Asterix Stud Earrings - Melissa Joy Manning

Each piece of our jewelry is hand made in our California or New York studios by our in-house team of artists using traditional metalsmithing techniques. We strive to provide a living wage and competitive benefits and retirement to our team, and we challenge our peers in the industry to create similar opportunities for artisans. We spend most of our lives at work, and believe that work should be a culture that embraces and supports every member. Domestic handmade production eliminates the heavy waste and pollution that can come from high volume and machine made jewelry, and it reduces the carbon imprint that massive international import and export leaves on the earth. Crafting each piece by hand imbues our creations with a sense of spirit and energy that cannot be replicated in mass market production, and it increases the demand for artisan job opportunities in our own community. Being mindful of our impact is rooted in our design philosophy. We seek to redefine what 'precious' means, and to create pieces that are unique to the wearer, instead of contributing to a culture of disposable fashion. Our designs use traditional metal smithing techniques, that avoid the excessive waste associated with other forms of production. Our pieces are designed and made with the purpose of being heirlooms, pieces to be treasured, and to last. We believe jewelry tells a story, of the material, the maker, and the wearer, and we hope to create a story that can be preserved and passed down. Our jewelry is made with recycled silver and gold sourced from a Green Certified refinery with the highest environmental standards. We are meticulous in our collecting and reuse of scrap metal and unused materials to ensure that we are not creating any unnecessary waste. Using strictly recycled metals, as well as managing that metal as responsibly as possible, is how we minimize the environmental impact of our production. The idea behind using recycled metals applies to many other aspects of our business; we constantly look for ways we can reduce our consumption of natural resources, including using packaging from recycled materials, carbon offsetting each shipment we send, and reusing and recycling everything that we possibly can.