Adorn Yourself With Jewelry....And Nothing Else, If You're Into That
Sustainable Jewelry Picks To Start The Year Right
It’s a new decade – the night is young, and you’ve got the perfect outfit picked out for your GNO. Nothing beats dancing till the sunrise on the Lower East Side! We’re going fancy tonight ladies, because you deserve it. You’ve chosen that chic black velvet mini dress you found thrifting last week – an adoring scoop neckline, long sleeves and slim fitting waist. It was a match made in heaven. Paired with your favorite black heels. You cue Alexa to play your go-to, Warm Water by Banks (Snakehips Remix) and you begin your makeup routine. You’re brushing through your lashes with your favorite Glossier mascara, almost ready to add your lip shine when your heart drops…you forgot to accessorize!
It’s moments like these when we can’t forget to add a lil bit of bling to finish off our perfect outfit – but as we’ve mentioned before, it’s hard to pick out jewelry that meet our ethics and sustainability standards. Lucky for us, we’ve got our eyes five different brands to add a little bit of spice to your 2020 looks– because a girl can never adorn herself with enough glam!
NO CLAY PIECES LEFT BEHIND: Expressions of Love by Meesha Farzaneh @MeeshaFarzaneh
If you like to make a statement, nothing is more fitting than the remarkable jewels of Meesha Farzaneh. With eclectic pieces made to style to any and all cool girls on the planet, Meesha Farzaneh is the ultimate go-to for ethically made jewels with a kick. At the heart of her brand, designer and creator Meesha Farzaneh has emphasized the idea of overcoming hardship through art. After undergoing three incredibly invasive surgeries on her left foot, she looked for ways to express herself through art and slowly but surely she taught herself how to design and create textile art. Unfortunately for Meesha she began developing carpal tunnel which hindered her ability to create art with her hands. To our avail, she is a prime example of blossoming in adversity. She began working with clay and we were gifted with her beautiful handmade creations.
At the heart of her brand, Farzaneh highlights the importance of versatility and comfort, with designs that draw inspiration from nature and spirituality. Each piece is handmade and hand assembled in her east Austin Studio on. A made-to-order basis. She mentioned that her mood and inspo board is full of keywords like old Hollywood, mythology, energy, ethereal, mystical etc – and boy did she follow through! Her pieces are nothing short of ethereal and neither is her process. “Honestly, no clay pieces get left behind. Some of my best looks were literally created by me making use of scraps. We are always repurposing leftover clay and finding ways to incorporate them. Every component of my jewelry is vegan and cruelty-free. I also support small businesses when purchasing my charms and earring findings.” Farzaneh tells HOKU. Her primary material is polymer clay – she emphasizes that she uses polymer over ceramic clay because it doesn’t dry out when removed from packaging which allows them to reuse after removing from packaging, unlike ceramic clay which dries out. She makes it a point to use materials that can be upcycled and reused, eliminating waste and making her pieces all the more unique!
Meesha Farzaneh is without a doubt the go-to centerpiece (or pieces) for any killer look – 2020, be ready!
Classic, Sleek and Sexy – You Can’t Go Wrong With Seryn Project @serynproject
Classic Hollywood? We think yes. Seryn Project by Ashley Seryn is an L.A. based brand featuring thrifted clothing and hand-made jewelry inspired by the quintessentially stylish girls of Hollywood. Each piece is handmade by jewelry designer Maria Strizhova in her downtown studio -- Strizhova has been creating jewelry by hand for clients and brands for over 10 years. She sources quality materials locally in small quantities, repurposing deadstock jewelry and leftover elements to bring life to new pieces whenever possible. Seryn works with Strizhova to design pieces that play off of the eloquent and classic jewelry look that match the unique style of Seryn Project.
Ashley Seryn is the ultimate dreamgirl – in addition to Seryn Project, she juggles grad school and work at a creative agency. Can we get a hell yeah for this girl boss?! Each capsule is created from pieces that Seryn thrifts – she mentions that her process works in a very organic way – she let’s the pieces find her, instead of the other way around. “For Capsule III, I had thrifted all the clothing in Paris a few months before. I thought that silver jewelry would complement the pieces well, which was great because Maria and I had wanted to do a silver collection since Capsule II was all gold. I put together a few moodboards for her to reference, and I loved everything she created!” Says Seryn. She emphasizes the fact that her focus is on growing Seryn Project in a smart and sustainable way, without compromising her creative vision – one thing she mentions is that she loves to create and find pieces that she’d want to wear herself. As a growing business owner, Seryn works hard to keep her process transparent – pointing out that the brand isn’t explicitly sustainable in terms that people normally think of, but by using secondhand, handmade and repurposed pieces Seryn Project is promoting a more circular and sustainable economy – because another woman’s trash is certainly another woman’s treasure!
