Jewellery

Mother Of Pearl And Monica Vinader Unveil A Sustainable Jewellery Collab

The collaboration is the latest step in the brands’ journey towards a greener future.

11 February 2022

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The Monica Vinader X Mother of Pearl collection is what happens when two female powerhouses have a meeting of minds around sustainability, business and design. Amy Powney, creative director at Mother of Pearl, and Monica Vinader, founder of the eponymous jewellery brand, have teamed up to create a delightfully wearable (and pleasingly affordable) jewellery collection that celebrates the imperfect beauty of nature, and even better, it ticks the sustainability box too.

The Monica Vinader X Mother of Pearl collection combines responsibly sourced pearls and galaxy diamonds, so-called for their starry inclusions.

Not a day passes at Vogue House without my receiving a virtual truckload of emails promoting a sustainable jewellery brand. But on further inspection, many are paying little more than lip service to what is a challenging, complex and multi-layered issue. Both Vinader and Powney, however, put sustainability at the core of everything they do. “People say sustainability is about the supply chain, but I’ve always thought it’s really about a mindset. Every decision I make is made with that mindset, from fabrication to employment to materials,” Powney says. “It encompasses the entire brand. It’s about putting people and the planet into the boardroom, rather than just profit.”

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“It’s about the joy of something beautiful, whether it’s a dress that you wear or a pebble you find on the beach,” says Vinader.

None of this work is easy of course, and both women acknowledge the complexity of applying it to every layer of their businesses. Vinader herself has been beavering away quietly for several years to improve her company’s green credentials, from demanding traceability in the brand’s gemstones and using 100 per cent recycled gold and silver, to introducing plastic-free packaging and monitoring working conditions at its suppliers around the world. “Monica has done so much without even talking about it,” says Powney.

Now carbon footprint-free, Monica Vinader is always looking to make further improvements in its practices, such as being part of a UN programme that helps companies achieve their sustainable development goals – and holds them accountable to them. When it made the switch to using 100 per cent recycled gold and silver, it was the best decision at the time, says Vinader, but there is always a trade off and the brand’s policies are under constant review. “With recycled silver, it’s a lot better for the environment, but we are now looking at Fairmined gold and the mining communities it supports,” she explains. “New technologies are happening all the time and you have to stay open-minded. It’s about making the least bad choice, questioning: how we can do things better?”

The collaboration incorporates irregular shapes and lustrous pearls.

As well as sharing the same ethical drive, Vinader and Powney share an aesthetic that celebrates natural beauty and a sense of quiet luxury. In their creative collaboration, that is reflected in the irregular shapes and the warm lustre of baroque pearls, which mix with tactile, organically-shaped nuggets of gold vermeil, recalling Kintsugi, the Japanese art of highlighting imperfections.

Galaxy diamonds, so-called for the inclusions that dot the gems with a network of stars, pepper the surface of rings and earrings. “I love that a galaxy diamond is what most people throw away. It’s like the Odd Box of vegetables, and I love the idea of celebrating all forms in their imperfections,” says Powney. Vinader agrees: “It’s about the joy of something beautiful, whether it’s a dress that you wear or a pebble you find on the beach.”

Orsola de Castro, writer and founder of Fashion Revolution, pushing for sustainable and ethical reform within the fashion industry, is one of five muses for the collection.

And who better to model the collection than an assortment of other women dedicated to making the world a better place to live in? Take Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution and a longtime campaigner for better practices in fashion. Or Bianca Foley and Charlotte Williams, who co-host the podcast Sustainably Influenced. All these women are united on being kinder to the world around them. “We all need to be accountable for the things that we do and that way, we can all do better,” says Vinader.

And when a creative collaboration leads to an enduring friendship, who knows what will follow? “We’ve bonded so much over this,” says Powney. “Authentic collaborations never end.”

Pieces from the collection are available for pre-order now . The full collection will be available on 15 February.