History and Mission

Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) raises awareness of the connection between mining, metalsmithing, activism, collaboration, and art. RJM involves volunteer "miners," "smelters," "refiners," jewelers, and metalsmiths working together to create a new and transparent supply chain. The project is both performance and event, linking recycling, reuse and collaborative work sessions with the creation of unique, innovative, handmade jewelry. 

Back in 2007, the project was designed and developed to solve a problem… how can we make jewelry with a transparent supply chain? At that time, there was no knowledge of where the metals and gems that jewelers purchased were mined, which lands were affected, who mined the materials, and how it impacted their lives. Realizing we could not find this information, we decided to create our own supply chain, mining people’s jewelry collections.  Earrings that lost their mate, an old class ring, a dated style necklace, a broken chain, anything languishing at the bottom of jewelry boxes. For us, using post-consumer materials exclusively was the best solution to our problem.

RJM has been traveling to institutions around the world ever since.

Over the years, additional programming has been developed in order to utilize the ever-accumulating archive of donated materials. For example, the Rejewelry Competition aims to expand and find new participation through an open call to professional jewelers. The Artist Collective, invites past participants back to create a series of works that more deeply investigate the themes and questions proposed by RJM.

Visit our online store! Here, ethical jewelry enthusiasts can purchase a selection of RJM Madeover Jewelry.  The online store features pieces from past projects.

RJM continues to impact jewelry makers and consumers around the world through creative programming and a passion for creating a positive impact.

Meet the RJM Team