“I am fascinated by how intimate jewellery is. Jewellery has no real practical function, you wear it solely to tell who you are. Jewellery can be talismans and amulets and strengthen us, and often it bears a unique personal value. It connects us to earlier and to coming generations, which makes it such a suitable expression for sustainability.”

Every single jewellery piece in the collection is hand made. What’s it like to craft with oyster shells?
“The oyster’s shell is the most incredible material I’ve worked with. It’s super strong and solid, and I never stop being amazed at how this tiny little oyster can create such a high-tech, intelligent ceramic. Humans have tried to recreate it and failed, so you can call it the oyster’s mystery, how they do it.”

How did you get the idea to make jewellery out of oyster shells?
“I wanted to find an organic material that was part of an upcycling. The oysters’ shells are perfect as we already have such a special relationship with them, because isn’t it funny how we associate oyster shells as both ‘indulgent’ and ‘junk’?”

Apart from crafting and wearing them, what’s your personal relationship to oysters and their shells?
“I often think about that special ‘clink’ sound of the shells against the plate and how festive it is. It’s lovely, isn’t it, how that tiny oyster brings us together? We all meet for dinners to gather around the oysters.”

Do you think the perspective on sustainability and jewellery has changed since you started?
“Some years ago my jewellery was sometimes received with some scepticism. Like… ’Oysters in your ears!?’ But today, it’s different. We value upcycling and to safeguard our surroundings. We value the beauty of nature, and honouring that is where our future lies, after all?”

Where do you find the shells for your jewellery?
“I collect my oyster shells from restaurants in Stockholm. Sometimes I bump into friends when I’m there, and they often become a bit puzzled at why I’m carrying old oyster shells…”

...And that was also how this co-lab started?
“Yes, that was actually how this collection came to be – a friend working at & Other Stories was having dinner as she caught me with a big bag full of shells. As soon as I had explained the oyster shell situation and she saw my jewellery, she suggested the collaboration. And here we are.”

How can we rethink the idea of what trash really is?
“We must live and think more circular. I like how there’s a circular notion in how the oysters move from the ocean to the table, and then instead of the shells being thrown out, they become something beautiful to treasure and wear. Perhaps that’s one definition of sustainability, to see the value of what has so far been considered as trash.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MIA LARSSON