Simping for Sophistication: Unexpected Materials Driving Luxe Jewelry

Taking their design powers beyond fashion into unchartered waters, artists, creators and brands alike are going gaga over unconventional materials that speak jewelry in more ways than one. From burnt jet to vintage wood, industrial materials to ethereal ceramic, new-age jewelry is coming into its own with an experimental edge.

Teatro Tetra Pak

One of the core components of carbon-neutral jewelry, who knew that this aseptic packaging material could be used to create a symphony of terrazzo-like beauty! Since Tetra Pak requires extensive recycling facilities, certain jewelry brands are translating this universal material into wearable fine jewelry by recycling it in the form of inserts or composites contrasted against metals like silver or gold.

Even though used Tetra Pak itself is technically a waste product and is supposed to be available for free or cheap, a considerable amount of time and resources are required in its extraction process. Because of the big investment size, the designed pieces often cost as much as precious metals.

Still, ambitious designers aren’t shying away from the modern simplicity and international aesthetic inherent to this neo material whose rise coincides with a fledgling interest in conscious techniques and trends.

Echoing Eco

Taking a cue from the reigning buzzword of the last few years, sustainable jewelry is on the rise in the form of eco-gold as well as fair mined silver. Several designers are now looking at sourcing precious metals inherent to jewelry production using non-toxic chemicals and harvested rainwater. Artisanal mining which has also seen a micro-boom as the more appealing option to destructive mining has led to the discovery of green-gold…more a process than material that is disrupting the old world cycles of gold processing and production for jewelry.

Eco-gold and other precious metals are green-lit by their commitment to the needs of future generations. In some cases, it goes like this: recycled gold, refined from old jewelry or scrap industrial items ranging from computer chips to floor shavings is melted into bars which are then bought by jewellers to work with. A roundabout way of obtaining gold, eco-gold is getting picked by jewel smiths as the answer to looking cute without causing trouble.

Sculptural Silhouettes


In case you haven’t noticed, playful yet sophisticated high-art ceramic jewelry has taken over Instagram, global runways and the imagination of jewelry designers worldwide. Inspired from abstractions in nature, imperfect silhouettes and sculptural forms are making a big comeback to create a coda of personality pieces that go beyond traditional jewelsmithing. Featuring organic curves that settle symbiotically on the wearer’s ear, neck, arms or even unconventional locations such as feet, knees or the waist, sculptural ceramic jewelry is taking a bold stride over the planet playful. 
Think fluid proportions in a solid, fragile material that somehow looks kinetic, alive and incredibly soft. From bold and joyful modern pieces to classical greek forms and pop, something feels inherently magical about sculptural ceramic with its pendulum-esque shapes and artistic inquiry into material and mould. At once classic yet substantial, this material has a sense of the artful about it that makes it pair universally well.

Whether it’s a digital seminar, a virtual date or a socially distanced soiree, the artistic romance of sculptural ceramic jewelry lends a sense of avant-garde curiosity to the ensemble.

Source – Pinterest @Strawberry cake

Vying for Vintage

In an industry so often infatuated with newness, it’s refreshing to acquaint oneself with something strikingly ye olde. A star material from the early days of industrial alchemy, vintage bakelite is a proto-plastic from the 1930s with a catch —it cannot be melted or recycled; only upcycled. Completely phased out a while ago, this plastic compound was synthetically manufactured using methanal and phenol to which fillers and pigments were added for colour and opacity.

As a relic of the past, it has now gained cult status. Since vintage bakelite cannot be melted or recycled, it has slowly become a collector’s item with designers looking to work with the material within fine jewelry. Often, it is mined from dominoes, old playing card sets, figurines and mundane objects of daily use. Only now, it is often embedded with heirloom gemstones, recycled gold, and rare wood for an elegant approach to sustainability.

What makes vintage bakelite so interesting is the myth behind it. Before its 1907 invention, all materials on earth were differentiated into three ‘kingdoms’ — animal, vegetable or mineral. However, the invention of vintage bakelite changed that and allowed for the creation of a 4th kingdom as before its genesis, no other completely man-made synthetic material had been successfully created.

The most important caveat for creating high jewelry from harvested bakelite is to ensure that the designs and offerings do not look DIY. A fine finish featuring luxurious details and a thought-provoking design is central to the material’s high-society revival. Additionally, this is also transforming an unwanted or discarded former object into something highly desirable while also minimizing waste, thereby taking sustainability up a notch.

Source: Pinterest @Kim Dunham

Trashy Treasures

Creating an underlying connection between the wearer and jewelry from an eco-conscious lens, creatives and designers are mining ocean trash in the form of recycled plastic to create meaningful, wearable art. By looking at waste objects from the perspective of jewelry, useless trash is being employed to create intimate pieces that may eventually become indispensable to the wearer. Through an environment and emotional perspective, more and more designers are choosing to make a statement that often reflects on the value found in the jewelry’s crafted details.

More often than not, a category truth when it comes to eco-friendly or sustainable materials, jewelry aligning itself to these niche values is a direct reflection of its owner more than creator. But emotive art apart, a refreshing take on creative and coveted ways of recycling materials, objects and concepts that might have otherwise never seen the light of day, into transformative pieces of high jewelry is making itself heard. From terrible “trash” to tiny treasures, conceptual jewelry made from ocean plastic can inspire conversation, awareness as well as other artists to articulate an alternative to consumption that’s driven by sustainable chic.

Even though the raw material itself comes with a sense of novelty and newness, the challenge and excitement come from creating wearable as well as desirable jewelry by transforming waste into something modern and luxurious.

Reigning in Resin

Pop, playful and oozing with a child-like quality that borders on the abstract, resin is a versatile material that’s making its mark with oversized toy-jewel rings, melty faces, oblong flowers and a supremely DIY aesthetic. Easy to layer, stack and flaunt, resin and its colourful coda are making summer shine with a smattering of lively 90s reminders. In the fine jewelry space, solid crystal rings are being paired with gold and silver in addition to being hand-carved and topped with delicate jewels. Honouring nostalgia via viral, avant-garde designs, the fashion forecast is looking for resin as a sustainable alternative that can last a lifetime.

Source: Pinterest @Flowerresinart

Enlivening Ebony


Defined by its smooth finish and deep colour, black ebony is one of the most expensive woods on earth. Rare and exquisite, no two pieces of ebony blackwood are ever alike owing to the natural diversity required for this heartwood to thrive. Almost endangered, the aged and finely-textured material has captured the imagination of new-age creatives due to its sleek and glossy finish as well as sculptural possibilities.

In the realm of fine jewelry, ebony is finding its foothold as a contrasting counterpoint to precious metals. Curated with the raw drama of natural forms, this smouldering wood is being reconfigured into modern jewelry with rose gold details, silver streaks or bejewelled elements for making an opulent style statement.

Playing with plural possibilities, Ebony’s deep warmth and natural beauty are showing themselves on mood boards via sublime patterning, signature juxtapositions and even classical diamond cuts. Touching luxury with a hint of whimsy, ebony is channelling its story in the heart of a design revival that solidly believes in its unusual and unreplicable appeal.

Source: Pinterest @1884 Collection