Question 1

What is sustainable jewelry?

Accepted Answer

Sustainable Jewelry is produced in a way that demonstrably contributes to achieving the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the localities and communities where the product’s materials were sourced, processed and manufactured, without undermining the sustainability of communities elsewhere

Question 2

What is a social enterprise?

Accepted Answer

Chureca Chic is a social enterprise, we trade to intentionally tackle social problems. Specifically inequality faced by women in Nicaragua. We invest our profits into community projects to empower women at risk to become financially independent. A donation to our NGO partner XtraOrdinary Women is included in the sale of each Chureca Chic piece.

Question 3

What does the NGO “XtraOrdinary Women” do?

Accepted Answer

XtraOrdinary Women; an NGO empowering women in Nicaragua living in at-risk situations with job skills training courses and job placement services. Empowered with a job and economic independence, it is the women themselves who can then break the cycles of extreme poverty and domestic violence they live in. In our experience, 95% of the women who graduate from our ‘XtraOrdinary Women’ programme are still employed 5+ years later. They can choose brighter, happier, self sustaining futures. 
Read more on their website: www.xtraordinary.org

Question 4

How do we make our pieces?

Accepted Answer

Our pieces are handmade and made to order. We design small capsule collections that we promote for a limited time only. We strive to use only upcycled precious metals, a minimum of 90% in each design. The sterling silver is recycled from old electronic devices in Nicaragua. We mix precious metals with locally sourced, environmentally responsible, natural material and /or our unique paper gemstones. A Chureca Chic signature, it's what we became known for; creating gems out of paper that last a lifetime, seriously. Made with 95% paper, they are made waterproof with a type of varnish  (this 5% is not yet environmentally responsible  yet,but we are working on it!). This means you can sing in the rain, dance in the sunshine and build snowmen with your pieces on, for life. Just please, do not jump in the pool or go deep sea diving with them, after all they are gemstones and need to be cared for.

Question 5

Who is on our team?

Accepted Answer

Our entire team consists of less than eight individuals, including partner artisans. We are a small group of individuals passionate about bringing you unique pieces, made with upcycled materials, that tell extraordinary stories and empower our communities with opportunities.

Question 6

How long does it take to make my piece?

Accepted Answer

We get started on making your pieces the day after we receive your order confirmation.  We are slow fashion. Each piece is hand made on a made-to-order basis. We do not manage stock, this means your order is made specifically for you. We send you an email  to let you know we have begun production and the estimated date when it will be ready. Our production process begins and ends locally in Nicaragua with our small team of 5 artisans. Depending on the design, it can take between 10 - 15 working days to craft your piece. Due to the nature of our production process we are unable to expedite orders, so please do bear this in mind. We will send you an update of the process as your piece is being made.

Question 7

What materials do we use?

Accepted Answer

We strive to use only upcycled materials. We use a minimum of 90% repurposed precious metals in each design. The sterling silver is recycled from old electronic devices in Nicaragua. For some collections we mix precious metals with our unique paper gemstones. A Chureca Chic signature, it's what we became known for; creating gems out of paper that last a lifetime, seriously. Made with 95% paper, they are made waterproof with a type of varnish (this 5% is not yet environmentally responsible yet ,but we are working on it!). Other natural materials such as wood, ceramic, may feature in our home decor range. These are also locally sourced in an environmentally responsible way, working with partner artisans across Nicaragua.

Question 8

What is our packaging made from?

Accepted Answer

Our packaging is handmade by our artisan partners at Etca. A group of talented women from the Nicaraguan pacific village of El Transito.  They use recycled fabric and locally produced cotton. Passionate about the environment, they support conservation projects with their sales. Check out their work: (link to:https://www.instagram.com/etca.threads/)
Our labels are printed on recycled paper. So far, in Nicaragua there are no ecological inks, but as soon as there are we will be using them!

Question 9

What is Chureca Chic's social impact?

Accepted Answer

We are proud to showcase with our work that community can and should come first as an order of business, that local production is indeed possible and viable.

A donation for XtraOrdinary Women is included in the sale of each Chureca Chic piece. We have so far empowered 200 women with job skills training and job placement programmes. Please head over to “our impact” page to read more.

We love our home, our rivers, oceans, mountains and beaches.  So we want to protect it. This is why we also strive to use only upcycled materials; using a minimum of 90% repurposed primary product in each design.

Question 10

How does Chureca Chic measure social impact?

Accepted Answer

We wrote a blog about this!
Check it out at: https://www.churecachic.com/post/we-are-a-social-enterprise

Question 11

Where are we based?

Accepted Answer

In Nicaragua! Nicaragua lies in the heart of Central America; a country of crater lakes and towering volcanoes; a culture of revolutionary heroes and warrior poets; a land that captivates the soul in its difficult and beautiful contradictions.

Question 12

Can I volunteer?

Accepted Answer

Of course. Thanks for asking! We have no formal volunteer programme but we always are always  in need of fabulous talent to help us out with ongoing projects. The volunteer roles for now, due to COVID-19, remain remote, so you can help us from anywhere. Drop us a line at hola@churecachic.com or fill in the contact form at the bottom of this page. 
Tell us where you are based, what your skill set is, what your interests are, what do you think you can help us with, or in what area do you want to gain experience. Please also let us know what your time availability is, for example, 3 hours a week or full time!. We will get back to you with information on the area we think you can support us according to your skills set and availability.

CONTACT US