A little insight into the life of Free Spirit - a melting pot of our thoughts, beliefs, suggestions & ideas to inspire you on your path as you journey through life.
A little insight into the life of Free Spirit - a melting pot of our thoughts, beliefs, suggestions & ideas to inspire you on your path as you journey through life.
A note from our founder Christina: "Living in Bali during the Corona virus crisis in 2020, it was devastating to see the effect the lack of tourism has had on the economy there. The majority of businesses had closed down and many have retreated to the villages, living on basics rations.
I met with one local artesan, a silversmith who has a small workshop handmaking these beautiful silver pieces of jewellery, but each day he had no customer to sell to! I fell in love with them and commissioned him to make 100 pieces for Free Spirit! He was overwhelmed and so happy, as was I to help him and his family! We have received such great feedback from you all who have bought our jewellery so far and we continue to support our local artesans – Your purchases really do make a difference!"
Buying “ethcial” and “eco” jewellery can be confusing, however and we have been getting a few questions from you recently so we have put together a Q & A to help!
What is Recycled Sterling Silver?
Recycled sterling silver is produced by transforming the silver from unwanted jewellery, scrap silver, or other used metal products. Once the sterling silver has been extracted and separated from the other metals it is mixed with, it is melted down and beautifully transformed into shiny new silver products.
Is Recycled Sterling Silver as good quality as non Recycled Sterling Silver?
Yes! No value or quality is lost in the transformation process of recycling sterling silver.
How is Sterling Silver Recycled?
As we work with local artesans in Bali, we use a small scale silver recycling method. It is a time consuming process done by hands of skilled workers, using traditional methods of silver extraction.
Why is Recycled Sterling Silver better for the Environment?
Non-recycled silver is mined from the ground and this process uses an enormous amount of electricity and energy, polluting operations which emit greenhouse gases. By using recycled metals, this whole process is skipped completely and therefore saves 95% more energy than if a company uses raw materials.
How is your Recycled Sterling Jewellery Hand made?
We've put together a step by step guide for you here, or watch the video!
What is Reclaimed Bone?
Our Moon Child pendant and earrings feature a crescent moon made of reclaimed bone. In our specific case, this is cow bone from cows in Bali that have died of old age. Yes it's true! Where are artesans live in a small village outside of Ubud, it is typical for a family to have one cow to help graze the land or pull ploughs in the field. The Balinese look after their animals very well and the cows are worth more to them alive than dead. Balinese cows are small in size, and they are not able to produce milk and therefore are not farmed for their milk or their meat. When the cow dies of natural causes or old age, only then the skin and bones will be used for handicrafts.
Is the Packaging Eco Friendly?
Yes, at Free Spirit we only use recycled packaging for all our products! The Jewellery boxes are also made from recycled card and delivered in our COMPOSTubble packaging from Better Packaging. You can even select our Eco-Gift Wrap option at checkout if you are shopping for a gift!
Anything else I should know about Recycled & Ethical Jewellery?
We love the sentimental journey of using recycled silver and reclaimed bone or other recycled materials.. we feel it brings with it it's own story, it's own journey, the silver had a life before, a purpose and by reusing & recycling we carry its story to the next generation!
Shop our exclusive collection of Recycled Sterling Silver Jewellery.