A lil HISTORY: Lulu tugged one of my earrings when she was just a wee thing. My piercing ripped slightly and I haven't been able to wear heavy earrings ever since. ugh. I guess she was worth it... I'm not going to stop wearing earrings! This prompted a hunt for all things lightweight. Enter Leather. HUGE HIT! Enter customers inquiries on a leather alternative... The search was on! Faux leather or Vinyl has come a LONG way, as far as appearing to look a lot like leather and more natural. However, it is not. And I struggled with that... I much prefer to use organic materials in my jewelry designs, it just feels more true to me and speaks to my soul. ENTER CORK.
CORK is the outer bark from the cork oak tree which grows in the humid, low-rain coastal climate of the Mediterranean basin. It is harvested by hand by highly skilled professionals. The harvesting is done around 12-16 times within the tree's 150-200 year lifespan, in a 9-12 year interval. Portugal has 1/3 of the cork oak population and is the largest producer of cork. The harvesting is regulated by law to protect the valuable resource and regulate the quality of the harvest. Once the cork is harvested, it is boiled, dried, shaved into thin sheets and sealed with a non-toxic sealant to make cork fabric.
Now here's some truly remarkable FUN FACTS about CORK:
1) Cork oak trees are the only tree that benefit from the removal of their bark and this aids in the process for regeneration so it makes this product truly sustainable.
2) When the harvest is done, the tree absorbs about 5 times the CO2, making harvesting an important part in reducing greenhouse gases.
3) Natural occurring properties of Cork include hypoallergenic, eco-friendly, sustainable, lightweight, and resistant to water, fire and abrasion.
SERIOUSLY, Cork is available in a huge variety of colors and patterns and this versatility makes it a really fun element for jewelry design. It is a also wonderful to feel good about what you're wearing by knowing that CORK is vegan, erco-friendly, sustainable fashion!
A lil HISTORY: Lulu tugged one of my earrings when she was just a wee thing. My piercing ripped slightly and I haven't been able to wear heavy earrings ever since. ugh. I guess she was worth it... I'm not going to stop wearing earrings! This prompted a hunt for all things lightweight. Enter Leather. HUGE HIT! Enter customers inquiries on a leather alternative... The search was on! Faux leather or Vinyl has come a LONG way, as far as appearing to look a lot like leather and more natural. However, it is not. And I struggled with that... I much prefer to use organic materials in my jewelry designs, it just feels more true to me and speaks to my soul. ENTER CORK.
