THE DELICATE WORLD OF SUSTAINABLE JEWELRY WITH LILIAN VON TRAPP

If you had to define a key theme in sustainable jewelry designer Lilian von Trapp‘s private as well as professional life it’d probably be that of a journey. Because for both, the native Berliner focuses on experience and evolution as ways of organically growing into the person and developing the product closest to heart. On a personal level, that journey spans from Lilian von Trapp being born in 1987 and growing up in Berlin to her deciding to study law and work in the field but after her degree quickly realising that the she’d much rather swap the world of paragraphs with the one of product design.

Reminiscent of her own story, Lilian von Trapp’s newest capsule collection “SMR ’87” looks back to exactly those roots in the year 1987 and their turn-out exactly 30 years later, when she founded her own, namesake fine-jewelry label. And as much as her personal journey is all about re-invention and refinement, the core of her brand of course is nothing short of that. Using only vintage diamonds and recycled gold, Lilian von Trapp focuses on fusing sustainable materials with a thought-through production cycle, as each of her pieces is being handmade by goldsmiths in the EU. Through this approach she not only frees each product from a certain time span and trend cycle usually dominating an accessory’s points of life and death but also adds an ethical layer to her sustainable focus.

Taking a stand against the often-criticised harsh conditions workers of gold and diamond mines often have to face, Lilian von Trapp with each sold piece also donates a percentage of the earnings to fight long-term damages of the extraction of diamonds. Combined with her sense for meticulously made jewelry pieces and future focused approach, it certainly seems like Lilian von Trapp still has quite some destinations on the radar and goals on the horizon as part of her ever evolving journey.

Check out Lilian von Trapp’s new capsule collection, shot in Barcelona by photographer Stefan Dotter, on the left!