Designer’s Statement
The launch of Irthly Jewelled Adornments is a culmination of 25 years of jewelry experience, my philosophical background, and my vision of the future of jewelry design. I want this collection to showcase upscale, cutting-edge jewelry that demonstrates both luxury and an appreciation of vital elements of the environment.
Being the son of a master jeweler, one can say that I have been part of the jewelry industry since I was able to raise a tool. A graduate education in Chinese and European philosophy incited me to design a line of jewelry representative of my worldview.
I believe that the world is becoming a lot more interconnected and interdependent. The pillars of value and preciousness are being challenged. “Sustainability” is becoming a global value; “Interdependence” is becoming a global creed. As the world becomes more intimate, the element of meaning becomes significantly valuable. We find value in people and people's things that provide us with meaning. For that reason, the notion of “precious” is undergoing a re-valuation to include meaningful elements. I want to be part of the process that defines what is meaningful by introducing into precious jewelry, elements and concepts of our contemporary environment that play a crucial role in the eco-system and are often taken for granted. I also want to express and promote an ethic in my designs that people could feel, be proud of, and share.
First and foremost, my business ethos must have social responsibility at its soul. Social responsibility means to me and Irthly that we have an obligation to answer appropriately to the needs of our social and ecological atmosphere. We see a deep interconnectivity with the world and we must account-for and harken-to the demands of our global eco-system. To be responsible is to be reliable. We are obligated to gain society’s trust by being accountable; answering the call to uphold a sense of intimate connection with the world. My ethos and ethical standards therefore are to raise the awareness of a whole host of concepts and notions that have meaning and include them into my industry while upholding my social responsibility.
Multiple dimensions of meaning have been carefully implemented in all of our jewelled adornments. From the inspiration phase to the after-fabrication phase, our mission is to provide meaning at every level. Along with the meaningful sentiments that naturally arise from receiving a gift; and the innate subjective meaningful interpretation of any art, the proud owner of an Irthly piece can bond to the jewelry in multiple levels of connection and build an experiential union that is irreplaceable.
The Irthly piece will live alongside of you and it will show you how it changed with you. No other piece of jewelry will have your experiential footprint like an Irthly piece. This intimate connection to the wearer cannot ever be replaced or reproduced. That is the uniqueness of an Irthly Jewelled Adornment.
The inspiration of my introductory collections comes from the pregnancy of my wife and my appreciation of the origins of all things. For that reason, the first element in focus is the seed. Like the egg and the womb, our celebrated eco-symbol nurtures and cradle life’s infancy. Without it, extinction is imminent. It’s relative diminutive proportion and its rugged exterior makes it unaesthetic. Yet its interior contains life, vigor, strength, and endless possibility—immaculate beauty.
I am a lucky husband and father of two fascinating boys. Aside from my philosophical contemplation, I enjoy partner dancing (or teaching it), playing flamenco guitar, and listening to all sorts of music, with occasional karaoke sessions. When I grow up, I want to teach elementary kids to think deeper, to speak and listen intently, and to behave more compassionately—philosophy, as defined as the ethic of loving wisdom.
Thank you for your support and continue to follow this movement to improve our understanding of what is precious and what we should treasure.
David Alvarado-Owner/Designer
