While new products are largely the raison d’être of this blog, the intense meaning behind Kimberly McDonald’s new campaign was just too powerful not to discuss.

McDonald’s Dig Deeper ad campaign is not just about her beautiful geode-intense jewelry but also about the values that are important to the designer, who has offices in New York City and Los Angeles.

“My client is a sophisticated consumer who not only looks for the finest quality in a product but also cares where the materials come from, how they are obtained, and how they are made,” McDonald told JCK this week.

The goal of the ads is to raise awareness about her brand of fine jewelry and to elevate the consciousness of her consumer. For example, McDonald uses reclaimed materials, works with ethical mining operations, and manufactures her jewelry in the U.S., where she can be certain that workers are paid fair wages and work under good conditions. She also donates to charities such as PAWS, an elephant sanctuary outside of Sacramento, Calif., that rescues elephants from circuses and zoos, as well as some other animals in harmful situations, moves that “resonate with the KMD brand,” she says. “Dig Deeper is a nod to the organic material we use and also a call for consumers to know a bit more about the products they buy. It’s eco-conscious luxury for people who want to feel great about what they purchase and what brands they support. Dig Deeper describes this type of client’s philosophy.”

On her website, slides of environmental world facts—the devastation of deforestation, the melting of icebergs in West Antarctica, and the horrible effects of waste oil in oceans and overfishing—reinforce the campaign’s message and lets consumers know that if they care about the earth and its inhabitants, McDonald is on the same page. The imagery in the campaign shows a sultry, sand-covered model in colorful McDonald geode jewels—like a Tia Carrere–esque Mother Nature or Eve who becomes a PETA-like activist, trading clothes for convictions.

McDonald collaborated with the O Group to create Dig Deeper. The ads debuted to consumers in September and can be seen in Elle and W magazines, as well as on the exterior of one of her retail outlets in Maui.

An image from Kimberly McDonald’s Dig Deeper campaign

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JCK