The Low Down On Green Living
April 3rd, 2008
Eco-Jewelry: Not Just For Cavemen
Stumble it!
The human act of adornment can be traced back 75,000 years to pre-historic Africa and to every known age since that time. Cavemen made simple jewelry with leather, twine, teeth, pebbles and shells. Small charms have been used throughout history as spiritual amulets, gifts of worship and friendship, symbols of rank, wealth and social standing. The human fascination with objects of adornment remains constant and shows no sign of slowing down. Engagement rings have reached blinding proportions along with the ever thriving jewelry industry. A 2006 report found annual jewelry sales in the US alone at $44 billion dollars.
The major down side to jewelry is that mining for prescious metals and stones is not often humane or environmentally sustainable. Even the costume jewelry trade has stepped into the un-sustainable circle, offering-up unhealthy lead toxins with your cheap accessory store fix. Vintage jewelry can alleviate some guilt, as can having your own unworn prescious pieces re-purposed into
something that better suits your current taste. I am happy to see more jewelers offering ethically certified trinkets.
Ecofabulous is a great resource for finding the chicest ethical jewelry around. They recently highlighted work by Dawes Designs that exclusively uses recycled gold and conflict-free stones. Their “Hewn” collection has that ancient greek aesthetic that’s right up my alley.
Another great Ecofabulous find is Kirsten Muenster. She creates jewelry made with 100% recycled metals and other interesting materials whose cultivation does not fund corrupt organizations or promote unfair labor practices. Until there is a more reliable process for determining a stone’s provenance, Muenster does not make jewelry with diamonds, tanzanite or other questionable gemstones.
Of course, we also love Etsy as a resource for sustainable jewelry made with repurposed materials. 2ReVert makes great casual bangles out of old skateboards. They are cut, sanded and sealed with a non-toxic clear gloss. I love these as a gift for a young skate betty or gallerina.
One of our longtime Etsy favorites, Bottled Up Designs, makes jewelry from antique glass bottles found in natural wooded habitats and rural farmlands. Check out these aqua glass hoop earrings made with glass from a World War II era Coca Cola bottle.
If diamonds are your best friend, Brilliant Earth offers certified conflict-free Canadian diamonds loose or set in rings made with renewed gold and platinum. They are the go-
to jeweler for traditional, yet ethical engagement and wedding rings.
These are just a small sample of a growing number of environmentally and socially conscious jewelers catering to conscientious consumers with a wide array of style preferences. So the next time you are searching from something pretty, don’t settle for the unethical.
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Comments
Meghan
April 7th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Using lab-created gems and recycled metals, C5 company provides gorgeous alternatives to the traditional fine jewelry industry. If you are concerned about the social and environmental implications associated with mined stones, lab-created are an excellent option. Often lab-created stones are more brilliant and a better value.
Cristina
April 8th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Does anybody out there know of good sources for recycled metals, gems, or beads for making your own jewelry? This is something I would love to hear more about as an amateur jewelry maker. Where can you but that stuff?!
Thanks
Shannon
April 8th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Cristina, check with local jewelry stores (not chain stores…I mean small stores that do their own repairs and casting)–my husband works for a jewelry store like this and they buy and sell scrap gold and silver.
mamalu
April 8th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Ten Thousand Villages is a small chain of stores that provides a maket for fair trade jewellry, decor, stationary, toys, coffee etc. I don’t know about the backgrounds of the material used, but the products are made by people in 3rd world or developing countries. My husband has found many little treasures there for me:)
Jennifer
June 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Another interesting source of eco-jewelry is EarthSurf. The materials are leather, hemp, silk and found objects like surf-tumbled sea glass, shells and driftwood. Very stylish.
Brett
June 19th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I’ve heard people talk about melting down gold to recycle an old ring to make something new, or different. I was told that the most difficult part is reducing the impurities in this process, and that its often less energy-efficient that buying new. Can anyone tell me where/who/how I could learn more about this? I’d like to look at this for my wedding ring.
Miss O Haha
September 20th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
This is great to inform people have how harmful mining is. I have friends that are native Australians and there land has been devastated they tried everything possible to stop the miners and have landed loosing the court case with a heavy bill and land that now looks like a close up of the moon.
They use to live sustainably but that is not possible now there is nothing there but tyre tracks in dirt left by the miners.
I make upcycle fun jewelry as a humourous way of getting back at the miners.
There on my website.
http://www.missohaha.com
Thanks Miss O Haha
Shel
November 29th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
For those who would like new, better for the enviroment options, there’s http://www.Stauer.com They have a large selection of cultured pearls (versus the high price, both ethically and monetary, of some varieties such as South Sea and Tahitian) and lab created diamonds. In terms for those who want the real deal, these are REAL diamonds, but unlike mined diamonds, there’s literally zero conflict, fully ethical, and are about as enviromentally friendly as a number 2 pencil.
For those looking for a 100% enviromentally friendly diamond, there’s also http://www.LifeGems.com The price of these diamonds are a good bit higher than a DiamondAura from Stauer, but can be made from the ashes of a cremated loved one or even a lock of your own hair, so all you have to do is send the dead ends you snip off your own hair each month to provide all of the carbon needed for these diamonds. In my opinion, they make for wonderful stones for jewelry as gifts, as you are literally giving a part of yourself to a loved one with these diamonds.
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