Seryn Project will help you master the ultimate cool girl look – perfect for cocktail parties, brunch in the city, or laying around naked with nothing else on but yo bling. Alexa, play Don’t Hurt Yourself by Beyonce.
The Minimal Approach by Hey Moon Designs @heymoondesigns
Earthy Tones and Geometric shapes? Tell me more. Hey Moon Designs features the perfect selection of minimally inspired everyday jewelry handmade with love – every time! In its early beginnings, founder and Designer, Scarlet Penaloza was juggling the life of a student and working – this inspired her to create Hey Moon Designs. She began to express herself through jewelry and used polymer clay as her art medium. Soon after, Hey Moon Designs was born with the core of creating beautiful minimal everyday pieces that could make any girl feel beautiful, and could be worn everyday.
Hey Moon is for the working girl, the cool girl, the girls who spend their day in the lab and their nights cooped up in a book, and even the girls who love brunch and mimosas – these pieces are made to stand the test of time with a timeless and sleek approach. Oh, and trust us-- everyone will be too busy fawning over them to notice how much you’ve got on your plate! And let’s not forget how incredibly sustainable these pieces are. “ Every single piece of jewelry is designed and created by my hands. All materials used are bought locally to help support my community’s economy. I work with a local vendor who supplies me with all my titanium metal pieces. The goal with my designs is to create jewelry that makes a statement in a subtle way.” And believe us when we say, it does just that!
Hey Moon Designs can be worn by any and every girl looking to elevate their look with cute handmade pieces! Inspired by organic shapes and lots of dried flowers – Hey Moon has the je ne sais quoi every girl is looking for.
Jewels that Empower by Women’s PEace Collection @womenspeacecollection
Fair trade, female empowerment, recycled materials? Need we say more? Women’s Peace Collection is retailer that features pieces created by women from around the world. They offer an incredible selection of handmade jewelry, accessories, and gifts created by female artisans in over 12 countries across the globe. Through this, they allow women to follow their dreams of being self sufficient entrepreneurs by providing them with an avenue to sell their work, allowing them to reach a larger audience. With a mission focused on empowering women, eliminating poverty and promoting peace, Women’s Peace Collection is an exceptional example of what it means to do business in the right direction. Oh, and did we mention how cute the pieces are?!
Talk about handmade with love – each piece is created with sustainable sourcing and production methods, respect for cultural traditions, and a focus on being good to the environment. And that’s not all, Women’s Peace Collection is a Fair Trade Federation member which means that they have been carefully vetted to ensure that products are being sourced fairly. “At Women’s Peace Collection the vast majority of our jewelry comes from recycled or repurposed materials or plant-based products. For example, our jewelry from India is made of recycled metals, mostly sterling silver and brass. Another collection we have from India uses repurposed beads that are made from recycled Sari and quilt fabric. And our tagua jewelry is made from the tagua nut which comes from the Amazon. It is often referred to as “ecological ivory” because it is hard like ivory but no elephants are poached. And our Eco Resin line features jewelry made out of bio waste products such as wood chips. Given the state of the planet with climate change at crisis levels, we all need to do our part to make sure that our carbon footprint is as minimal as possible, using recycled materials whenever possible.” Fish tells HOKU. And we couldn’t agree more.
As a brand focused on fair trade, Fish mentions that one of their biggest challenges is educating consumers about the importance of paying a bit more for a product that’s ethically made. At HOKU, this is at the core of our messaging. Being vocal about understanding where products come from – it seems easy to purchase a ring from Forever 21 for $5 (even if it turns your finger green) but in the long run, knowing where your pieces are being made is the first step to becoming a more conscious consumer and opening your mind to the value of ethically made products.
When you choose Women’s Peace Collection, you are not only becoming part of the fair-trade movement, but you’re investing in making other women’s dreams come true. All while making a kick ass fashion statement!
Words: Kiana Kanoa
Models / Photography
Meesha Farzaneh: @slimy.chloe @aylaray @mikabega Photos: @scratchmybaklund
Seryn Project: @333dani Photos: @kianakanoa
Hey Moon Designs: @reeyah808 @aylaray Photos: @kianakanoa
Women’s Peace Collection: @lindseygabrielle1 Photos: @kianakanoa