Real natural talents: Birdy & Bee's new era of jewelry design

Who would have thought that corn and cassava would one day not only end up on our plates, but also on our ears? With earrings made from potatoes and an extra portion of gold, the Austrian label is bringing a breath of fresh air to the world of jewelry design - without compromising on style or environmental awareness.

Two friends, one mission

Birdy & Bee was founded by two friends and mothers, Sarah Anderl and Petra Kamenar, who wanted to combine their love of jewelry and slow fashion. Four years ago, their hobby turned into a vocation.

From the very beginning, it was important to them to create sustainable and environmentally friendly pieces of jewelry that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also light as a feather and durable. Each piece should be manufactured in Europe and without the use of harmful chemicals. It is not easy to meet all these standards, but that has not deterred the two power women. Together with Hannes Frech from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Tulln, they began experimenting to produce their own material.

With passion and potato starch

The result is a bioplastic that originally comes from the food industry. This innovative plastic is full of renewable material: sugar cane and corn starch, dyed toxin-free in eye-catching, food-safe colors. In Tulln, at the BOKU branch, the material is heated and injected into injection molds. Finally, it is sanded by hand by Sarah and Petra and finished with a recycled gold hook from Italy. Birdy & Bee has thus created completely new standards in terms of sustainability on the jewelry market!

The earrings in the EVE, EVELINE and FEE collections are made from precisely these renewable materials, which store CO₂ as they grow. When the earrings are disposed of later, they only release the CO₂ that the plants have previously absorbed, creating a climate-neutral effect. In nature, the material completely biodegrades, while in an industrial composting plant it decomposes within 30 to 60 days - a quantum leap compared to conventional plastic, which takes up to 400 years.

Gold with a green conscience too

Sarah and Petra have found a special solution for customers who don't want to do without the shine of gold: Gold Filled. Here, real 14-karat gold is applied to the base metal core as a thick, durable layer - around 100 times thicker than normal gold plating. This extends the life of the jewelry and brings luxury in an environmentally friendly form. Instead of relying on newly mined gold, Birdy & Bee mainly uses recycled old gold, which can be reprocessed again and again without any loss of quality.

Colorful, cheeky and light as a feather

The earrings from Birdy & Bee are real eye-catchers - colorful, unusual and full of character! Every single color and shape is chosen with love, so that each piece has its own unique look. What's more, the earrings are so light that you almost forget you're wearing them!

Birdy & Bee is a perfect example of how creativity and sustainability can form a valuable symbiosis in the fashion industry. With each collection, Sarah and Petra set an example for ecological awareness and show how creative minds with the right motivation can make the world a little bit better.