MIRTA is a brand of handcrafted designer jewelry. Each MIRTA item is handmade with precision and care.
The driving passion behind MIRTA is a blend of refined essential design and centuries long jewelry craftsmanship, with a profound respect towards precious metals & gemstones, and our planet.
MIRTA jewelry evolved from merging contemporary design principles with traditional gold & silversmithing techniques. The collection redefines modern heirlooms with a focus on clean technical detailing. Each piece is designed and sustainably handcrafted in our studio from carefully selected highest quality recycled gold & silver, and ethically sourced diamonds & gemstones.
ABOUT
MIRTA was founded by Andrea Simic as a result of an ongoing material research developed during her architectural studies. She discovered a small niche where she was able to easily develop her ideas from design to final product on her own, with much less difficulties. Andrea, a promising young architect, worked with various architects before falling into design. After making her first jewelry pieces, Andrea founded MIRTA in 2010.
I deeply appreciate natural materials. I also prefer to keep things simple.
Whether be making a gold diamond ring or designing a wooden structure I feel an obligation to keep the design understated - to allow the natural beauty of the material to speak for itself. A designer can never compete with nature.
Today we are a small, three-person brand, growing slowly but steadily. We try to evolve in a more natural, organic way, as quality can be easily sacrificed over quantity. Our main goal is to maintain the high level of craftsmanship involved in our products.
PRODUCTION PRINCIPLES
MIRTA is committed to environmental responsibility and ethical sourcing.
All jewelry is handcrafted in our Croatian workshop with finest, recycled precious metals (9/18k yellow/white gold & 925 sterling silver), ethically sourced stones, and sustainable low-impact, traditional gold and silversmithing practices.
We design & manufacture our jewelry in our studio from start to finish. No outsourcing, no middle men. From our beginnings we embraced the fact that only by handcrafting our jewelry pieces in our own studio, we can really take control of each detail and every single aspect of our design & manufacturing processes.
Each piece of MIRTA jewelry is made by two, and sometimes four hands from start to finish. We don't work with castings which means that every single items is first formed and soldered by hand. After the initial forming, it is cleaned with natural non-harmful acids, prior to stone setting and numerous rounds of polishing.
RECYCLED METALS & ETHICAL STONES
All jewelry is handcrafted from certified recycled precious metals. We source all of our metals from a local European refinery specializing in 100% recycled precious metals. This means that precious metals are salvaged from old jewelry, and scrap gold. The result is gold and silver on par with newly mined metals, without the negative environmental consequences. Each piece is made from solid recycled 925 sterling silver or 9/18k solid gold, with no platings - We prefer to keep our jewelry honest.
All gemstones and semi-precious stones used in MIRTA jewelry are 100% natural. This means they are not dyed or treated in any other way, with the sole exception of some gems which are heated.
This also means that all of our stones are delicate and subject to breakage under the right conditions. Please handle with care, and research the properties and proper care of your stone to ensure they will last a lifetime. For any additional information on each specific stone, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
SUSTAINABILITY
Alongside quality, practicing sustainability is a top priority and cornerstone of MIRTA, and we take a thoughtful and holistic approach to the many points of consideration that help a business be more sustainable.
Sustainability must be defined to hold weight, and our customers deserve to know exactly what we mean when we use this word. It is a practice and as such, an ongoing effort — something we are always actively striving for –– not a definitive marker of achievement.
Besides recycled precious metals & ethically sourced stones, the foundation of our efforts is in keeping our production in studio, and minimizing the waste produced by our business. We have replaced all harmful chemicals in our production with equally effective non-harmful natural replacements. For example, we swapped the harmful pickling acid that many jewelers use with non-harmful citric acid.
All of the packaging we use is also either certified recycled or recyclable.
MIRTA jewelry was a finalist for Best accessories designer, Croatian ELLE style awards 2016.
The MIRTA collection has appeared in international publications such as Harpers Bazaar, ELLE, Vogue, Refinery29, Le Monde, Grazia and many more.
photo by Nikola Matuhina