Eugene Bracelet by Moonrise Jewelry, $56
It all started with the natural beauty of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, a tiny peninsula that is home to the largest expanse of maritime wilderness still remaining on the East Coast. Co-founders and designers Meredith Restein and Liz Watson combined their talents to launch an innovative jewelry brand that embraces environmental concern and ethical sourcing, producing jewelry that is stylish, affordable and sustainable.
In 2003, Moonrise Jewelry was born where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean with the intention to create new opportunity in their rural community. The founders' creativity merged with this objective to produce designs that are handmade by local artists they have trained at their studio in Eastville.
In 2007, Meredith and Liz collaborated with gemstone industry leaders to produce the first Fair Trade semi-precious gemstones available anywhere in the world. These gems are closely tracked from the mine to the studio to ensure that each has been handled according to strict environmental and social protocols. Semi-precious gemstones are mined mostly by hand with attention to minimizing impacts on the natural environment, protecting watersheds, and restoring the land after mining is completed. The natural, untreated gemstones are then shaped and polished at a model cutting factory with fair labor standards, healthy working conditions, and fair wages.
Moonrise Jewelry’s eco designs retail from $18 to $300 and feature colorful gemstones like Brazilian citrine and amethyst, Wyoming green jade, Mexican fire opal, and Oregon black jasper. Complements to these Fair Trade semi-precious gemstones include sterling silver and 24k gold plate from Fair Trade and ethical sources, as well as renewable, recycled and reclaimed materials.
We received the Eugene Bracelet which retails for $56. It is made with natural untreated Oregon opal with tiger ebony wood and sterling silver clasp and extender chain. It arrived in a beautiful jewelry pouch with a label that indicated what materials were used in the design.
It is a beautifully exotic piece of jewelry. The bias cut of the tiger ebony wood lends a natural rawness to the piece that is only tamed by the roundness and polish of the opal beads. The fusion of the wood and the opal is unexpected. The wood with its natural matte finish and the sheen of the opal forms a seamless union of the casual and the sophisticated. This dichotomy is what makes the bracelet so attractive. It’s what allows it to blend in so well with relaxed outfits as well as with dressier ones. It takes on the flavor of what you wear it with - be it shorts and a tee, or a silky day dress with a pair of strappy sandals. You’re probably thinking a silk dress is far too dressy for a wood bracelet, but not so. Try it with something like this dotted v-neck dress by Tufi Duek, and you’ll see what I mean.
With everything and everyone going green these days, you’ve probably been asking yourself, ‘Is there is such a thing as green jewelry’? Yes there is and its name is Moonrise Jewelry.
Reviewed by: Chic Techie
