MUSE Charitable ‘Charming Initiative’ With Meeling Wong Features Upcycled And Recycled Jewelry Charms

New York-based fine jewelry agency, MUSE, is expanding its charitable charming initiative, “Have A Heart,” with new brand ambassador Meeling Wong, who curated a group of well-known contemporary jewelry designers to create individual charms made of recycled and upcycled materials for this program.

MUSE regularly collaborates with a roster of designers on a collection of charms earmarked to benefit charitable causes. Philanthropic, fine jewelry professionals act as ambassadors, curating a selection of charms and picking a charity that is meaningful to them. Past ambassadors include Carmen Busquets, Cynthia Erivo, Lizzie Tisch and Sharon Chalkin Feldstein. Proceeds have gone to nonprofits and charities across the globe, including Glasswing International, The Loveland Foundation and Citymeals on Wheels. MUSE sells each ambassador’s curation online, in its New York store, and through select retailers.

Wong, a well-known jewelry industry consultant who has held executive positions at David Yurman, John Hardy, and Georg Jensen, says she is keen to open the dialogue about thoughtful consumerism.

“This project inspired me to think differently about how to contribute without wasting,” Wong said. “The six designers who partnered with us on this journey have created their Have A Heart charms with recycled materials, repurposing old gemstones and using scrap materials from their own archives.”

With its focus on regeneration rather than production, Wong acknowledges that this edition of the charms for a cause will challenge creators to think and work differently.

The participating designers are:

• Annoushka Jewellery (@annoushkajewellery)
• Christopher Thompson-Royds (@cthompsonroyds)
• Fernando Jorge (@fernandojorge)
• Graziela (@grazielagems)
• NN by NGHI (@nnbynghi)
• Ten Thousand Things (@tenthousandthingsnyc)

“This is a project close to my heart,” Wong told Forbes. “My effort to raise attention to waste in the jewelry industry is but a very small step, which I hope to continue with MUSE, starting with these six designers who are kindred spirits.”

The price for the charms range from $925 to $11,000, and they will be available for purchase at the MUSE Shop on 605 Hudson Street, New York and on MUSExMUSE.com. Ten percent of proceeds from charm sales will benefit charity: water, an organization with the ambitious goal of ending the global water crisis. So far, charity: water has completed more than 110,000 water projects in 29 different countries with more than 15 million people served. With this initiative, Wong’s goal is to raise $10,000 from the jewelry community to contribute to this mission, and specifically to dig a well. Due to the charity: water’s unique funding model, 100% of public donations go directly to fund clean water projects.

This “charming initiative” is the latest of MUSE’s multi-designer, collaborations, using charm collections spearheaded by a different ambassador.

“The idea behind Have A Heart is simple but powerful,” MUSE said in a statement. “If everyone does a little bit, then collaboratively we can accomplish a lot. The philanthropic possibilities are endless, as are the combinations of charms that can be made into forever pieces.”

To celebrate the launch, MUSE is hosting an event at the MUSE Shop at 605 Hudson Street on November 18th from 4pm – 7pm, in conjunction with NYC Jewelry Week.

To support the goal of helping the jewelry community raise the $10,000 needed to sponsor a well, 10% of all sales at the MUSE shop during the event, in addition to the funds raised by sales from the earmarked charms, will be included in the donation.