Ethical jewellery from Wild to Ware
When Wild to Ware and their stunning jewellery came across our desks, we jumped at the chance to share this sustainable and beautiful Melbourne brand.
Wild to Ware creates bespoke pieces using natural materials painstakingly sourced from the wild, all refined and all lovingly hand made.
Creative duo, Michael and Erin, are the brains behind Wild to Ware, and can tell you exactly where every part of their jewellery comes from, down to the very riverbed a gemstone was sourced, or gully the gold settled in. This is because they find them all with their own two hands.
We love these pieces, and the ethos behind their discovery, and think you will too.
Settle in and hear their story.
Wild To Ware sees Michael and Erin treasure hunting across Australia for undiscovered jewels and gold.
Michael has much experience in this field, having run his own jewellery label for the past 8 years and discovering a love for gold and prospecting in the Goldfields of NSW and Victoria. When he and Erin met, they began fossicking for gemstones together – which is how the idea for the ethical jewellery label came about. “We soon discovered a gap in the market for sustainably, locally sourced gold and gemstones and embarked upon hand making and developing our one-of-a-kind pieces,” they share.
Drawing on Michael’s previous experience in the goldfields, they often travel to areas known as gemstone and gold deposits on spare weekends to source raw materials. For Erin and Michael, it’s equal parts time to escape, fun, and sourcing.
Wild To Ware is about so much more than creating a piece of jewellery. The painstaking process is one that requires patience, research and experience. For the most part, they don’t always find stones or gold on field trips, or the quality of the materials they might come across, are not always up to scratch. They firmly believe that this commitment to their craft is what also makes their pieces and stones so beautiful – the scarcity and the origin behind them. Every piece has its own story.
Originally with the idea to only offer custom-made engagement, and wedding pieces, Erin and Michael soon discovered their audience also wanted ready-to-buy pieces for their daily wear. After all, why not wear quality pieces every day? Now they offer both and have already crafted couple’s wedding bands and engagement rings.
With a hope to educate and inspire people with their work in the search for living a life with more intent and transparency, Erin and Michael are kicking goals and producing brilliant work while they’re at it.
To see more of the Wild to Ware range, and read about their commitment to sustainably sourced jewellery, you can head to the website www.wildtoware.com.
We love the movement of sustainability at the forefront when it comes to weddings, and Alex and Stefan’s glorious day did this beautifully. Click here to see it (and read about how they cleverly offset their guests’ carbon emissions!).
PHOTO CREDITS – Look book and portrait photography by Jessica Tremp
