Every year at the beginning of autumn, people celebrate Second Hand September, but at KiRiVOO, we like to call it Circular September. The idea is similar — to raise awareness about how our consumption choices impact the environment — but we extend it to the world of jewellery. Instead of following trends that fade, we believe in circular fashion: creating sustainable jewellery that can be worn, cherished, and passed on without losing its value.

At the heart of our brand is a commitment to timeless jewellery that lasts and is comfortable to wear. We believe in slow fashion, designing pieces meant to be treasured for decades — like a mother’s beloved necklace or earrings passed down from generation to generation. Our jewellery is more than decoration; it tells a story and reflects who we are: strong individualists who want to feel proud of their consumption choices.

When we invest in sustainable jewellery, we’re not just buying an accessory — we’re making a conscious choice for a more ethical and cleaner future.

How Do We Make a Difference?

Behind the sparkle, traditional jewellery often hides serious costs: harmful mining practices, unfair labour conditions, and environmental waste.

Sustainable jewellery changes this story. It’s about creating pieces that are ethically made, environmentally conscious, and built to last. Unlike fast-fashion accessories that quickly break or go out of style, sustainable jewellery focuses on timeless and eco-friendly design, responsible sourcing and manufacturing.

At KiRiVOO, we don’t have to compromise between high-end design and sustainability. We can create responsibly made and sophisticated jewellery, while keeping an 80% smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional items*. Each item is made on-demand in a small factory in Estonia, using ethically sourced 100% recycled precious metals and low-impact additive manufacturing — direct metal 3D printing. Every piece is designed to be a treasured companion for years, combining style, ethics, and circular fashion principles. 

Why Additive Manufacturing?

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is revolutionising the jewellery industry by offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional methods. 3D printing eliminates multiple production steps, allowing designs to transform directly from CAD/CAM models into metal pieces, which minimises material waste and saves resources. It also enables the creation of highly detailed designs and personalised items that would be impossible to manufacture with conventional methods.

KiRiVOO products are currently manufactured using the SLM industrial 3D printer, whose printing parameters allow to fine-tune process settings, optimise material usage for specific applications, and produce direct metal jewellery with higher quality and speed — much more efficiently than conventional manufacturing. For printing, we use powdered sterling silver made from 100% recycled silver, not melted metal.

Inside the 3D printer, an extremely thin layer of powder is spread on the build plate. The computer then directs a powerful laser to fuse one layer of the sliced 3D model. After that, the build plate is lowered by 30 microns, and another layer of silver powder is spread. The same process is repeated 500–2,000 times, until the entire jewellery piece is grown layer by layer inside the 3D printer.

After printing is complete, the excess silver is collected by hand and saved for another round of printing. The build plate is then removed, and the jewellery items are carefully detached. All support structures are removed, and the pieces go through heat treatment, magnet polishing, hand polishing, and machine polishing to achieve a flawless finish for our customers.

• Reduced Material Waste

Traditional jewellery production often uses subtractive methods, where excess material is cut away, resulting in significant waste. In contrast, additive manufacturing builds items layer by layer, reducing material waste and allowing for precise use of resources. This approach lowers production costs and conserves materials.

Additionally, 3D printing enables on-demand manufacturing, eliminating the need for large inventories and reducing overproduction.

• Efficient Power Usage

Traditional jewellery manufacturing processes, such as casting and machining, often require significant energy inputs. In contrast, 3D printing typically consumes less energy.

The SLM® printer operates on a 400V 3-phase power supply, consuming approximately 3 kW during operation. This is relatively modest compared to larger industrial metal 3D printers, which can consume significantly more power.

In addition, the SLM® printer features a build volume reduction option, allowing the machine to reduce metal powder usage by up to 80% compared to other systems, further improving material efficiency and sustainability.

• Reduced Water Usage

3D printing processes generally require some water for cooling and cleaning. However, compared to traditional casting methods, 3D printing can significantly reduce the overall water footprint by minimising waste and enabling more efficient use of water and other resources. 

• Reduced Material Usage

One of the major sustainability advantages of additive manufacturing is that it drastically reduces or even eliminates the need for extra materials commonly used in conventional metal jewellery production — including wax, rubber, and crucibles — while enabling on-demand production.

For example, traditional jewellery often relies on wax models, plaster molds, and investment powders for casting. These materials are mostly single-use and produce significant waste. With a direct metal 3D printer, these consumables are completely avoided.

Conventional processes also require cutting tools, coolants, and excess metal blocks, which are partially wasted during shaping. Additive manufacturing builds jewellery layer by layer, often requiring minimal or no supports, reducing both scrap metal and tool consumption.

Furthermore, traditional methods use chemicals for mold release, polishing, and cleaning. Manufacturing with the SLM® printer reduces the need for these chemicals, as the process is cleaner and uses recycled/recyclable powder, lowering both water and chemical usage.

• Material Efficiency

The SLM® printer is equipped with a closed-loop powder handling system, which ensures that unused powder is efficiently sieved and recycled for future use. This process minimises waste, maintains material efficiency and safety, and contributes to consistent part quality while reducing material costs.

We can recycle more than 95% of the by-product waste metal, and the refining process is also minimal, enabling an almost 100% reuse rate of non-consumed metal powder*. Even support structures remain uncontaminated, allowing them to be remelted and repurposed.

• Simplifying Recycling

3D printing simplifies recycling by minimising waste and enabling easier recovery of unused materials, reducing the environmental impact associated with material disposal.

• Compact Facility

3D printing enables precise production in compact spaces, reducing the need for large facilities and the energy they consume.

Why Recycled Silver & Gold?

The integration of 3D printing with recycled precious metals enhances resource efficiency and supports the circular economy by transforming waste into valuable resources, further reducing environmental impact. 3D printing contributes significantly to environmental sustainability by enabling the efficient use of materials, supporting the use of recycled metals, and minimising waste.

• Reduced Need for Mining

Traditional metal extraction is resource-intensive and harmful to the environment. Using recycled metals conserves natural resources and reduces the pollution associated with silver mining. It also helps mitigate the severe impacts of traditional gold extraction, which often involves toxic chemicals and high energy consumption.

• Reduced Power Usage

Using recycled precious metals require significantly less energy compared to extracting and refining new metals, helping to reduce the overall carbon footprint of production and making them a more sustainable choice for environmentally conscious consumers. Some estimates suggest that producing recycled gold can use up to 95% less energy than traditional methods.

• Supports UN SDG Goals

Using recycled precious metals also helps reduce the social and environmental impacts associated with conventional mining. It supports sustainable economic practices and contributes to creating green jobs within the circular economy (SDG Goal 8). Additionally, it promotes sustainable consumption and production patterns (Goal 12) and supports climate action (Goal 13).

We’ve dedicated a whole page to explaining the benefits of recycled precious materials. Read more by clicking here. 

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*Traditional silver jewellery production often involves mining and smelting new silver, which requires large amounts of energy and has significant environmental impacts. Our jewellery manufacturing model is based on 100% recycled silver and direct metal 3D printing, which greatly reduces its footprint, according to the Cloud Factory.