Rosie Shelton is a Kiwi businesswoman closing the loop on raw materials going into jewellery and instead promotes a
circular option. As part of this system, Luna & Rose, founded by Rosie run an annual ‘Golden Giveback Project’, an initiative that sees people sending in their old
jewellery to Luna & Rose that would otherwise go to landfill. Open for a six-week window, items that are donated are melted and then
re-moulded into new designs.
Overall, between August and September 2020, Luna & Rose collected 948gm of sterling silver (which can go on to make around 130 necklaces or 215 rings), 39g of solid gold
and 17,911gm of brass (which was donated to a fellow supplier in Bali to use in their designs). Those who send in
jewellery are thanked with a minimum $30 Luna & Rose voucher.
Luna & Rose was founded in response to saying no to fast fashion and mass-produced products and the brand has made the
conscious decision to use a closed loop system to produce their jewellery, keeping as many products in use as possible,
decreasing environmental impact. Being a true sustainable business is a relentless pursuit and absolute dedication to
doing business better and actively making smart business choices that benefit the business, workers, and the planet.
Luna & Rose use recycled silver in all their collections, sourcing from Thailand & Indonesia. Their refinery in Thailand takes pre-used silver, laptops, computers and iPhones, extracts the silver and
purifies it. The brand also takes in any old or faulty stock and melts it down to use it in their new collections.
Similarly, all solid gold products are made to order in New Zealand, using recycled solid gold sourced and cast in New
Zealand.
Luna & Rose has resisted moving into a more ‘commercial’ production, choosing instead to support people and the craft. From
Rosie’s designs, all products are crafted by her artisan silversmiths in Bali and goldsmith in New Zealand. Collections
are produced in small batches, reducing the waste of materials and resources and all solid gold jewellery is made to
order. “If any product is left over at the end of a collection, my model allows us to simply melt pieces down and re-use
the silver for the next collection” – Rosie Shelton.
The next Golden Giveback Project is set to open March 2021 and will go through to mid-April 2021. For information on how
you can take part in this initiative, head to www.lalunarose.com.