At the Boutique at House of Marbles, we believe that your shopping experience should be a real treat. A place where you can find beautiful accessories, luxury pampering products and wonderful gifts that will leave you and your loved ones feeling truly special. And, what can make you feel more treasured than slipping on a piece of exquisite jewellery?
Whilst the word ‘exquisite’ usually conjures up visions of hefty price tags, our range of Lucy Kemp Jewellery is not only easy on the pocket but also kind to the environment – perfect for the eco conscious shopper looking for a greener alternative to buying treats and gifts.
Designed and handmade in Cornwall, Lucy Kemp’s textured designs are inspired by the natural surroundings of her home and studio in Hayle. Lucy says, “My Wave bangle and hoop earrings are inspired by the sea which I am lucky enough to see every day from my shop window and when I walk the dog. I love taking inspiration from everything around me – the natural forms and textures of the Cornish landscapes. I find the sea to be so beautiful and relaxing and really enjoy incorporating it into my jewellery.”
Not only are Lucy Kemp’s designs unique and exclusively handmade, they are all fashioned from fully recycled sterling silver. But what is recycled sterling silver, and does it deliver the same quality as the non-recycled alternative?
Simply put, recycled sterling silver is precious silver that has not been mined. Instead, it has been extracted from other unwanted silver products. Interestingly, this can include extracts from electronics, scrap, and even medical equipment, as well as unwanted silver jewellery. Once separated, the silver is melted down and reused to make new silver pieces. No purity is lost during the process and therefore, the final product has the same high grade classification as the original silver.
Lucy adopted recycled sterling silver as her material of choice more than 10 years ago after a series of life events saw her exploring new ideas. She says, “There had been a fire in my old workshop so I had to work at home. My child was really young and I was only working part time. With no proper workshop it was really hard for the business, so I went through my scrap pot and melted up some unwanted pieces and created the Nugget bracelet. Ten years later it’s still a firm favourite.” We’re delighted to have the full Nugget range including the charm bracelet, pendant necklace, earrings and studs available to buy on our online shop.
In addition to delivering a high quality finish, the process of recycling sterling silver is far less damaging to the environment. By supporting makers who adopt an artisan approach to recycling silver, we can reduce the amount of energy used to extract the ore and cut out much of the CO2 that is released into the atmosphere through smelting and processing. Some suggest we can save 95% of the energy used in traditional extraction methods by recycling instead.
Lucy Kemp’s jewellery is not the only environmentally conscious product that we sell at the Boutique. We showcase a whole host of eco-friendly, sustainable brands including Bathing Beauty and Emma’s Soaps. All designed to make you feel truly special without it costing the earth!