Gold digger
When I was ten years old, my grandparents took me to choose my first piece of jewelry. The tenth birthday is a big deal in the Dutch tradition, and I remember thinking about the ring we choose being so expensive. I assume the price wasn’t high, but the value it had for me was infinite. I didn’t take it off once in ten years, and one day I woke up and it wasn’t there. I looked everywhere, stripping the bed, cleaning everywhere, and searching the entire house. When I finally realized it was gone, I burst into tears. My grandfather passed when I was fourteen, and I felt as if I lost the only thing I had from him.
My grandmother and I when I was about the age I received the ring. And a broken nose, but that’s not from her 
My beloved grandfather with whom I have barely any pictures with
It took some time, but slowly I realized that all the love and intention that was invested in that ring, I will forever have in my heart. This understanding has been a guideline for many years now, in the way I treat the stuff I own, valuable, and sentimental as it may be. I am not a hoarder, to say the least, and I prefer to cherish memories in my heart than in boxes I will never open.
For years I didn’t wear jewelry. I mean, I had the Clueless choker and the oh-so-fancy knot one, as every nineties girl had, but not much more. I had some fashion jewels from brands I worked with, which I wore once in a blue moon and always felt “overdressed.”
My first significant piece of jewelry in my adult life was a necklace I choose with my mom when I finished military service. A few months later, I moved to New York for school, and every time I put my hand on the pendant, I was reminded that no matter where I’ll go, my parents will always be with me.
The next occasion where I received a forever jewel was on my birthday in Rome, where Or and I got engaged. A few days later, we traveled back home, and Ors’ family held a dinner party for my birthday. They had a hunch, but they didn’t know yet that we are engaged, and yet they bought me the family necklace all women in the family have. I felt at home the day I met them, and this necklace was all the love and support I could ever dream of.
A year later a wedding ring was added to my growing treasure, and on my twenty-eighth birthday, another costume made ring by Or. Love gifts from my favorite people in the world, and I never take them off.
My mom didn’t allow me to get my ears pierced until I was fifteen! But within a year after the first one, I had six piercings in my ears. I kept the piecing simple, small golden dots to symbolize my insignificant youth rebel.
And now, in my thirties, I felt it’s time for earrings worthy of being part of my collection. Earrings that will remind me of good thoughts, love, choice and will be gorgeous and timeless.
Scrolling through Instagram, I came across Studio Dusa by Hadas Cohen. Every word and every piece composing her profile resonated with me. We started texting, and I immediately knew I found what I was looking for. She told me about herself “a proud vegetarian for the past eighteen years, I aspire only to wear second hand or swaps, and when buying a new product, I will always choose to invest my money in local small businesses with eco-agenda.” And about her business, she shared, “I want to share my knowledge of the market and the effects and different options, to introduce people to the possibility to make a conscious decision.” Pretty quickly, we sketched up my vision, perfected by her talent and knowledge, in recycled gold, fair-trade Rubys, and lab-grown tiny diamonds. She shared the process and all the decisions she makes to guarantee that my earrings will be made of good.
What’s the problem with gold?
Like every natural resource, there is a limit to the amount we can exploit without risking the ecosystem. Not only are we overusing gold mines, but those industries also involve a very toxic and polluting process, creating a terrible impact on the planet. The metal industries are ancient, traditional, and often very problematic and not adapted to modern standards. Child slavery, lack of social rights, and the risk the workers encounter, gold mining this way is not sustainable, ecological, nor should it be socially acceptable. One wedding ring will create twenty tons of waste. A ring representing lifetime love will cause people, including kids, to be put at risk while creating a pile of trash the size of three full-grown elephants.
Diamonds and gems
When I was in high school, I saw “Blood diamond.” I couldn’t believe that something which seemed so silly to me, diamonds, causes civil war, slavery, and so much violence and pain. I’ve realized that since many things I find insignificant- cause terrible effects, I also know that I can choose what to support. Today diamonds can be lab-grown without the unbearable cost of natural diamonds. Gems can be harvested sustainably, in a way that respects nature and people. Hadas purchases her gems from a small family business in Canada, locally, responsibly sourcing their gems while treating their staff with kindness and keeping the eco-system intact. She only uses lab-grown diamonds or recycled ones brought directly to her.
a ring made of recycled gold, saving 20 tons of waste recycled gold beads
Hoe can we make a difference?
Almost 100% of the studio’s jewelry is made of recycled gold and silver and set with lab-grown diamonds and fair traded gems from reliable sources. The small businesses she acquires her metals from using the big industry’s leftover, damaged parts, torn necklaces, and pounded jewels. They melt and sort them to create a golf liquid for new wonders to be created. It comes in the shape of rice grains, and you know exactly what it contains, which is not the case for new metals that are often mixed.
Hadas joined a global Fairtrade organization, putting her in touch with suppliers working under sustainable methods while providing their workers with all social rights.
Fairtrade gems Lab-grown diamonds
manufacturing , packaging and shipping
The best way to keep a low impact is not to exploit unnecessary resources. Hadas makes costume-made jewels meaning there are no production excesses. As part of her efforts to minimize the studios’ footprint, she uses minimal packaging using only compostable, preferably recycled materials. Or as she explained to me;
“The best packaging would be no packaging. But as a luxury brand, that’s quite impossible. But it’s critical to me to choose to package aligned with my values. How many times can it be used, what will my client do with it when after unboxing? All of these factors were thought of.
compostable recycled packaging my beautiful earrings natural cotton thread
I choose to use compostable envelopes, recycled paper, and boxes and share these decisions with my clients to generate awareness.
Every person and business can choose to do good on so many levels. In my first conversation with Hadas, it was obvious that her love for people and the planet will motivate her to constantly find ways to make her impact as kind and loving as possible. Allowing them to represent the meaningful positive event they are designed to celebrate.
