, 14k gold-fill, or surgical-grade titanium. Nothing else.

Workbench still life with raw gold, a ring in progress, and tools

What we make

Solid gold, gold-fill, and titanium. Named clearly.

Most jewellery brands in our price range use vague terms. "18k gold-plated." "Gold tone." "Hypoallergenic." None of those words mean anything specific.

We use three materials, and we name each one on every piece's product page:

14k gold-fill

is solid 14k gold mechanically bonded to a brass core. It's hypoallergenic, won't tarnish under normal wear, and lasts 5–15 years depending on use. Most of our everyday pieces are gold-fill.

14k and 18k solid gold

is the standard for pieces meant to last. Hypoallergenic. Lasts a lifetime.

Surgical-grade titanium (ASTM F-136)

is implant-grade and genuinely inert. We use it for pieces meant to be worn through fresh piercings, and for budget alternatives to our gold pieces.

We don't use plating, vermeil, sterling silver, or brass without a gold-fill layer.

See materials by piece

The studio

Made in Toronto. By hand. By us.

Every piece is made in our Leslieville studio. Maya designs each piece. The casting, finishing, and stone-setting are done by hand by Maya and two other goldsmiths. We don't outsource production. We don't drop-ship. We don't sell wholesale.

This is part of why our pieces cost what they cost, and why they look and feel the way they do. A piece that's been finished by hand has a different quality of polish than one that's been tumble-finished in batch. You can usually tell at six inches.

Visit the studio (by appointment)

Wide interior of the Leslieville studio with bench and tools

What we stand for

Hypoallergenic, by design

Every metal we use is named on every product page. Sensitive ears can wear everything we make.

Made in Toronto

Every piece is designed and made by hand in our Leslieville studio. No drop-shipping, no outsourcing.

Recycled gold, traceable suppliers

All of our gold is recycled or Fairmined certified. Diamonds are lab-grown or Canadian-mined. Coloured stones come from named, vetted suppliers.

Stay in touch

First access. Once a month.

New pieces, restocks, and the occasional letter from Maya. We send one email a month. We don't spam.