They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I’m not going to say no (you won’t catch me lying), but these days I think that we need to demand more from companies than just pretty merchandise. For me, it doesn’t really matter just how beautiful something is if the price behind it is destruction of any kind. Enter Salvari Jewelry. Their timeless pieces caught my eye, but the message and core identity of the brand is what made them jump straight into my heart.
I had a little chat with the crew behind the brand to get a better insight into one of the most inspiring accessory companies of today.
Something that really caught me is the message behind Salvari Jewelry. Can you tell us a bit about the core behind the brand?
Salvari’s core message is to create a better, kinder and safer world for all living things. We share this message through our jewellery’s unique ability to tell vital wildlife and environmental stories. If you wear any piece from Salvari’s stunning initial range of jewellery you are an advocate for change and ultimately wearing ‘your heart on your sleeve’. Through the power of many and the creation of a shared collective will, everything becomes possible.
What inspired the creation of Salvari and how do you continue to share that story with your customers?
Salvari was born from the simplest of ideas. Initially this was merely to design a shark-fin piece of jewellery to highlight the devastating impact that shark-finning has upon the oceans’ most magnificent inhabitants. We felt that this would make a powerful symbol and that those who wore it would be able to share information (available on the Salvari website) that others might not be aware of.
It was always to our amazement that many of our own friends did not know that 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins and as bycatch in the tuna fishing industry (another devastating human practice and another story that we have designed a tuna-tail piece for). We believe people should, and would want, to know facts about the world around them and come together to build a voice that can call for change – and in the case of our shark-fin pendants help end shark-finning for good. This thinking informs all Salvari design processes and is worked into each unique piece Salvari creates.
What environmental organizations is Salvari affiliated with and how do you support these communities of activists?
Salvari has been incredibly lucky to receive amazing responses, and latterly offers of partnership, from a number of highly respected global organisations that work tirelessly to promote and implement conservation programs and messaging. This is something we are very proud of and we hope by supporting their efforts we can help them achieve their goals to create a better world. At present we are affiliated with Blue Marine Foundation, Oceanic Global, OneTreePlanted and SavingTheSurvivors who we support through donation of profits from our sales and sharing of information and collateral through our web presence and social channels.
How can a piece of jewlery be a symbol and tool for spreading environmental awareness?
If something, such as a piece of jewellery, is in sight, then we believe the story that goes with that jewellery is in mind also. Our desire is for Salvari customers to become advocates for the protection of not just wildlife but also the environment, simply by responding knowledgeably when asked about the piece of jewellery they are wearing.
If they want to take photos of themselves wearing the jewellery and post and share on their own social channels then even better! In these ways, conservation messages can be shared, told and understood on a more personal and direct basis, as well as through traditional online media. Should our jewellery prick an ever deeper conservation interest then all the better. A difficulty many conservation organisations face is how to be relevant and thought about without the need for costly promotions, advertising and marketing – we hope that if Salvari jewellery can address this in a small way then it may mean more can be spent in the field where money and education is needed most.
Who is a part of the Salvari tribe? How can we join and be involved in it?
Anyone who shares our ethos of making the world a better, kinder and safer place for all things can be (and already is!) part of the Salvari Tribe. If you want to wear unique and challenging jewellery, share stories, be part of a groundswell of change and do the right thing, in the right way for the right reasons we want to engage and be your friend. To feature as part of the tribe online simply #Salvaritribe to your instagram posts and your photo or story will be displayed on our tribe board within our website.
Together we can do something good.
What is the literal translation of the word “salvari”, and how does it tie in to your brand narrative?
Salvari is taken from the Latin verb ‘Salvo’ and means ‘to be saved’, or in context of ancient scripture ‘all life preserved’. Given these meanings, Salvari was the only choice of brand name when we founded the company. We feel the name represents us well and signifies our belief that this world is to be shared by all things that inhabit it and to be owned by none. All life has meaning and all life is precious. This we hope is reflected in Salvari’s designs.
What legacy is Salvari trying to accomplish and leave behind?
If life is legacy then we should all be striving for a world that benefits and protects those who come next – whether man, animal or plant. As well as designing beautiful, organic and thought-provoking jewellery we want to open doors and shared pathways to environmental information that might not be currently known and should be shared by as many people as possible. That said, If we sell just one piece, and mean something to just one person then the concept and creation of Salvari will have been a success.
How does Salvari support environmental conservation efforts?
As well as donating part of the company’s profits to our partners, Salvari also differentiates its own conservation efforts by using its 3d design and manufacturing skills to produce tools that can create major benefits to big-game wildlife in the field.
Currently we are extremely proud to be working with Paul Naden and Johan Marais of SavingTheSurvivors organisation to produce a suturing tool to help with operations on Rhino and Elephant that have fallen victim, yet survived, poaching incidents. To hear from Paul that the tool we are designing will ‘save lives’ is beyond heartening and humbling at the same time. We look forward to presenting the finished tools to the SavingTheSurvivors veterinary team soon after production of prototypes, which we hope will be ready soon.
This very much differentiates us as a jewellery brand and we look forward to telling this ‘design-concept to field’ story on our website, and through shared social channels in the coming months. To feel the Salvaritribe will have contributed physically to saving the lives of wild Rhinos is beyond anything we could have hoped for when we started this journey just six months ago.