The origin of our materials and articles

We always source our raw materials as locally as possible to keep CO2 emissions during manufacturing as low as possible. We use sterling silver instead of brass as the metal base for our jewellery because it is easier to shape. This makes the work easier for our artisans in Tibet. They are not professional goldsmiths. (Also, working with only one base metal allows us to implement a recycling program for you - see below).

The silver in our jewellery comes from two main sources. Since the pieces are made in Tibet, which is officially part of China, we get most of our silver from two government-supervised Chinese mines: Silvercorp and China Polymetallic. There, the metal is mined as a by-product of extracting other precious metals such as lead, zinc and nickel. Unfortunately, we have no further information on the mining process itself. However, we make sure to use only 925 silver - in a copper alloy that helps prevent allergic reactions.

We source jewellery accessories such as clasps from Italy.

Our semi-precious stones come from Jaipur in India - the world's largest market for non-violent gemstones. Their comparatively low financial value makes them not as interesting for the black market as diamonds, for example.

The material for the gold plating comes from Germany. The manufacturing company works according to global standards and is duly registered.

The real gold for our jewellery we buy from the Indian central bank.

The cashmere yarn for our pashminas we purchase in highest quality directly from nomadic people in Ladakh in the Himalayas. The welfare of the cashmere mountain goats is close to the hearts of our local contacts.

The bags in the "Ouagadougou" collection are made of entirely handmade and small-scale organic cotton from local cultivation. The bags and pillows are either yarn dyed and then woven, or woven in Dari (carpet weaving technique) and then hand screen printed.

For the baskets in the "Kigali" collection, artisans in Rwanda use carefully dyed sisal fibers and sweet grass to create stunning one-of-a-kind pieces that are rich in cultural significance and uses.