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Hi, my name is Karina Johansen, I am the founder and designer of RAW Copenhagen.Founder and designer of RAW Copenhagen Jewellery, Karina Johansen

RAW is an independent jewellery brand based in Kent. I love to create effortless chic Scandi designs with a wanderlust and beachy vibe. In recent years I have developed a serious love affair with white freshwater pearls, as they are so gloriously feminine.

MISSION

My mission with RAW is to create effortless chic and everyday luxury jewellery designs that make you feel confident, feminine and elegant, and to create designs that you can mix and match also with your favourite heirlooms.

Jewellery is such an easy way to celebrate yourself and loved ones, to express who you are and how you feel, to underline your playful, elegant or girly side, and to simply make you feel good.

 

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

I am a self-taught jeweller, I am Danish but have worked in most continents of the world for the UN, humanitarian charities and as a Danish Human Rights Diplomat. My designs are a marriage between my Danish minimalist design heritage and influences from cultures and strong women from around the world. My love for beads for instance stems from when I lived in West Africa.

 

As I grew up by the sea and spent all my summers sailing as a child, the textures of the beach and all water elements play a big part in my designs. I love playing with rough stone and hammered textures in the silver against smooth gemstones and freshwater pearls, or smooth metal against rough and raw cut gemstones. 

 

Image of some of the RAW Copenhagen designs featuring the textures hammered pendant and freshwater pearls

 

Jewellery has always played a big part in my life. Especially my late grandmother would celebrate all of life's big moments by gifting me and my sister jewellery pieces, and many of those pieces remain my faves today, and I love mixing them with my own designs. I truly enjoy being able to carry forward this tradition of my grandmother’s by offering timeless designs that can help celebrate big moments in the lives of other families. 

 

SUSTAINABILITY

With a strong personal interest in environmental sustainability and a background in international human rights and sustainable development, it is very importance to me to source all the materials I use, including the precious metal, gemstones as well as all wrapping and shipping materials, as sustainable as possible.

I primarily use recycled sterling silver for chains, pendants, beads etc, and from 2022 gold plating is done with recycled or fair mined gold as well. All paper materials are recycled and recyclable, and gemstones are sourced from small artisans who have been paid fair wages.

 

CHARITY

Additionally, you help donate to charities by wearing RAW Copenhagen jewellery. RAW has donated to the indigenous Hill Tribes Peoples of Thailand, to Women for Women, NHS Charities Together, Doctors without Borders, British Red Cross and numerous women's health charities.

In £2000 was donated to humanitarian charities providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, through donations to Doctors without Borders and British Red Cross.

 Image of the RAW Copenhagen gold vermeil hoops, called the perfect hoops from which £10 is donated from each pair sold to Breast Cancer Now

  

WHY IS THE BRAND CALLED RAW?

In Danish we have a saying that goes 'råt for usødet', which means ‘raw unsweetened’. It relates to putting things directly as they are - without any niceties.

Well, the RAW fact is that the jewellery industry can be a dirty one, environmentally and ethically not least in the developing countries, from where many of the raw materials for the jewellery sector originate. This include the use of child labour, poor and unsafe working conditions, pollution and infringement on indigenous peoples’ rights, when mining, refining and making the jewellery. However, the good news is, it does not have to be this way. Accordingly, I strive to source my materials as ethical and sustainable as I can, and hope to continue to carry out stricter due diligence and certification processes as my company grows. 

It is my objective with RAW to help lay the foundation for an alternative sustainable way of making jewellery along with jewellery lovers like you and other makers.

Also I love jewellery that is raw and unsweetened, where the raw materials are allowed to just speak for themselves, which is the second reason behind the name RAW.

 

Founder and design of RAW Copenhagen Jewellery, Karina Johansen, specialising in combining Scandi minimalist design influenced  by wanderlust and boho vibes

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Welcome to RAW Copenhagen, a jewellery universe of textured pendants, freshwater pearl chokers, happy hoops and feminine threaders. If you have any questions, please just pop me an e-mail: raw@rawcopenhagen.co.uk and please join the RAW e-mailing list, by entering your email in the footer below, to stay up to date on new designs, birthday sales, styling, sustainable and Scandi living tips : ) 

RAW Copenhagen Jewellery your go to jewellery brand for feminine handcrafted jewellery design that marries scandi simplicity with a love for travel