Oria Handmade Jewellery

Oria Ethical Jewellery was formed in 2007 by creative duo Tania Kowalski and Synnove Saelthun. Having worked within the jewellery industry for a combined 35 years, they became increasingly concerned with the environmental and social impact of mining and production within the jewellery industry and with the lack of transparency within the supply chain. They created Oria Ethical Jewellery to put their concerns into practice. Oria takes its name from the Latin girl's name meaning 'golden'.

Tania was born in Edinburgh and grew up travelling extensively. Through her travels she developed a keen interest in indigenous cultures, particularly in tribal adornment. This interest led her to enrol on a four year BA in Jewellery & Silversmithing at London Guildhall University, from which she graduated in 1993. She then spent six months in Nepal working in a fairly traded jewellery workshop. On returning to London, she has specialized as a jewellery workshop manager for several well known companies.