History of Soufeel
Soufeel is a New York-based jewelry brand that was founded in 2009 by Steven Gao.
They’re one of the most popular personalized jewelry and gift brands because of their unique direct to customer model. Customers can customize their products directly on Soufeel’s website, saving time and money. Because of this, Soufeel has changed the world of custom jewelry shopping and is a competitive alternative to visiting specialty jewelers and the big-name jewelry stores.👍🏻
Soufeel has sold products to consumers in over 65 countries. Their slogan is “For Every Memorable Day” and they make jewelry pieces for all occasions and all wearers.
Throughout their existence, Soufeel has had different development phases.
Phase 1: 2011
After two years of its formation, Soufeel was still a new company and didn’t offer the extensive catalog it does today. It was just another general online jewelry store; however, they did offer a range of jewelry pieces and types such as bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings.
They also didn’t offer the personalized jewelry they do today.
The branding also looked completely different; rather than the feminine appeal and social media-inspired imagery, the phase 1 Soufeel website featured clean and minimalist web design as well as a basic logo.
Phase 2: 2016
In 2016, Soufeel became the brand it’s known as today. They started rebranding themselves as a classic feminine and trending website, accentuating their website with girly colors such as pink and amping up their social media presence.
This is when Soufeel started promoting itself as a personalized jewelry brand. At this time, Soufeel offered engravable jewelry, photo jewelry, and some of their most popular items such as name necklaces.
Phase 3: Mid-2020
Today, Soufeel has expanded its product line greatly compared to when it first started. Soufeel offers more than jewelry; they now offer custom apparel, home products, custom pet accessories, and other personalized gifts.
Soufeel is also distancing itself from just another general jewelry brand. They’re promoting themselves as a personalized gift brand with a focus on personalized jewelry.
Product Selection and Quality
Soufeel has extensive product selections. This selection includes premier product lines, jewelry trend innovations, as well as other category types such as accessories, materials, add-ons, and more.
Premier Category Line: Name Necklaces and Custom Bracelet Charms
🎉Two of Soufeel’s most popular product types are name necklaces and custom bracelet charms.
The Soufeel name necklace is an industry leader for a good reason. They offer classic necklace types, such as the Carrie Style Name Necklace, as well as unique and innovative designs.
For example, the Infinity Name Necklace is a classic design choice but they also offer eye-catching designs that few personalized jewelry brands offer, such as the Overlapping Heart Name Necklace.
Soufeel also offers charms that no other jewelry brand offers. Their charms go a step further by featuring unique materials such as Murano Glass, eye-catching charm types such as travel and occupations, and they even make photo charms.
Soufeel charms have locks and stoppers to prevent the charms from sliding. Their charms also fit on all major brands’ bracelets, with the exception of charms meant to be worn on a Soufeel safety chain or with a stopper.
Personalized Jewelry Innovations
The innovations don’t end here. Soufeel has always been one of the leading trendsetters out of all custom jewelry brands, and photo jewelry is where they shine.🐱
Let’s take their Custom Photo Necklaces as an example. You can print a photo of your choice on different necklaces, such as a locket and even a dog tag. They also offer different photo print choices; you can choose a classic full-color photo or even a sketched-style print.
Soufeel takes their custom photo jewelry a step further and offers Custom Photo Watches. The image is printed on the dial so you can look at a picture of your family and friends when you glance at the time.
Like the necklaces, Soufeel’s Custom Photo Watches are available in different designs. You can also choose to print your photo in full-color or choose a unique engraved-style picture. Buyers also have the option to engrave a message on the back of their jewelry.
Selection
Just because these are Soufeel’s most popular and innovative products doesn’t mean these are the only products you should choose. Soufeel has a wide selection of different jewelry options and different ways to customize them.
When it comes to jewelry, Soufeel offers just about every type of jewelry available. This includes necklaces, watches, rings, bracelets, earrings, and even anklets.
These product types are available in different styles and designs. Popular designs include birthstones and other gemstones, family trees, initials, and even men’s jewelry.
They also offer designs specific to the jewelry type; for example, Soufeel offers all trending earrings including drop earrings, studs, hoops, and even name earrings.
When buyers go to buy a jewelry piece, they will learn that Soufeel offers limitless options to ensure they get the perfect product. For example, they offer a Red Rose Ring Pop-Up Box for their Promise Rings.🎁 You can always opt for a gift box, which most jewelry pieces include.
Another way that buyers can customize their jewelry is by choosing their metal. Some common metal types that Soufeel offers include:
- 14K Gold-Plated Alloys
- 925 Sterling Silver
- 18K Gold
- Rose Gold
You can also customize certain pieces to get diamonds or Swarvoski crystals embedded.
Soufeel Products We Reviewed
JewelryTalk has covered Soufeel significantly. We mentioned two of our previous reviews, such as a review of the Carrie Style Name Necklace and the Custom Photo Watch, both of which received 4.5/5 star reviews.
We also rated each jewelry item but specific categories. For example, jewelry quality received a 5/5 rating for both.
Some jewelry items did better in some categories than others; for example, the Custom Photo Watch has a 365-day warranty, as opposed to the three-month warranty that comes with the Carrie Name Necklace (though you can pay extra for an added 90-day warranty).
Overall, we rated both products highly and they were even rated better than competitors; for example, we prefer Soufeel’s Name Necklace over a similar product offered by competitor My Name Necklace.
