Friendly Jewellery

Loving care and passion right from the start

Loving care and passion right from the start
"In Sweden there is an old proverb which says that “you have to suffer in order to be beautiful”. But that is…just old. Especially if you ask any of the more than 50 women working at Blomdahl.

“Uncomfortable jewellery that irritates your skin, makes it itch and could even be harmful is something we want nothing to do with. We think that everyone should be able to wear jewellery and that’s why we make sure that Blomdahl jewellery is always beautiful, kind to your skin and manufactured in a fair way.

These are the words of Kalle Blomdahl, founder of the Swedish company, Blomdahl, which designs and manufactures skin friendly jewellery and medical instruments for nose and ear piercing.

Making beautiful jewellery is an art. But making beautiful jewellery that takes into consideration people’s health, both long-term and short-term, is even more difficult.

“It is possible though! And we will always keep our promises,” says Kalle.

It all started to take shape in 1985 when Kalle and his father, Lasse Blomdahl, started up their family-owned company in Halmstad, Sweden. The innovations that they came up with were possible thanks to Lasse’s background in medical technology and two of the high profile medical issues during that era: nickel allergy and HIV.

Sitting at home at the workbench, they developed the first piercing jewellery of pure medical grade plastic, guaranteed to be entirely nickel free.

But nickel allergy was not the only risk facing people who wanted to get their ears pierced back in the 1980s. Lasse and Kalle knew that the piercing systems used back then had serious shortcomings and they were convinced that it should absolutely be possible to avoid such serious risks as contracting a bloodborne disease when getting a piercing.

So, with the health care system as a role model, they developed a new piercing system for hygienic and safe ear piercing: Blomdahl Medical Ear Piercing.

Blomdahl become first in the world to launch a sterile, disposable product, with sterile jewellery and earring backs for ear piercing.

“We have always been creative and well ahead of our time,” says Kalle.

And because of that, Blomdahl has always set the bar high. In fact, even higher than what the law requires. As proof of that, the company has obtained ISO 13485 certification for manufacturing of medical devices, which serves as a stamp of quality on what Blomdahl delivers.

Right from the start, Blomdahl has been all about style and safety

The jewellery should feel timeless and at the same time be both beautiful and kind to the skin. It requires ambitious product development, precision and independent quality controls.

“Not everyone is able to do this and in fact, many make compromises in order to keep the costs down. But we will always create jewellery that delivers on our promises,” says Kalle.

With the help of, for example, skin specialists at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden, they keep themselves up to date on the latest in safe materials, all with the aim of choosing what’s best for the consumer.

Besides nickel and other substances that can cause contact allergies, they also avoid toxic, carcinogenic and other harmful substances such as cadmium, lead, formaldehyde and bisphenol A. Today, for example, all of Blomdahl’s earrings are thus manufactured in carefully selected, pure medical grade plastic and titanium.

Part of the success is having the right people at the right place.

The family-owned company now has more than 50 employees, all of whom contribute their knowledge and are extremely dedicated.

“Our strength really does come from within. And, there is build-in thoughtfulness in being as meticulous as we are. Caring about others is the common denominator for all of us who work at Blomdahl. We love beautiful jewellery and are proud of being able to make a difference. It feels good when customers contact us to say that now, for the first time in a very long time, they can wear earrings without any problems,” says Nina Andersson, CEO at Blomdahl.

Most of the employees at Blomdahl are women and many of them have children. Each one has their own taste and preferences when it comes to stylish jewellery. When new designs and concepts are being tested, Blomdahl employees and their families provide valuable feedback.

Blomdahl’s design is classic and stylish. Regardless of whether the jewellery has been designed for an adult or child, it still feels timeless and beautiful. Most important of all though, regardless of the shape and colour, is that the parts of the jewellery that come into contact with the skin are guaranteed to be skin friendly. One example is the surface coatings that are used, in shades of gold, silver or black. These coatings are only put on the parts of an earring that do not come into contact with the skin. The parts that are in constant contact with the skin are always manufactured in pure, medical grade titanium.

“This is something that is unique in the jewellery world and it is quite costly. We do it though, because we are convinced that the work we do really does make a difference. We think that everyone is entitled to feel beautiful every day and buying a piece of jewellery from Blomdahl should feel good in every way. By that, we mean not only against your skin, it should feel good on every level: mind, body and soul,” says Nina Andersson."

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