On a beautiful spring day in May last year, at a trade show in New York City, I came upon a small booth filled with beautifully designed pearl necklaces, bracelets and earrings. There was only one woman in the booth: Roseann Gapusan, GIA, GP*, owner, founder and designer of Eco Opulence, her new jewelry line.

Roseann was warm and friendly, with a calm confidence. She described her line to me as “eco-friendly jewelry,” because she used only untreated pearls along with recycled metals in her designs. Knowing only a little about pearls and pearl cultivation, I became intrigued by the focus of Roseann’s work and have loved doing a bit of research on the subject. Over the past year of knowing her, I have learned more about her background and what led her to develop this unique business.

She was born in Maryland, and her family loved to travel. It helped that her father was in the Navy, which took them to diverse areas of the world and allowed for early exposure to many cultures including the Philippines, Spain, Italy and Japan. As a young girl, Roseann encountered pearl farms in Southeast Asia, and seeing such beautiful and pristine environments left a mark on her. Her curiosity about pearls led her to learn more about pearl farming and how it can have a tremendously positive impact on preserving the environment and oyster populations. These life experiences culminated in the development of her jewelry line that promotes such environmentally mindful practices.

Now, she personally connects with pearl farmers in the Philippines and China, and with farming co-ops in Japan and French Polynesia. She meets with many family-owned and operated jewelers and manufacturers in order to source her materials. Eco Opulence pearls are 100 percent organic. Her pearls have not been irradiated, coated, dyed or treated with any chemicals. She chooses freshwater, Australian South Sea, Tahitian, and golden South Sea pearls for her designs.

For metals, she sources gold, silver, stainless steel and chrome that are recycled and not bought from mines. The price of earrings ranges from $25 to $80, bracelets are $30 to $110, and necklaces are $60 to $300. Her saltwater pearls are priced into the thousands of dollars because of the great length of time it takes to create just one saltwater pearl (two to six years). I have posted several of her designs here.