At Paper2pearls I design and make jewellery and gifts by re-purposing and recycling materials that would otherwise likely be destined for landfill, or to put it another way I make jewellery from rubbish! I also have a small range of items made from ethically sourced and environmentally friendly beetle wings.

Below I have gone into more details about how I source materials, what I use and how I pack and ship items.

It is a statement of where I am now and so I regularly review it..

​I am proud to have been awarded plastic free champion status for my business.:

I have teamed up with Ecologi so that a tree is planted for each order I receive.

Natural, sustainable, environmentally friendly, repurposed.

Materials:
Most of my jewellery will be made using recycled, vintage or natural materials. This may include the following:
Old books (ones that have come, or are close to to the end of their life as being suitable for reading).
I also recycle old plastic bottles, dvds, HDPE plastic e.g. bottle tops and can tabs.
Vintage and recycled beads and embroidery threads.
Natural materials including flowers, and beetle wings. 
I aim to use the minimum of synthetic products as these are byproducts of the petrochemical industry.
I work from home in my own jewellery studio at the bottom of my garden.

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Paper envelopes made from recycled paper.
Business cards made from plain card so they can be recycled and the use of QR codes to replace business cards at craft markets.
Ensuring any paper used for gift wrapping is recycled and unbleached.
Cardboard boxes for posting items in. I also recycle boxes and padded envelopes that I receive.
I use natural raffia, jute and brown paper tape to secure and seal packaging and parcels.
Mail-order items are sent via Royal Mail. Items are sent untracked unless this is requested and paid for.

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Provided it is removed before washing or showering etc your piece of paper jewellery should last well. I have earrings which are at least six years old but which are still perfect.

I use wings from Elytra beetles which are a traditional food in Thailand and for hundreds of years the wings have been used for embroidery and jewellery making. As other foods became available and farming practices changed they became less wide spread and it became clear that they played a key role in the eco-structure of the native environment.Today farmers are encouraged to "farm" them and after they die at the end of their life cycle the wings are collected and sold thus helping the environment and the farmers. I buy my wings direct from Thailand so the money goes into their economy.