Your Cart is Empty
Meet the gardens of the sun Team
WE LOVE WHAT WE DO
We’re a diverse and small-but-mighty team united by a serious passion for all things jewelry… and cake. As a small business and a small team, we’re intimately involved with the life of every piece. From the raw materials to creating it, to getting it on your finger - we're obsessed with exceeding expectations with each one.
We want you to feel how much you matter to us, and give you the best experience possible.
After all, it’s YOU who helps us make a meaningful change in this world.
MERI
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Meri is the founder and creative force behind Gardens of the Sun, driving Gardens of the Sun with a mix of bold ideas, a big heart for ethics and a brain that never really switches off. She’s on a mission to meet every single person in our supply chain, so we create jewelry that makes you feel better than before while supporting everyone involved in making it.
irfan
FINANCE SPECIALIST
Irfan is the reason our bills get paid and the lights stay on. From tax reports to Sushi’s snack budget (she’s his very round, very spoiled cat). He sorts the numbers, files the paperwork, and plans ahead so we don’t have to panic later. Behind every invoice and budget line, there’s Irfan keeping it all ticking along.
vira
PRODUCTION & INVENTORY COORDINATOR
Our MVP of operations aka logistical lifesaver, Vira keeps the wheels turning behind the scenes. She’s the one making sure your jewelry goes from idea to reality, on time, on point, and beautifully made. With a love for numbers and a great sense of humor that keeps our spirits up and our operations tight.
hasan
PRODUCTION ADMIN
Hasan is the connector between our Bali studio and Yogyakarta workshops, and the reason everything stays on track. He’s a translator of ideas, a solver of problems, and the guy who asks all the right questions. With one eye on the details and the other on the big picture, he’s how your jewelry gets made just right, every single time.
sogi
Shipping Organizer
Count on Sogi to get your gems to you safely and beautifully packaged. He packs each order like he’s wrapping a gift, because, well, isn’t every piece of our jewelry just that? Rumor says he knows every guy at customs.
yuri
SEO & E-COMMERCE ASSOCIATE
Yuri is what happens when a love for words meets the power of data. She digs through analytics like a detective, fine-tuning every page so your dream ring is always just a search away. Headlines, keywords, URLs…She polishes them all till they shine. Quietly brilliant and endlessly precise, she makes sure you find us, even when you're not sure what you’re looking for yet.
yadia
Visual Coordinator
Our photographer and videographer. Yadia is the master of making our gemstones feel like you're seeing the stones in person. When she's not behind the camera, you might catch her catching up on the latest Korean drama or indulging in her favorite treat, Balinese rujak.
Alya
Jewelry Designer
Our in-house jewelry designer, taking our ethical materials and turning them into stories you can wear.
gold MINERS and smiths
IBU LENI
gold miner
Ibu Leni heads the group of women miners in Central Kalimantan we work with. She ensures us a steady delivery of ethical, mercury free gold. “The additional income from gold mining helps us send our kids to school. I hope they can also go to university, to be successful - I want them to be more successful than me.”
IBU gineng
gold miner
Ibu Gineng is a busy homemaker. She cleans, crafts rattan bags and carriers, takes care of her grandchildren and of the pigs she keeps. She's been a gold miner for most of her life. Gardens of the Sun helped her go mercury free.
FAJAR AFRIANTO
MASTER GOLD SMITH
Mas Apri is our Master gold smith and business partner since 2014. At the very early stages of Gardens of the Sun, Meri helped him set up his own workshop. He's since hired and trained new gold smiths and silver smiths. Meet Apri here.
YATMAN
GOLD SMITH
Yatman is one of our goldsmiths. He's specialized in pave setting those tiny diamonds into your rings.
UDIN
silver SMITH
Udin is a gold smith who'll often help out with the more intricate silver designs.
DWUI SUPARMO
silver SMITH
Dwui is nicknamed Mamo. He makes most of the custom birthstone jewelry you order.
joko
silver SMITH
In Javanese, his name means “a young man”. Born with a bone condition and caring for his blind father for years, Joko joined Mas Apri as an apprentice and has since specialized in creating your Hidden Gems jewelry. You can read an interview with him here.
johan
silver SMITH
Johan is our youngest silversmith. One of his favorite things about the workshop are the people. “Even though we work on each piece individually, we still help each other. The team is so humble and generous.” His big brothers nurtured him, and made a comfortable workspace for him to grow. Get to know Johan in this interview.