Jewelry brand John Hardy is known for its ability to reimagine classical designs with a contemporary touch.
What many people may not know about the brand is that its jewelry is handcrafted with a heavy emphasis on sustainability and preservation, making sure each piece encourages women to boldly tailor their individual accessories with their very individual styles.
Since the establishment of its workshop in 1975 in Ubud, Bali, by Canadian craftsman John Hardy, the brand has involved local craftspeople, helping them refine and pass on their jewelry-making skills to the next generation.
This helps them to generate a sustainable economic multiplier effect and also serves as a method to preserve their cultural traditions, as the label’s jewelry collections are inspired by the endlessly fascinating island of Bali itself.
By working with John Hardy, local masters and artisans harness traditional techniques that are intrinsic to Balinese culture in a global jewelry business.
John Hardy also seeks to involve jewelry lovers to take part in appreciating the cultural heritage that has inspired the brand so much.
If you are a jewelry fan and happen to be in Ubud, then make sure to visit the brand’s workshop and showroom, where you can see how its craftspeople draw inspiration from nature, ancient artistry and cultures while celebrating a life well lived.
The workshop itself is beautiful to behold as it bears an impressive architecture made from sustainable materials set amid 161 hectares of land, where visitors can watch the brand’s artisans and designers at work.

Here you can see the step-by-step cultivation of John Hardy’s designs rendered in the tradition of artists from local villages like Batuan and Batu Bulan, the latter of which is best known for its 3D wax models. Batu Bulan village is also known for producing a long lineage of carvers, which are empowered through their work with John Hardy.
John Hardy also feels privileged to work with these women, whose nimble fingers can move swiftly, from weaving traditional offerings to weaving strands of gold and silver, link by link, creating the brand’s iconic chain bracelets and necklaces.
Thanks to these Balinese women, who work alongside the brand’s team, John Hardy is able to offer women across the globe beautiful jewelry from the island.

Upon visiting the workshop, enjoy a traditional Balinese lunch made from locally sourced ingredients while finding your next signature piece from an on-site boutique. The brand’s flagship boutique is located in Badung, Bali, while its other outlets are available at Ngurah Rai International Airport as well as various hotels, villas and spas across the island.
In crafting the pieces available at these outlets, John Hardy also pays attention to the sustainability of its raw materials. The brand’s gold and silver are reclaimed and recycled through responsible vendors who do not engage in unethical and unsustainable new mining endeavors, with John Hardy itself being certified by the Responsible Jewelry Council.

John Hardy also keeps this in mind while manufacturing the men’s collection, which has been expanded for fall 2019, including the Asli Classic Chain Link Elevation.
The traditional Asli Classic Chain Link has been fluidly transformed into a more angular expression, embodying bold lines and complex layers. With the addition of a faceted relief, pave white diamonds and black sapphires add a noble effect to bold ID bracelets, modern pendants and chunky rings in sterling silver or 18-karat yellow gold.
This is aligned with the brand’s spirit to always invoke the power of Bali’s natural setting while nurturing the global environment at the same time.
This attentiveness to sustainability is again reflected in the brand’s newly launched fall 2019 collection, highlighting the Tiga Classic Chain and Lahar product lines, which see the classical design transformed with a contemporary touch.
The new collection also highlights John Hardy artisans’ handcrafted heritage, inspired by the natural beauty of Bali and reflecting the label’s endless fascination with the island in all its totality, resulting in its endeavors to pass Bali’s cultural DNA forward through jewelry pieces. This new collection is yet another one of their homages to the dramatic beauty of Bali, the mythical island where the brand’s story originates.
Thus, the contemporary transformation of classical designs also reflects the theme of the collection itself, which is fueled by the transformative spirit of nature.
John Hardy is also happy to announce its campaign to accompany the collection, with a creative platform dedicated to freedom of self-expression among women who boldly assert their individuality through jewelry.

Again, this year’s campaign promoting the new product lines are headlined by two contemporary female icons: Spanish model and actress Penélope Cruz as well as British fashion model Adwoa Aboah. John Hardy sees the two women as strong in character and substance, thereby fitting the nature of the campaign itself, which emphasizes boldness.
One image of the campaign showcases a picture of Cruz and Aboah posing together while wearing the brand’s Tiga Classic Chain pieces with the beautiful Bali sky as a backdrop, inspired by the brand’s eternal connection to nature.
The Tiga Classic Chain was originally developed in the 1980s by several master artisans in Bali, soon after John Hardy established its workshop there. The classical design is making a comeback with a modern triangular design that adds height and dimension to the brand’s signature stack.
The beauty of the Tiga Classic Chain worn by Cruz and Aboah is accentuated by each icon’s personal style.
Cruz, for instance, combines the pieces with her dramatic oversized hoop earrings, while Aboah remains true to her signature aesthetic while wearing the new Tiga Classic Chain necklace layered with a fine, classic gold chain and a myriad of earrings styled by her while on set.
Pictures of these women accentuating the Tiga Classic Chain’s signature bold characteristic with their own personal style have just appeared online and in print publications as part of the brand’s latest campaign, which was kicked off on August 1st.
The ongoing media campaign will be accompanied by a second release highlighting the new collection, called Lahar (lava) and crafted by John Hardy creative director Hollie Bonneville Barden.
Charged with soul and vitality, Barden delved into the wild genesis of Bali, an island shaped by powerful volcanic eruptions, which she obviously references in the name of the collection itself, evoking the image of lava melting out of these volcanoes.
True to the idea of transformation, the Lahar collection pays homage to the raw dynamics between nature and art. The collection features a wealth of wild diamonds, icy stones cut in unique shapes and boast natural inclusions. Their elemental beauty is emphasized in the brand’s signature lava setting.

“Diamonds, born from the Earth’s crust and formed millions of years ago, emerge in an explosive eruption, a force that’s as strong and magnificent as the diamonds themselves. This is a collection that’s full of alchemic expression,” Barden explained.
Emulating the organic movement of lava, flowing waves of diamonds sweep across cuff bracelets, bold rings and statement earrings in this collection.
Barden said she had serendipitously discovered a triangular iteration of the Classic Chain collection originally developed in the 1980s while she was developing the Lahar collection, which required her to revisit John Hardy’s original creations.
Now known as Tiga, the reissued style embodies a sculptural essence through a trio of sharp, hammered edges. Melding the past with the present, Tiga offers an angular interpretation of the John Hardy archive for both men and women.
The bold and iconic history of John Hardy continues to be explored through Modern Heritage, a product line with designs that exude the drama of legendary brand muse Cynthia Hardy. Effused with power, the Spear Chain radiates charged energy and fierce strength through spear motifs. Hammered spear merges with carved chains, resulting in reversible necklaces, striking earrings and flexible cuffs that play with the duality of texture and light.

Barden provides a renewed focus on sleek forms with Knife Edge, a highlight of the bold, pure, and graphic quality of sharp links. Taking form through functional kick cuffs, crossover rings, and classic bracelets, this collection is crafted in sterling silver and adorned with diamonds and semiprecious stones. Each link in Knife Edge highlights Barden’s continued dedication to revitalizing John Hardy’s vast library of woven chains.
New Dot styles reference John Hardy’s very beginning, when the rock ‘n roll spirit of the 1970s became tangled in the raw elegance of Bali. This season, Dot emerges from the archive as oversized earrings, dramatic pendants and saddle rings, many of which reference the multifaceted phases of the moon.
The theme of sustainability and preservation – both cultural and environmental – runs through John Hardy’s brand, from its designing process down to production. John Hardy believes that by nurturing these values, it also sustains its growth along with the Balinese community and beyond.