eco jewelry
The Story Behind Ethical Diamonds
Even today, many people still don’t know about the contentious issues that surround diamond production. Most people’s first experience of buying a diamond is when they plan to get married, and when caught up in all the excitement that brings, unless you have prior knowledge of the blood diamond issue, it may not be something that’s on your agenda.
Blood diamonds first became a real talking point in the late 1990s. One of the first organizations to raise awareness of the issue was Global Witness. In 1998, it released a report that exposed the role of diamonds in funding the civil war in Angola. Over time, international pressure from various organizations forced the diamond industry to move to try to eradicate these blood or conflict diamonds from society. At this same time, new markets in diamond alternatives and synthetics began to pop up to address consumer ethical and environmental concerns. › Continue reading
Eco Diamonds
You love the look of diamonds, but want a more environmentally and socially responsible alternative to a unknown origin mined diamond- enter eco diamonds. This phrase can be thrown around loosely, so the first and foremost thing to do when looking for an eco diamond is do your research!
Lets first dive into some of the terminology, pros and cons and what is available as eco jewelry.
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1. Pre-owned diamonds
If you have some diamonds in your family (grandmothers ring, jewelry, etc), use them! Stones can be easily re-set into new rings, or jewelry. Beware of stores selling pre-owned diamonds as these can often be a way to get un-tracked blood diamonds out onto the market.
2. Cultured or Synthetic Diamonds
These are laboratory created diamonds. Don’t confuse these with diamond stimulants such as cubic zirconiums, these are real true diamonds with the exact molecular structure of mined diamonds. These are often totally flawless, so you can usually get a better diamond at a better price, without the environmental destruction.
3. Environmentally and Socially conscious mined diamonds
Now beginning to emerge are several types and variations of Eco mined diamonds. While many will argue the ‘Eco’ part since mining is so destructive, it can be much less harmful than traditional mining techniques. Canada has begun mining and selling eco diamonds, and some smaller operations in Africa have begun integrating environmental and social ethics.
Fun At The Eco-Chic Expo
I hope many of you had a chance to visit the Eco-Chic Expo yesterday at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center that Rachel posted about last week. Featuring many different local sustainable living companies, the expo was definitely a great and interactive way to spend a few hours. The expo featured a lot of companies all excited to share their products and websites with the public at this free event. Here are some businesses and events that really caught my eye!
Full Circle Farm is an organic farm that grows and sources organic fruits and vegetables and deliver right to your door! Located just outside of Carnation, the 400 acre farm grows over 200 varieties of produce and 50 crops in order to provide a large variety for their customers. They also partner with other local farms in order to provide more options for delivery baskets. The baskets of food are fully customizable, with flexible order size and frequency and as an added bonus, you know exactly where your food is coming from. To sign up for a delivery subscription or learn more about Full Circle Farm visit their website or call 866-EAT-WELL.
Alex and Ani Eco Friendly Jewelry
I recently received a package from Alex and Ani, an eco friendly jewelry designer with a showroom in Tribeca, New York, that is extremely hot right now. Chances are if you have opened a celebrity magazine, seen an awards show or watched a movie lately, you have seen some of their jewelry and accessories.
I was lucky to get a bracelet from one of her patented Signature Expandable Wire Bangle collections that adjust to fit just how you like. Alone or grouped with several different designs, these eco-fashion accessories are sure to spice up your wardrobe.
Handcrafted in the United States (Rhode Island to be exact) from recycled metals, and avoiding destructively mined gold, Alex and Ani have courted Hollywood and Europe alike with their beautiful and green designs.
Rock Star Recycle – Guitar String Bracelets for Charity
A great reader recommendation from Lauren, WearYourMusic.org has come up with a great way to donate to charitable organizations, recycle, and give music fans a real keepsake.
Each guitar string bracelet is handcrafted from recycled fine silver and used guitar strings from your favorite artist. The bracelets can be ordered as slip-over bangles, or you can have a custom clasp added for a more snug fit. The guitar bracelets are packaged in recycled DVD cases with certificates of authenticity so you can prove that they are from the artist of your choosing. It appears that they are adding new artists all the time, so there is a good chance your faves are already listed.
Eco Gold – The Impact of Gold Jewelry
With all the attention given to sustainable diamonds and blood diamonds, it kind of makes you wonder about other mined precious gems and metals. Gold is everywhere in our society, and has been a measure of wealth throughout time. Wars have been fought over it, lands discovered for it, cities founded on it, and people slaughtered because of it.
Does the value placed upon gold is due to its rarity and beauty justify its place in our society? Only as recently as 1971, when the gold standard was finally eliminated as the basis of US currency, have we let go- or have we? Gold surrounds us, knowing no cultural boundary, and is still the most recognized outward display of wealth, however, it is also the cause of much suffering in the world.
Gold is very similar to diamonds in worldwide exploitation of workers and damage to the environment. A study done by the environmental nonprofit WorldWatch Institute found that 80 percent of destructively mined gold is used in gold jewelry.
Zulugrass Sustainable Eco Jewelry – The Leakey Collection
I just received some beautiful sustainably zulugrass bracelets from the Leakey Collection. These bracelets and almost all their jewelry are made by people of the Maasai tribe in the Rift Valley area of Kenya, East Africa from zulugrass. What excites me the most about this collection is not only how beautiful the jewelry is, but how one simple piece can have so much impact on our world.
The production of this jewelry employs over 1200 Kenyans, and allows them to live a more traditional lifestyle in this ever changing modern world. It also helps to preserve native wetland habitat by allowing the sustainable harvest of the zulugrass instead of burning it for cattle grazing.
The process begins by harvesting grass, one blade at a time. The long grass is then dried and cut into bead-size pieces and dyed in an environmentally sustainable manner giving each bead a unique hue. › Continue reading
Julia Failey Unique Eco Jewelry
There is something about artisan jewelry that captures me, but only when it is beautiful and unique. Julia Failey embodies that spirit with her wonderfully designed nature inspired eco jewelry. I am especially drawn to the pieces displayed below, and it was the rose vine bangles that really captured me.
Designed and crafted in her Chicago studio, Julia uses sustainable practices in creating jewelry and uses reclaimed, deoxidized sterling silver to reduce the need for destructive mining (more about eco diamonds and destructive mining practices).
