Jewelry: Ethically Sourced Stones and Recycled Metals

This...




           Courtesy of : Ethical Metal Smiths

Not That...



Courtesy of: The Guardian & Amnesty International




Last winter I visited the JAR exhibit at the MET.  I was floored by the beauty of the gems and artistry of the settings. JAR is short for Joel A. Rosenthal, a Paris based designer.  He is one of the worlds  most preeminent jewelry designers. If you have never seen a piece of his work it is worth seeing in person. Just beautiful!



   Courtesy of: The Metropolitan Museum



I do not think I will ever get the chance to own such a beautiful piece of jewelry but it is always important to dream.  This in turn, got me thinking about where and how these beautiful rare gems are extracted and the importance of preserving the quality of the practices that go into extraction. I love colored stones. Gems like rubies, emeralds, and canary diamonds have a long history of being extracted from conflict zones. These are some of the issues to think about when purchasing jewelry:

Conflict Free Diamond
Fair Trade Gemstone
Fair Trade Gold
Recycled Platinum and Silver
Environmentally Friendly Production

In Africa the extraction of minerals has been done in volatile regions causing criminal behavior and loss of life as a result. The Kimberely Process was a law enacted in April 2003. It requires all US diamond retailers to buy from manufacturers who have a documentation warranting that the merchandise was obtained through legitimate channels. It is essentially a tracking process from mine to seller.

The goal is to find vendors who try to be more ethical, traceable, and environmental in their jewelry work...
Here are some vendors in the US who comply with these rules:
Blue Nile
Tiffany and Co.
Gemfields (mining source for rubies and emeralds)

For those of us who can't afford precious gems, there are still ways to contribute to more responsible practices in the industry. Recycled metal products are becoming more popular. Retailers like Lord and Taylor carry recycled metal jewelry. I purchased a cute necklace of recycled silver as a gift last Christmas. 

I have included a few sources for information on sourcing ethically and environmentally responsible gems and metals. These should help you make a more informed purchasing decision.
Fair Jewelry
Ethical Metal Smiths


Be Well,
Kim