Quality
You’re buying some of the best quality customized jewelry. Soufeel uses a combination of different metals for their custom jewelry, so they’re powerful against wear and tear.
Let’s take the necklace and watch we reviewed as examples. The color of the necklace is also beautiful; we ordered the yellow-gold Carrie Style Name Necklace and it arrived looking shiny and luxurious.
For the watch, the picture quality on the watch is also perfect and crystal-clear, the image doesn’t look pixelated or show any other flaws during the printing process. Both products also look the same as they do online.
Product Price and Value
As stated previously, we rated the quality of both Soufeel’s Name Necklace and Custom Watch as a 5/5. But both items are priced at $60 (though they constantly have sales and discounts). Are you really paying for what you get?
What about their other products? When filtering the prices on their jewelry products, most are within the range of $10.99–$19.99. Keep in mind, as we’re writing this article, Soufeel is hosting a major 11th-anniversary sale, so the prices are usually slightly more expensive than this (but still under $50).
You’ll also receive free shipping if your order is over $79. Soufeel shipping is relatively quick, even with custom jewelry.
So, why is Soufeel priced so low? As stated in the History section, Soufeel offers a direct to customer model. Instead of going through another party, customers can customize their jewelry piece on Soufeel’s website. This takes out many of the expenses and time associated with making custom jewelry.
Because of these factors, Soufeel is definitely worth the price.💰
How Soufeel Improves the Shopping Experience
One of the major ways that Soufeel stands out from competitors is they offer a shopping experience off of their website. For example, they team up with social media influencers to not only promote their products but to show buyers how their jewelry looks on others and the best way to style their jewelry.
But Soufeel also trusts the insight from the ones who matter most—their customers! Buyers can conveniently leave a review on Soufeel’s website so verified buyers can share their experience and photos.
Other than reviews, photos largely help a buyer’s decision. The images offered on company websites are usually taken by professional photographers and retouched by designers. 🧐When you see customer and influencer photos, you see a more organic view of the product and how it looks when worn.
This not only helps the buying process but Soufeel reviews make it easy to see customer and influencer photos, both on their website and on their social media pages.
Customer Service
When you click Soufeel’s customer service tab, three options appear:
- Track your order
- Cancel, return or modify your order
- Other questions
You can easily track your order by entering your email address. They will show your order information as well as shipping status.
Let’s say you want to change your order, return your order, or even cancel it. You enter your order number and the email address you used to purchase it. From here, you find your order and click which option you want.
For all other inquiries, you can email Soufeel. They do warn that they receive a large number of inquiries, but you’ll usually hear a response within 24-48 hours.
We never had to contact customer service for any problems or complaints, but Soufeel was very communicative during the shipping process.
Return Policy
Soufeel has a few different return policy options, depending on what you bought and the reason for the return.
The two most common returns are 90-day full-coverage and limited-coverage returns.
You can get a full-coverage return if:
- You received the incorrect product
- Your custom jewelry (such as photo jewelry) looks different than what you provided
- Your items arrived broken, defective, or the quality is poor
- Other jewelry issues eligible for a full return is gemstones/crystals are falling out, paint is chipping off
You can get a limited-coverage return if:
- Changed your mind, no longer like the product, etc.
- Chose the wrong size
Keep in mind, personalized items are only refundable if they’re defective or damaged.
How does Soufeel handle exchanges? They will only exchange the same item or another item of equal or lesser value.
These are reasons not covered by the 90-day return:
- Products are damaged by misuse and poor handling
- Products were exposed to corrosive chemicals and elements
- Products are damaged due to low and lack of maintenance
The only exception to this return policy is to watches. All watches have a 365-day return policy and warranty. However, the 365-day return only covers watch movement (watch parts only have a 90-day return policy).
The warranty does not apply to damage caused by misuse, mishandling, and issues with repairs done DIY or from an authorized facility.
Warranty
⚠️While we described the 90-day and 365-day watch warranties, buyers can pay an extra $5.99 for an additional 90-day warranty.
Final Impressions
Soufeel takes customized jewelry up a level, offering a convenient ordering platform for customers. They originally formed as a general jewelry store, but have since become the leaders in personalized jewelry and gifts.
Soufeel jewelry offers high-quality custom jewelry products at competitive products. In addition, they always offer sales and discounts so customers can save even more money.
There are many things to love about Soufeel. They not only have exceptional products but they offer innovative styles, such as photo jewelry. They also have a robust selection of different products, styles, and gifts that all buyers will appreciate.
Soufeel also improves the shopping experience in many ways. Ordering from Soufeel is user-friendly thanks to their direct to customer model. They also have a great social media presence and buyers can easily access Soufeel jewelry reviews and authentic photos.
In case there are any issues with your order or you’re not satisfied with your purchase, Soufeel offers a 90-day return policy for your convenience.
We’re overall satisfied with Soufeel, but there are some minor issues. 90-day returns don’t cover the inevitable wear and tear that jewelry items face (though proper maintenance and care will prevent damage).
Even though Soufeel does have constant sales, it does make pricing a little more difficult—customers have to buy a product the minute they see a great price or sales event.
How long does Soufeel take to deliver? We received our products within two weeks, but since these products are customizable, it’s recommended you order in advice or opt for expedited shipping for time-sensitive products.
Otherwise, Soufeel is one of the best-personalized jewelry brands out there and we recommend this brand to all buyers.
Is this your first time ordering personalized jewelry? Take a look at the jewelry pieces we reviewed.
