Antwerp-based lab-grown diamond fine jewellery brand Kimaï has launched a service that breathes new life into unworn jewellery pieces. Kimaï Second Life invites customers to create bespoke pieces digitally, rethinking the unloved items in their jewellery boxes.
‘We love the fact that jewellery can be one of the most sustainable pieces we invest in, as it is something that we tend to cherish, associate with personal memories, and keep for generations. This sparked the idea for our Second Life service, knowing that many of us have pieces in our jewellery box that can be rethought, redesigned, and their lifespan extended,’ says co-founder and jewellery designer Jessica Warch. ‘In addition, we love the fact that we can bring this bespoke service to a wider audience, making it accessible to anyone, anywhere. It’s the ultimate modern and luxury take on recycling.’
The customer can choose how much input they have in the process, with the founders happy to support with mood boards and sketches to spark creativity. ‘Since lockdown, we know customers are more open and actually enjoy virtual consultations when it comes to investing in fine jewellery,’ adds co-founder Sidney Neuhaus.
The new Kimaï Second Life service builds on the bespoke service the brand currently offers, which allows clients to digitally design their own alternative and affordable engagement rings, which are then made to order in Kimaï’s Antwerp workshop. The founders were keen to expand the service after discovering the amount of unworn pieces in their own collections. ‘We trialled the service with [what had been] a gift for my 15th birthday, a heart-shaped diamond necklace that I adored as a teen and represented a life milestone, but which I no longer wore as I had outgrown the style,’ says Warch. ‘We turned it into a modern single dangling earring, as I love to stack, and mix and match my earrings. We have actually added this new style as a permanent design to our wider collection, as the team loved this new piece.’
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