Metanoia means to change one’s purpose. And it’s exactly what Eurumme’s latest collection Metanoia is all about. Each piece in the collection has been made from waste cardboard, which has been reused to create a piece of wearable jewellery. Inspired by the Mesopotamian jewellery, the collection is centred on four main metal colours: yellow gold, metallic silver, oxidised grey, and a copper rose gold. As the huge chunk of the jewellery industry is focusing on the various design elements and experimenting on customisation, this collection comes as a breath of fresh air.
Talking about the collection, Eishita Puri, founder of Eurumme says, “Mesopotamia was one of the most jewellery loving civilisations in ancient history. Wearing ornaments was part of their lifestyle. Men and women of all ages would wear jewellery, mostly made of metal and gemstones. They were also one of the most inventive civilisations, which is why Mesopotamia is often referred to as the birthplace of human civilisation. Metal plated cardboard jewellery is also an innovative in its own way, so creating jewellery inspired by Mesopotamia was an automatic and natural fit.”
The idea of making cardboard jewellery is great on paper, but in reality, Puri says, that the process is a long and tedious one. And the very first challenge was to test whether the concept of plating cardboard with metal was practically and technically sound. Elaborating further, she says, “We randomly cut out a few shapes, and attempted to plate it with metal.
Varying textures of cardboard was another issue. Some pieces were too flimsy, others too thick, and some just got corroded the minute they were exposed to molten metal. Also, if we were to finally figure out the right kind of cardboard, how would we maintain consistency in terms of churning out multiple pieces of a particular piece, all the while maintaining the Eurumme brand look and feel.”
She further adds, “Another issue was the type of cardboard used in terms of corrugation. The mini layers in one thick layer of cardboard often gave up the minute they came into contact with intense heat or the metal. Yet another problem was the plating itself. Metal is a straight medium to work with. With cardboard, however, the plating wasn’t uniform, it was lighter in some parts, darker in others. Long story short, the first few rounds of sampling were a disaster, but we cracked it eventually!”
Established in 2015, Eurumme is something personal for Puri. For years when she was growing up, Puri saw her mother dabble in jewellery. “I think it got embedded in me, subconsciously. Even though I never intended to make a career out of it, it all just happened. I have a weakness for anything that’s handcrafted or handmade. And jewellery is something I’ve always been passionate about.
So, as far as I’m concerned, handcrafted jewellery is all the more special for me,” says Puri who believes that everyone should pursue what they’re happy doing. “There’s no right or wrong and I’m certainly not here to preach sustainable fashion. Of course, we should all do our bit to contribute towards sustainability in whatever way possible, but it’s also easier said than done, because we are running a business at the end of the day, and being 100 per cent sustainable may not always be practical,” says she.