The Tamesis
Not every day there is one fashion business Journalists put on hard hats and reflective vests, but this is what I look like Today’s newspaper Last week I visited Lundes, Norway, the only place in the world where Norwegian natural stone larvae are mined. I was on hand with Oslo-based brand Tom Wood, which recently formed a partnership with Lundhs to transform quarry waste into high-end jewellery.
Traditionally, larval stone is extracted in large slabs for use on facades, monuments and kitchen countertops. But only 8-10% of the Lund extract is utilized, the rest is ground into gravel. Rather than breaking out into virgin territory, Tom Wood uses a small portion of Lundhs’ waste to create decorative gemstones for its unisex jewelry, part of Lundhs’ efforts to find alternative uses for its waste. These include a beaded baby garnet bracelet, a hoop baby garnet necklace, delicate baby garnet earrings, and a baby garnet version of the brand’s signature androgynous signet ring. It is the jewelry equivalent of deadstock, using leftover baby stones that would otherwise be ground into gravel.
Tom Wood uses larval stone from the Lundhs quarry in Larvik, Norway. Ravik stone is the national stone of Norway.
Beyond the products, the partnership is part of a broader push for supply chain traceability in an industry known for its opacity and red flags. Traditional jewelry supply chains are nearly untraceable. Even the most well-intentioned brands have difficulty avoiding the multitude of middlemen who obscure the true origins of metals, mined diamonds and gemstones. But Norway’s national stone, the larvae stone, can only be found in one place: Larvik, Norway. This dark gray or black stone with sparkling silver, blue and green flecks is often called “Norwegian moonstone” or “blue pearl granite.”
When Mona Jensen, founder and creative director of Tom Wood, first tried to source larvae, she was directed to a supplier in Thailand, which took her further upstream to China, where the supplier claimed the larvae came from Norway but couldn’t trace where it was, or how it ended up there. She said the cost of actually tracking this supply chain was very high, which is why Tom Wood now goes directly to the quarry. “There are many layers to transparency and traceability, but for me it’s about people,” she explains. “It’s important to understand who is involved, how they are treated, how they are paid and what type of facility they work in.”
Tom Wood founder and creative director Mona Jensen (left) and her husband, the brand’s CEO Morten Isachsen (right).
