Starfish Project

Starfish Project

Handmade jewelry from Starfish Project, a social enterprise in Asia that employs women leaving exploitation and trafficking.

Fair trade
Member of Fair Trade Federation
Made in
Asia
Founded
2006
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Vetted by The Labour Movement · last reviewed October 2026 · How we vet brands

Starfish Project helps women who have left exploitation build independent lives through steady work, counseling and education.

The story

Jenny McGee and a few friends started Starfish Project in 2006, working alongside five women who had chosen to leave exploitation in Asia. It began as a small jewelry business around a dining table and now employs more than 200 women.

The women make the jewelry by hand, using metalwork, stone setting, enameling and hand assembly. Several of the company's department leaders came through its own care program, and jewelry sales cover the business's costs, including salaries.

Alongside paid work, Starfish Project offers safe housing, trauma counseling, vocational training, medical insurance and education grants for the women's children; donations fund those programs. It is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.

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Home & Garden

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Baby & Toddler

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About Starfish Project

Is Starfish Project fair trade?

Yes. Starfish Project is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, which screens whole businesses against nine fair trade principles before accepting them. The Labour Movement also vetted Starfish Project before listing it, and we review every brand each year.

Who makes Starfish Project jewelry?

Women in Asia who have left exploitation, including survivors of trafficking. They work as jewelry makers and in leadership roles across the business, and several department leaders came through Starfish Project's own care program.

Where does the money from Starfish Project jewelry go?

Jewelry sales cover the business's running costs, including the women's salaries. Its housing, counseling and education programs are funded separately by donations.