Jewelry made for human connection.

Xander Castil, formerly known as Castil, began in 2017 when my father and I started crafting jewelry from our small townhome garage. Growing up, jewelry was our family’s way of making a living. I spent my childhood in jewelry exchanges, around tools, stones, and the craft my father built his life on. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was ours.

The name Castil came from splitting my last name, Castillo, in half. I wanted something unique and timeless, something that could stand beside the jewelry houses I admired growing up, like Cartier and Chopard. That’s how Castil came to be.

I was sixteen when I listed our first design — the Snook pendant — on Etsy. Inspired by the fishing hobby I had growing up in Florida, what started as a small experiment became real the moment our first order came in. That single order sparked everything.

In 2020, I left college to focus full time on the business. The next few years were tough; we faced many setbacks and long nights building our small in-home factory, but we never gave up. By 2024, Castil had grown into a thriving business.

However, as the company grew, something in me began to shift. Having achieved the success, stability and freedom I once dreamed of, the inspiration that once drove me started to fade. The craft that used to excite me slowly began to fill me with dread instead.

In the summer of 2025, I suddenly found myself in a conversation I didn’t expect. I was asked to share a story I had never spoken aloud, something personal, something I never imagined anyone would care to hear, let alone ask.

In that moment, I realized how fulfilling it feels when you genuinely connect with someone. That feeling stuck with me, and it quietly reshaped how I saw my own work.

Around that same time, a trademark challenge pushed me to rebrand from Castil to Xander Castil. Taken from my middle name, Alexander, the new name was selected to reflect the values and purpose shaped by own journey, now carried forward by the brand.

Because after many years, it became clear to me what our work had always been about. It was never just jewelry. It was about creating something that can connect us to a feeling you never want to let go of, a memory you refuse to forget, a reminder of who or what matters most to you. These pieces were not made for the sake of status, wealth, or success, but to honor the connections that define us.

Our nautical collection celebrates that spirit: a connection to my Florida roots and to anyone who finds a piece of themselves in the sea, whether through a feeling, a memory, adventure or love. Every future collection will carry that same purpose as well — to craft jewelry that holds meaning, reminding people of who they are, where they’ve been, and who they love.

Because what makes life, and this brand, worth building isn’t success or the things we chase.

It’s the connections we make.

And so now I ask you, what’s your story?

— Frank Castillo, Founder