The impact of art cannot be underestimated, with so many works sparking change whether it be big or small scale. With this in mind, UK based jewellery company Vurchoo brings style and ethics together to create not only silver and gold jewellery pieces, but also to help affect positive change to as many in need as they are able.
Helping children around the world escape poverty and find education, Vurchoo has launched Studs of Hope: an evergreen collection of unique and affordable earrings that represent and donate to the country they are inspired by.
Beautifully and individually designed, the pieces are first and foremost an accessible way to help those in need but are also made to be delicately desirable and effortlessly fashionable. Comprised of gold, silver and mixed metals as well as ethically sourced gemstones, Studs of Hope brings ethical jewellery to the masses for only £36 per pair – proving it doesn’t need to cost the earth to make a difference.
Each design, which ranges from the colourful ‘Not So Evil Eye’ of Guatemala to the simple ‘Lapis Lazuli’ of Honduras and the ‘Golden Clover’ of Uganda, comes mounted on a card which shows the region you are supporting and tells the story behind it. For every pair sold, Vurchoo gives 10 – 25% of profits to charities in the UK and overseas, via its UK partner registered charity, Teach a Man to Fish.
Founder and designer, Alex Angel-Benscher, explains why this is such a labour of love: “The idea for Studs of Hope was planted whilst I was travelling through Cambodia and seeing street children doing what they could to survive; some of them selling whatever they could, including fantastic creations they had made themselves.
I wanted to find a way to use my passion for design to help them. I decided to work with schools in all corners of the globe, knowing that they all needed an extra source of income, and asked the school children to draw whatever meant the most to them. The results were fantastic, from the colours of Africa to the emotions of Asia, each one was a reflection of the child’s story and the culture they were surrounded by. From these drawings, I created individual representations and it was from that Studs of Hope was born.”
With all brand packaging designed by Livability, a UK charity that helps people with disabilities find work, the ethics doesn’t just stop with the earrings. Already available in over 40 UK stockists, online and in the USA, Studs of Hope are the perfect gift for a loved one, or to purchase yourself as a piece of feel-good fashion.
