Into Nature: My Journey Of Self-Discovery

It's not so easy to find your own way. I mean, even if I'm doing what I love, how do I know that what I'm doing reflects me as a person? That may sound trivial, but it's not. I was lucky enough to come into contact with jewelry at an early age and from then I knew, this is what I want to do. But the journey to myself was not finished with that. On the contrary. It was just beginning. 

When I am in nature, far away from the city, the stress, my everyday life, when I hear the murmur of the wind in the leaves, when the scent of spruce, of moss and the babbling of the brook surrounds me, then I feel me. 

I want to feel the cracks under my feet as I walk under the trees. Some of these giants are older than the oldest people. They have seen generations come and go. There are trees that have their own family trees. Through their offshoots, they live to be several thousand years old. 

So I designed jewelry. And honestly, at first, just designing was perfect happiness for me. That's worth a lot. To know that you're on the right path. But over time, the feeling wore off. I realized: that's not all there is to it. Actually, it was like learning to speak a new language. I was delighted when I was able to express all that I saw. But the words that lay within me – I could not yet bring them past my lips.

After more than a decade in the jewelry industry, I finally stumbled upon myself. Though, that sounds so coincidental, it was much more of a development, a becoming. Without knowing where I would come out, suddenly it was clear to me: I can no longer burn for one and do the other. I had to bring my passions together. 

The streams that have made their way through the forest down into the valley for centuries know what it's like to awaken from rigidity, to become mobile, to unleash power. A small stream ran out of snow and ice under the sun. Through the blanket of snow they ran together until a playful stream developed, which jumped, gushed and knew what it wanted. 

So, what was it that awakened me from my rigidity, made me mobile and unleashed my power? It has always been obvious: nature. I don't think I need to tell anyone how harmful gold mining is for the environment, under what - in the truest sense of the word - terrible conditions people mine diamonds. Because, no jewelry, no matter how beautiful it may be, justifies what is done to nature and humans to produce it. For me it was clear, I can no longer be part of this industry. I have to stand by my values.

That's why I founded Maren Jewelry. I want to show that things can be done differently. I want to show that jewelry created in harmony with nature is possible. The resources are there. Enough gold has been mined from the depths of the earth over the years to meet all our needs. So why shouldn't we use what we already have available? 

It wasn't easy, but I developed ways. For our jewelry, we use only recycled precious metals: 18 karat gold and 925 sterling silver. Instead of diamonds, whose origins are all too often unclear, we use synthetic eco diamonds. These are diamonds grown in a laboratory under environmentally friendly conditions. All our partners share our vision: luxury jewelry in harmony with nature. 

Sure, it's not easy to find out who you are. But it's worth it to go the distance, to find out what it is you're burning for. And one thing is clear: you can't burn for something just a little bit. When passion melts the snow and ice, the stream finds its path. No matter what stands in the way.