Ex Aurum is a custom jewellery atelier located in the heart of Montreal’s historic jewellery district. For over three decades, we have operated out of the renowned 620 Cathcart building, specializing in handcrafted engagement rings, wedding bands, and bespoke fine jewellery. Founded by master jeweller Gino Priolo, every piece is designed, crafted, and finished entirely in-house at our downtown workshop.

Over 35 Years of Bench-Trained Expertise

Gino Priolo brings over 35 years of experience as a bench jeweller—shaping metal, setting stones, and mastering the craft from the ground up. After years of honing his skills at the bench, Gino founded Ex Aurum to orchestrate a boutique where manufacturing expertise leads the client experience.

This hands-on foundation distinguishes Ex Aurum from other Montreal jewellers. During your consultation, you work directly with the artisans crafting your piece—never a salesperson relying on outsourced production. Our team is known by name to our clients. Every meeting is personal, unhurried, and focused on executing your exact vision with complete quality control.

Custom Design: Your Vision Leads the Process

Ex Aurum is a custom-first jeweller. We do not push a fixed house style; we design around you.

We combine traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology to bring your vision to life. Whether you arrive with a highly specific sketch, a collection of inspiration photos, or an heirloom piece you want to modernize, we guide you through the entire process under one roof. Because everything is handled in our atelier, there are no middlemen, ensuring precision from the initial CAD design to the final polish.

Our Atelier Services Include:

• Custom Engagement Rings: Bespoke design for natural and lab-grown diamonds.
• Wedding Bands: Handcrafted bands tailored to fit perfectly with your engagement ring.
• Bespoke Fine Jewellery: Custom necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
• Heirloom Restoration & Redesign: Preserving antique pieces or transforming inherited stones and metals into modern designs.
• Diamond and Gemstone Sourcing: Leveraging decades of deep industry relationships, we have direct access to the world's finest diamond and gemstone cutters. We bypass standard retail markups to source exceptional natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, sapphires, and coloured gemstones for your custom piece.
• Jewellery Repair & Resizing: Complete maintenance performed on-site.
• Note: We offer free engraving on all custom pieces.

Education Over Sales Pressure

Informed clients make better decisions. During your consultation, we walk you through real materials and design choices. We explain diamond clarity and cut, compare lab-grown and natural stones, and show how different settings and metals affect durability over time.

Our goal isn't to rush a sale, but to ensure you understand exactly what you are choosing and why. Clients who visit multiple jewellery stores choose Ex Aurum for this transparent, consultative experience.

Fièrement Canadien / Proudly Canadian

Ex Aurum is a proudly Canadian company. Our atelier, showroom, and craftspeople are entirely based in Montreal. When you return years later for cleaning, resizing, or an anniversary upgrade, you are working with the exact same team that created your original piece. That continuity of care is why our clients return to us for life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ex Aurum make custom engagement rings in Montreal? Yes, Ex Aurum designs and handcrafts custom engagement rings entirely in-house at our downtown Montreal atelier using your choice of natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, or gemstones.

Who designs the jewellery at Ex Aurum? Master jeweller Gino Priolo leads our in-house design team, which includes three specialized 3D CAD jewelry designers and a dedicated team of European-trained jewellers. Together, they design and craft all jewellery directly with clients. We do not outsource our production or use third-party designers.

Can Ex Aurum redesign inherited jewellery? Yes, Ex Aurum specializes in redesigning inherited and heirloom jewellery. We can extract existing stones and melt down family gold to create a completely new, modern custom piece.

Do I need an appointment to visit the Ex Aurum showroom? While walk-ins are welcome, we highly recommend booking a consultation so our jewellers can dedicate uninterrupted time to your custom design or diamond selection.

How long does it take to make a custom engagement ring? Our custom jewellery process typically takes 4–6 weeks from the moment the design is approved. Because all casting, setting, and polishing is done in our Montreal atelier, we maintain strict control over the timeline and can occasionally accommodate rush requests.

Does Ex Aurum offer a warranty or resizing on custom jewellery? Yes. All custom jewellery crafted by Ex Aurum comes with a 1-year warranty against manufacturing defects. We also include one complimentary ring resizing within the first year of purchase to ensure a perfect fit.

Do you sell lab-grown diamonds or only natural diamonds? Ex Aurum sources and sets both natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds based on your preference and budget. During your consultation, we provide objective education on both options so you can make an informed decision for your custom piece.

Visit the Ex Aurum Showroom

Begin your custom jewellery project at our downtown Montreal atelier.

Address: 620 Cathcart Street, Suite 300 At the corner of Union Avenue, facing Phillips Square Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3B 1M1

Hours:

• Tuesday to Friday: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
• Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Sunday & Monday: Closed

Contact: Phone: 514-874-1720 Email: info@exaurum.com