Ethical jewelry brand iriser by women-led Fukushima lampworkers

iriser is an ethical jewelry brand that creates handmade glass fashion accessories. Its glass artisans offer intrinsically made earrings, necklaces, rings, etc., each series as meaningful as the next.

Furthermore, iriser is creating jobs for women. It wants to make iriser an attractive workplace, while also showing Odaka Town, Fukushima (where it resides) as a charming location to settle in despite its history of disaster. Thus, it is no surprise that it is a winner of the Social Products Award 2022.

The artisans are called lampworkers, a term derived from HARIO Lamp Work Factory (many will be familiar with HARIO’s popular tea- and coffeewares). Currently, eight lampworkers are putting their skills into handmade products, displaying inventions to maximize glass as a material, like aroma necklaces, earrings, and exquisite glass straws.

The attraction of iriser goes beyond what it does and into why it exists.

Before 11 March 2011’s Great Eastern Earthquake, Odaka Town was home to 13,000 residents, surrounded by beautiful nature. The Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown imposed a restriction zone which forced everyone to evacuate.

Now, it is slowly reclaiming itself post-evacuation. More than 3,000 residents have resettled back into Odaka, backed by entrepreneurs of book shops, cafes, co-working spaces, etc., all with a passion to revitalize Odaka. iriser is one of those brands adding its value to this new Odaka.

Moving back into the disaster affected region, there was a lack of infrastructure and jobs to attract people back to Odaka. Against the difficulties, iriser offered an answer to the problem and is now one of Odaka’s defining values.

So, if you are looking for ethical jewelry with a meaningful purpose, do consider giving iriser’s range of accessories a look. It also offers repairs should your purchases get broken down the road, restoring them to their original state. It aims to add longevity to the products you use, which supports ethical consumption.