'Karma Effect' Upcycled Carafe and Glasses, a NOVICA review

I have a thing for recycled glass water carafes—I always have. The funkier and more original, the better. Which brings me to the one you see featured here today. When I shared my thoughts and past experience shopping at the online global retailer NOVICA in November, I mentioned that I'd be back with a review of another of their beautiful handcrafted products. After much browsing and saving of items, I decided that this fun Recycled glass carafe and glasses set titled 'Karma Effect' was what I needed in my life right now.

The carafe and drinking glasses are crafted by upcycling sparkling water bottles that would otherwise pollute Bali. The artist/shop that it comes from within NOVICA is Peduli Bali, or Bali Recycling, founded by Olivier Pouillon (born and raised in Washington D.C.) and his Indonesian business partners. As a firm believer in karma, the names etched into the set and fact that contributing to the preservation of the environment were a big factor in my choice.

This product shipped to me from Bali, but arrived in a very reasonable time frame (about 1 week). It was packaged beautifully and securely, but when I picked up the box from my front porch, I heard what sounded like broken glass inside. Sure enough, when I opened it, I found that one of the glasses had arrived broken. Although I was a bit bummed, I looked at this as a great opportunity to test out response time and customer service at NOVICA.

As I mentioned, everything was packed securely and snuggly, but due to the delicate nature of the product, glass is bound to break from time to time. So, I snapped a picture (just in case), then logged in to the NOVICA website to report the damaged product. NOVICA has a "60 Day Easy Returns Policy", so I didn't figure it would be much trouble. I requested a new item, listing the problem and hit send.

A customer service representative responded to my request via email in just a couple of hours. She asked if I could send her a photo...exactly the reason that I took one. She let me know that I wouldn't need to send anything back, and that they would send a replacement for the glass that arrived broken. I received the replacement in just over a week (which is really great since it was during the busy holiday season.

I'm totally in love with this set. It's perfect for setting on your own nightstand, in a guest bedroom, or in the kitchen or living room if you have guests. Not only is it useful, it's also beautiful and makes for a fun conversation piece.

For more information on NOVICA and their mission, visit their website (come armed with time...because if you're anything like me, you'll be there a while). We could all use some good karma at the start of a new year!

About this product: 

From Peduli Bali, this drinking set is filled with good karma for contributing to the preservation of the environment. The carafe and two drinking glasses are crafted by upcycling sparkling water bottles that would otherwise pollute Bali. And in doing so, Peduli Bali also contributes to the community with job opportunities that improve living conditions. The carafe and two glasses are engraved with the words "Karma", "Cause" and "Effect."


I purchased this product with a gift card provided to me by NOVICA in conjunction with US Family Guide. All opinions stated in this post are my own.