Maybe you plan to say “I do” soon, and you and your chosen one are looking for the perfect ring. Perhaps you merely want to stock your jewellery box. Have you thought about how your purchases impact the planet and its people? Jewellery looks beautiful and helps you express your personality. However, the mining of some gemstones creates environmental and human rights crises. Some designers, likewise, utilise sweatshop labor to make their wares. Here’s how you can find sustainably sourced bling to polish your signature style with a conscience.
Words: Mia Barnes
Image: Alex Holyoake on Unsplash
1. Patronize Art Fairs
It’s summertime, and that means many communities will begin hosting arts and crafts fairs. Depending on your location, you should call ahead to check on closures due to COVID-19. However, in many regions, business is returning to something resembling normalcy. What better way to celebrate the end of quarantine than to plan a spontaneous road trip to hit all the hot spots?
Art fairs make the ideal location for finding sustainable jewelry because you often buy directly from the manufacturer. You can talk to the vendor to discover if they create their designs personally or employ others. If the latter, you can inquire about their business practices before you buy — most small merchants are happy to share the story of how they got started.
2. Get to Know Local Businesses
Maybe you and your spouse-to-be spent hours searching the internet for the perfect design for your marital bands. However, if you didn’t pay too much attention before putting them in your cart and placing your order, you might be benefiting a corporation whose practices lie shrouded behind a veil. Instead, support your neighbors and foster a sense of community by patronising a local jewellery store. When you shop locally, you can get to know the owners and ask them about where they source their materials without sounding like Torquemada the Inquisitor. Plus, they care about their reputation and will often go the extra mile to stock their shelves with ethical brands to maintain positive public relations.
If you’re going all in for seeking quality-controlled jewellery online, jacobsthejewellers.com is a heritage brand that takes pride in their ethical policies. The independent jewellery house offers a range of exquisite fine jewellery, watches, gifts and accessories from makers, such as Georg Jensen, Mikimoto and Shaun Leane, as well as in-house services, such as jewellery and watch repairs, engraving and customisation. If you do feel you need to learn more about the materials and care before making a final choice, their personalised buying guide is there to assist you.
3. Look for the Fair-Trade Label
Image: Alex Holyoake on Unsplash
Why should you look for products bearing the Fair-Trade Certified label? This designation ensures that the brand you buy comes from factories that support sustainable livelihoods and safe working conditions. They exhibit a zero-tolerance policy toward slavery and child labor and offer regulated hours and benefits, like maternity leave.
These products often go the extra mile to invest in local community development. Fair Trade Certified products do typically cost more, but the extra money goes to a community-managed bank account. The workers then determine whether to use it for wages and bonuses or invest in amenities like on-site child and health care.
4. Research Companies Online
While you want to use caution purchasing jewelry online, you can use the internet to research companies to know what you’re buying. Once you find a brand you adore, you can investigate the “about us” or “investor relations” section of its corporate website.
The most conscientious companies make sustainability an integral part of their mission statement. However, if you found a piece you love but can’t find the information on the brand’s site, go further. You can access several online databases that store data from various sources, including leaks and court cases.
5. Choose Kinder Materials
Have you heard of blood diamonds? The moniker doesn’t have anything to do with the color of the gemstones. These jewels stem from African war zones. Armed rebels often use forced labor to mine the gems and sell them to finance their insurgencies. Many miners die in such regions, and their deaths are never reported due to how frequently they occur. It's common for families to send their children to work in the tunnels instead of school because they need the meager income to eat.
Even a gold band may signify environmental destruction. Many mining companies expel waste into natural waterways, poisoning it for humans and animals. Why not consider pieces made from recycled metal or laboratory-grown gemstones to avoid adding to human misery or ecological disaster?
Beauty Need Not Be Cruel or Destructive — Seek Sustainably Sourced Jewellery
You don’t have to contribute to the destruction of the planet or human rights abuses to sport a sparkly rock or two. It is wise to do your homework before buying your bling!