Jewelry Designer Melissa Joy Manning Talks Sustainability, Sourcing

“Sustainable” remains a vague, amorphous term in fashion — and particularly so in the jewelry industry, where brands continue to face multifaceted challenges in responsible sourcing for metals and gems. Just ask Melissa Joy Manning, founder of her eponymously named sustainable fine jewelry company, a California-based brand that practices a zero-waste design process, incorporates recycled metals, sustainably sourced stones and handcrafted jewelry in her green-certified studio in Berkeley. Manning’s aesthetic is striking, and her pieces stand out through the use of uncommon stones — think of pink Montana sapphires or watermelon tourmaline — complementary colors and textures, and limited-edition pieces, such as recycled 14-karat gold earrings with mismatched blue opal and mosaic turquoise that contains a matrix of copper mineral, creating a “wonderfully imperfect” look. Yes — wonderful indeed. For more on Melissa Joy Manning’s sustainability practices, see Field Notes: Nature’s Candy Manning told WWD that when she founded her brand back in 1997, being “sustainable” was so rare it served to be her key differentiator in a competitive industry. “Sustainability has impacted some dynamics of the luxury jewelry market, but, unfortunately, we still have a long way to go,” Manning explained. “In the last 20 years, I have definitely seen an increased interest

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