I decided along with our article about 5 of our favourite sustainable jewellery brand to interview them. Here is our interview with Arianne Wijdeveld: founder of Lunar James.
How did the idea come to you?
“The idea of making sustainable and ethical jewellery first came to me after I travelled through South America, which is now over 10 years ago. I spent about a month in the rainforest in northern Brazil where I met different tribes and got to see them making different crafts like jewellery and ceramics (masks, vases, plates, etc.). Everyone I met was lovely, open, and most of all they were all so connected to everything around them. Connected to each other, connected to the food they eat and how the body works (and alternative healing), and generally connected to nature and the sky/stars above. I was amazed by the beautiful dresses (dyed with natural dye obtained from avocados and various plant leaves) and stunning jewellery worn by the women, and learnt how to make jewellery from feathers, plant seeds and nuts, as well as from golden grass.
Inspired by this deep connection to nature, I went back home and wished that in our western world we would somehow become a little more “connected”. Over the last 10 years, I made lots of attempts in my own life to live more in harmony with everything around us. I became super interested in growing my own food, astrology, yoga and various forms of meditation, and started making my own dye and jewellery from natural materials.
Making jewellery quickly grew from a hobby into a passion and I would make jewellery mostly from cruelty-free feathers, as well as shells beachcombed locally or at an exotic destination.
Without a creative background, I worked as a lawyer for 10 years, I am mainly self-taught. Over the last three years, I attended various jewellery courses in the evenings after work, to learn all the essentials like soldering, stone setting, bead wiring and much more.
It was only until after my son was born, that I thought I’d turn my passion into something a bit more. I started Lunar James (named after my son born at a full moon) in the hope to do my bit to preserve the planet a little more. It is my aim to show and inspire people that jewellery can be totally stunning and entirely natural without harming mother nature.”
Where do you find your material? Is it sustainable or renewable?
“Most of the materials I use are either sustainable or renewable.
All the shells used in my jewellery are hand-gathered by me throughout the years. Many of my shell jewellery pieces are therefore one-off pieces, or at least very small-batch (two or three pairs at the most).
I also use freshwater pearls in my jewellery – these are all sourced from a reputable UK supplier who’s had a longstanding relationship with a freshwater pearl factory in China. They source the pearls from farms that adhere to specific sustainable and ecological practices.
The feathers are sourced from a number of aviaries and sustainable farms in the UK – the feathers are naturally shed and then washed by hand.
The beads I use in my jewellery are either wooden beads made from FSC certified wood, or plant-based beads from acai berries as well as a variety of palm type trees.
I use a variety of metals like eco-silver (this is an environmentally friendly raw material produced from 100% recycled scrap metal), and reclaimed brass. I also use a lot of gold-filled metal which to date does not have an eco-friendly option yet like eco-silver. However, as gold-filled is extremely durable (just like solid gold) and is the perfect conscious choice for a timeless piece of jewellery. “
What is the process of creation?
“This is an interesting one. It usually starts with an idea in my head, inspired by something I’ve found in nature. This could be a pattern in the leaves, or simply just a beautiful shell that I want to use for my jewellery. I let the idea develop and do a raw sketch, after which I usually just let my hands lead the way. More often than not, the design changes during the process as I don’t have the patience to literally go back to the drawing board. Often I end up making two prototypes before I’m happy and then I make the final piece.
I make small-batch jewellery only, and so there is usually only 2-3 items of every piece. And the really special pieces are only made once, usually driven by the nature of the materials I use – for instance, I would only have 1 or a limited number of similar shells/beads.”
What is your goal with your products and brand?
“To inspire people to think more carefully about consumption and waste, and ultimately to appreciate and love nature more.”
What is the type of pricing that you offer?
“As I work with different metals, I am able to offer different price ranges at the moment. The reclaimed brass pieces are at the lower end of my price range and start from around £20 per pair of earrings. Eco Silver pieces start from around £35, and the average price of a piece of gold-filled jewellery is around £50. I love the fact that gold-filled has all the upsides of solid god (it won’t tarnish or rub off), and is a lot more affordable. The fact it’s such a durable metal has meant that my current summer collection features predominantly gold filled items.
There are also a few statement pieces and they start from about £70.
In the future, I’m hoping to do more statement pieces, as well as bespoke orders which is something that’s currently in the pipeline, super exciting!”
I hope you liked this article. Here is Lunar James website. Feel free to also go check out our post on 5 of our favourite ethical jewellery brand.
