Name: Floios Jewelry
Sector: Jewels made from recycled materials
Pros: The small objects made by Floios Jewelry are unique pieces, whose raw materials are traceable, sourced from Slovenian woodland and from the recycling of photographic film and x-ray plates
Characteristics: Designer jewellery based on natural forms, coated with upcycled silver
Oak, ivy, cypress, orchid: these are just a few of the plants and trees from which the silver-coated jewellery made by Floios Jewelry is born, in a design studio based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
What makes Floios’ Jewelry special is the fact that the silver coating covers real flowers, leaves or small branches. The silver coating itself, which encases the plant matter, is derived from recycled silver from old photographic film and x-ray plates. Tina Kosak, founder and director of Floios, is responsible for the idea of using upcycled and traceable silver to make jewellery – and the modern recovery process for x-ray film is extremely efficient, salvaging over 99.9% of the precious metal.
Kosak was inspired by nature, having thought of leaves and plants as a basis for small wearable design pieces. Each object comes with precise information about the plant it was sourced from, along with a history of its selection, from the date it was chosen to the exact location where the leaf, bark or branch were picked. Floios’ artisanal and minimalist jewellery are produced in limited series, and many are unique or custom-made pieces.
It’s possible to order a personalised piece online, even choosing the type of leaf or flower. Floios Jewelry, through a traditional artisanal technique, submerges the plant in silver, taking care that its shape is not altered during the process. Within three weeks from when the order is placed, the piece of jewellery is delivered inside a wooden box, which is also made from traceable raw materials.