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Dear lovely BRUNA community,
Happy International Women's Day!
As a woman, daughter, sister, fiancée, and female entrepreneur, today feels bittersweet.
Sweet is the progress we’ve made in the recognition of women’s rights and gender equality. Sweet are the love, passion, inspiration, that the women in our lives have and continue to share with us, shaping the individuals we are today. Sweet is the courage, the resilience, and the fierceness of the women who continue to fight for a better future for all.
Bitter is knowing that we clearly still have a long way to go. Around the world, women continue to face discrimination, harassment, violence, and unequal access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. A lot still needs to be done to challenge outdated attitudes and stereotypes, and to create policies and practices that support and empower women at every level of society.
But while it is important to me to take a moment to reflect, today I choose to celebrate and share with you my gratitude and appreciation to all the women who are making a difference in my life and at BRUNA.
Since I was a little girl, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by incredible women who inspired me, with their strength, elegance, and grace, to believe in my dreams. First and foremost, my mom. From an early age, she set an example that has informed many of my own priorities in life. She really dedicated a lot of her life towards others, showing me the true meaning of unconditional love. Her personal style was no less inspirational, I still hold close memories of peeking inside her jewelry box while she was getting dressed for dinners or special occasions. Needless to say, BRUNA would not be the brand it is today if it wasn’t for her. I like to lovingly call her our BRUNA grandma & the queen of layering.
"My mom is a very inspirational woman in my life & has shaped me in so many ways. Her generosity flowed through her & into those around her.
Her personal icon was Princess Diana & I still remember how classy & cool her own style was since I was little. I can still hold close the core memory of peeking inside her jewelry box while she was getting dressed for dinners or special occasions."
- Helena
As I look around, I see myself surrounded by a team of talented and passionate women who are driving our business forward and making a positive impact in our industry and communities every day. In a world where women are still having a difficult time breaking barriers and ceilings, I am incredibly proud to be leading a team of almost all women. It is safe to say that BRUNA would not be the brand you love today if it wasn’t for their contribution, dedication, and hard work. I am also extremely grateful to be surrounded by the BRUNA community at large, a community embracing women of all ages, cultures, and beauty styles, united by our shared values and belief in the power of women.
On this International Women's Day, I also want to take a moment to express my gratitude to the women artisans who bring our designs to life with skill, dedication, and care at our manufacturer, a small-scale, family-owned, ethically-run workshop in Thailand. Here, the history of jewelry manufacturing can be traced back hundreds of years when precious resources, such as rubies and sapphires, were first discovered in the country. Since then, its long tradition of fine craftsmanship has been handed down from generation to generation.
Jewelry production can require almost 100 steps, from the initial design to casting, polishing, stone setting, and everything in between. At each step of this journey is a wonderful woman. I am honored to introduce them to you for the first time.
From the creation of a master model to casting
After an initial jewel design is digitalized and 3D-printed, creating a highly detailed and precise master model of the jewel in wax or resin, the master model is used to create rubber molds containing the hollow shape of the jewelry piece.
The molds are then injected with (green) molten wax which, once solidified, represents wax replicas of the master model or final jewelry piece. Poo has been working as a wax injector for over 15 years, following in the footsteps of her older brother.
"No one really knows what the jewels look like before they become metal. I feel like I have a privilege to understand where the jewels come from.. Me!"
- Poo, wax injector
The wax replicas are then attached to a central sprue to create a "wax tree." The wax tree is inserted in a flask. The flask is filled with a plaster-like material known as investment and placed in an oven where the investment solidifies and the wax replicas of the jewelry pieces burn, leaving a cavity or hollow shape where the wax tree was. The flask is now placed in a casting oven, where metal (silver or gold) is melted and poured inside the cavity left by the wax tree, filling the investment mold and creating a metal replica of the wax tree.
From casting to polishing
Once a silver or gold tree is created following the casting process, each individual jewelry piece of the metal tree is cut. Taw has been working for 4 years as part of the metal control team. Her work includes cutting the sprouses of the jewelry trees when she receives the casted recycled metal pieces, as well as keeping stock and control of all recycled metals.
"I like my fellow workers, we are a family and it gives me pleasure to have them by my side. It makes me proud to be part of the process for such a beautiful product."
- Taw, metal control
Stone setting, pearls sorting and finishing touches
The jewelry pieces are then polished using a polishing wheel to remove imperfections, make their surface smooth, and recover the original shine of silver or gold. Daeng has been a jewels polisher for over 30 years - and you can really tell by the quality of her work!
"Many industries are set up for young people but my work and expertise is valued so I am happy to do this work."
- Daeng, polisher
Our beautiful laboratory-grown diamonds are set with precision on the jewelry piece by Noi, a sophisticated stone setter with over 20 years of experience.
"I get to see a plain piece of jewelry before the stones are set and when I look at it after I set the stones, I get to see how my work makes the jewelry piece look so beautiful and that makes me happy. I love creating beautiful things and it means a lot to me that my skill set is useful to make beautiful jewels."
- Noi, stone setter
Another delicate piece of work is picking the most beautiful pearls for our designs. If you have a pearl jewel from BRUNA, it is likely that your pearls were selected by Fon and Daa.
"It feels nice to know my work means there are women all over the world wearing something I helped to make!"
- Fon, assembly work
"I have always loved to put things together and when I was a child I liked to put puzzles together. To others, maybe stringing pearls does not seem like a fun thing to do but for me stringing pearls and assembling jewelry parts with the pearls is so interesting because you have to have an eye to match all the right pearls together!"
- Daa, pearl assembly
To all of you, I say: thank you for being a part of our journey. Thank you for your hard work, your creativity, and your passion. Thank you for being the heart and soul of our brand.
Happy International Women's Day!
