Christina Tung created the brand SVNR to sell ethically-made pieces of jewelry that each have their own unique stories. Before founding SVNR in 2018 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Tung worked at her PR showroom, House Of. Tung is described as having an “eclectic, globally-influenced style,” which carries through to each handmade jewelry piece and their wide variety of materials.
Some of my favorite pieces are the dangling earrings. An interesting aspect of SVNR is that they sell all of their earrings individually, rather than in a pair. The idea behind this is that the brand hopes their customers will mix and match the earrings to create a truly individual look. Three of my favorite earrings are the Jingdezhen, Nairobi and Luoyang.
First, the Jingdezhen is inspired by its namesake city in China, which became famous during the Ming Dynasty for porcelain. This earring is a pearl stud with a porcelain spherical drop with a blue flower design on it.
The Nairobi, named for the capital city of Kenya, is a 4.25-inch long dangle earring made of agate, wood, shell and aventurine. In addition to the beautiful design and material transparency, the Nairobi has an added benefit: 100% of the net profits from it go toward Building Black Bed-Stuy. This organization’s mission is “to protect and preserve the black community in Bed Stuy and beyond by providing financial relief for black-owned businesses and organizations.”
Finally, the Luoyang is more expensive than the last two earrings at $650. However, the price is justified since they are made “from vintage glass buttons and an old Chinese coin from the Qing-Dynasty, dredged by Balinese divers from the ocean floor.” This 3-inch long earring gets its name from the oldest City in China and features a long fringe part under the buttons and Chinese coin.
While I will say that the earrings are some of my favorite pieces from the brand, there are definitely other standouts. The line of tote bags was a collaboration with the independent handbag label, Petit Kouraj. The fishnet bags are adorned with various charms, like shells and buttons, and named after different beaches in Haiti. Also, there are some standout necklaces, like the Kenya Bone Necklace and the Coconut Necklace, both of which support the earlier mentioned Building Black Bed-Stuy. The Kenya Bone Necklace has beads with a bold black and white pattern on them. Kenyan villages use the batik method of covering part of the bead in wax to create this unique pattern. The Coconut Necklaceis a twist on the African disc style that was popularized in the 1960s that used vinyl for the beads. Instead of the vinyl, this version uses discs carved into coconut shells.
Overall, there are many amazing pieces at SVNR that each have amazing backstories and are ethically created.
