Profession / role:

Owner, designer, maker

Company / organisation:

Natural Charms

My primary role in relation to fashion is:

Entrepreneur

I am looking to discover or buy

I hope to learn about initiatives in ethical trade, ethical jewellery and setting up a fair and ethical business

About me / About business or organisation:

Natural Charms Ethical Handcrafted Gemstone Jewellery is in it's setting up stages as a jewellery business (and project) that has knowledge and sustainability in its core values. We want our costumers to know our products, the materials we work with, the people involved in sourcing them and why we believe our choices the be the most sustainable.

Career history / Company history:

I have a background in environmental sciences and biodiversity conservation and am a firm believer that conservation can only be achieved when the basic needs of the local people are being met. My love for all things natural and my passion for natural stones, together with my closeted artistic self found an outlet in this difficult economic times, in which finding a conventional job and being able to care for two twin toddlers do not seem to be able to coexist.

I set up Natural Charms in 2010, in this time I gained knowledge of the trade, the stones and the sourcing of the materials, and recently decided to develop it as a brand. I am researching into sourcing Fairtade gold, Ecosilver, and the existing initiatives to provide the market with ethically sourced precious and semiprecious stones. I hope to be able to make this later an active part of my business in the future, as I love travelling and don't want the conservationist and cultural diversity lover in me to go into the closet as a victim of my newly found entrepreneur self.