IF you haven’t been around to Bilk Gallery in Manuka but you love jewellery, you should, and this time there’s a surprise in store. 

“Once More, With Love’” is a not-for-profit travelling jewellery exhibition that deals with “concepts of sustainability, recycling and ethical production.”

The story is that 21 contemporary Australian took on more than 30kg of unwanted jewellery items donated by the Australian public and reworked them into new creations.

In this way the works on show in this exhibition, the organisers say, “propose a potential new life cycle for materials, while creating space for reflecting on their origins.”

It need hardly be said that it’s also an opportunity for clever creative people to “up-cycle” materials in an everyday studio context.

The wearing of jewellery or the act of giving to another, Bilk says, “can be a very intimate experience that carries significant layers of personal meaning and sentiment.”

Bearing in mind issues like exploitative labour practices and damage to the environment, the “Once More With Love” project aims to draw jewellery makers and the public into a discussion around the ethics of jewellery.

I’ll bet readers never thought about that before.

The project was started in 2010 by Suse Scholem, a contemporary jeweller from Melbourne, who was inspired by the activities of the American group Ethical Metalsmiths.

As interest in the project grew, other jewellers became involved, and eventually,ANU School of Art lecturer, Simon Cottrell, took on the role of co-curator.

The exhibition has already been seen in Sydney and will be seen in Melbourne during February 2013 as part of the Sustainable Living Festival. In each host city there will be community discussions about issues relevant to the ethical sustainable implications of jewellery resources, see www.oncemorewithlove.com with information.

The artists involved are: Zoe Brand, Melissa Cameron, Sarah Carlson, Simon Cottrell, Anna Davern, Sian Edwards, Karin Findeis, Susan Frisch, Jill Hermans, Alison Jackson, Tassia Joannides, Julie Kiefel, Ali Limb, Vicki Mason, Regina Middleton, Sean O’Connell, Suse Scholem, Vicky Shukuroglou, Ute Roeseler, Melinda Young and Mark Vaarwerk.

“Once More, With Love,” at Bilk Gallery, gallery for contemporary metal and glass, Palmerston Lane Manuka. October 26 to November 16.