About
Peruvian designer Andrea Jose strives to transform the way we view the resourcing and production of jewellery. Her practice and collections challenge current values of consumption and production by uniting the values of heritage, longevity and craftsmanship.
The mercury-free gold used in her collections is the result of a collaboration with Don Pedro, a formal miner from Madre de Dios in the Amazon rainforest, with the first ever mine-to-market purchase of mercury-free gold from the Peruvian Amazon. It is this gold that will be used in the jewellery she is creating during her London Craft Week residency at Cox & Power.
Alongside the development of clean gold, Andrea has been instrumental in bringing community-led reforestation programmes to these mining areas devastated by poor environmental stewardship. She stands with Doña Vilma and the female-led miners at the forefront of this movement.
Andrea’s work celebrates the value of a reciprocal approach and collaborative relationships. Each of her pieces is the result of a dialogue between designer, artisanal miners and metalsmiths from Peru. Inspired by her culture and history, her fascination with the textiles of Peru – in particular the Lliclla, an ancient textile mantle used by Peruvian women for generations – is the thread that connects the forms of her collections.
Andrea Jose was nominated as one of the Bright Young Gems Eco-Heroes in 2021 in recognition of her work with mining communities in the Peruvian Amazon and is a Force of Nature Honoree at the 2024 Pure Earth Awards in New York. Through both her work in the studio and in the mining environments Andrea Jose is opening up pathways for what the new normal for the fine jewellery industry should be.
