London-based sustainable jewellery brand Lebrusan Studio has been selected as one of a handful of shortlisted finalists in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative of the Year at this year’s NAJ Awards.

Despite Lebrusan Studio facing stiff competition from a wide selection of the jewellery sector, the independent brand impressed the NAJ Awards’ judging panel of industry experts, landing a coveted spot on this particular shortlist for the third year running.

The CSR Initiative of the Year award, this year sponsored by the Responsible Jewellery Council, recognises a company that’s delivered an activity which has contributed to wider society, a specific community or a cause through raising awareness, making a contribution of time or funds, or other associated initiatives. Lebrusan Studio has been shortlisted for the prestigious title on account of gaining its Created in the UK certification in late-2022.

Established by the NAJ, Created in the UK is a new scheme that champions British production; a chance for jewellers like Lebrusan Studio to celebrate the local provenance of their creations.

As an ethics-orientated brand that prides itself on “searching constantly” for new ways to reduce its environmental impact and maximise its positive socioeconomic impact, Lebrusan Studio has refined its supply chain to ensure that 100% of its manufacturing now takes place in the UK. Whilst the majority of its jewels are cast in Melton Mowbray, all finishing processes take place in London’s famed Hatton Garden, just a stone’s throw from the team’s design and customer service headquarters at the historic London Diamond Bourse.

“With the majority of our manufacturing processes taking place within a radius of roughly 150m² and the A-to-B transportation of our jewels carried out on foot, manufacturing locally to our base at the London Diamond Bourse allows our jewel’s to cover minimal mileage, which keeps our carbon footprint small,” the brand’s Creative Director and pioneer of the ethical jewellery movement Arabel Lebrusan explains.

“But sustainability isn’t exclusively about the planet. It's also about sustaining people and their skills; honouring our collective histories and ensuring that practises can continue to be passed down from one generation to the next. Fashioned by the hands of UK-based artisans passionate about their craft, our jewellery showcases time-honoured techniques and upholds British cultural heritage.”

Sympathetic to the landscape, with jewellery shoppers growing increasingly stringent about traceability and material provenance, the eponymous designer brand is proud to promote its commitment to local manufacture with the special Created in the UK mark, now stamped onto every piece of Lebrusan Studio jewellery by the London Assay Office; “because no promise feels quite as wholehearted as one branded permanently into precious metal.”

“We work really hard to make Lebrusan Studio a brand which is meaningful, memorable and has a tangible positive impact on the lives of others,” Lebrusan says. “It’s a real honour to have these efforts acknowledged.

“We’d like to thank everyone behind the decision to shortlist us and say a huge ‘congratulations’ to our fellow finalists. Good luck, all!”

Not Lebrusan Studio’s first foray into the realm of accolades, Arabel Lebrusan and her eponymous brand scooped up two titles at last year’s prestigious NAJ Awards, with Arabel herself crowned Designer of the Year and the stirring Lebrusan Studio Against Child Labour fundraising campaign awarded Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year.