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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters opt for a vintage gold ring instead of a new one, we'll avoid enough mine waste to fill 20,000 garbage trucks.
COCKTAIL FACT
For a little more than $2,500, the company LifeGem will synthesize a diamond from the carbonized remains of people or pets.
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home › tip library › Eco-Friendly Jewelry
Adding to your family's jewel collection?
The Bite
Rock out - just go for ethically sourced eco-bling. Jewelry that's vintage or comes from a mine that treats workers fairly has a special ring to the bling.The Benefits
- Recycled means eco-friendly. A single new 1/3-oz, 18-karat gold ring creates about 20 tons of mine waste.
- Worker-friendly. Mining is some of the most hazardous work around, so choose conflict-free and fair-trade jewelry.
- If it's vintage, it's totally unique, has a history and doesn't prompt more mining.
Personally Speaking
Jen had fun researching this tip but found it hard to give back some of the sample pieces when we were done product testing. (She even claimed that one might have been lost in the mail.)Wanna Try?
- Moonrise Jewelry Premier Eco-Jewelry Collection - made with fair-trade practices using recycled materials.
- Brilliant Earth - exquisite fair-trade diamonds.
- greenKarat - gorgeous pieces made from recycled gems and precious metals.
- Leber Jeweler - beautiful conflict-free diamonds and fair-trade gems in classic styles.
- Lucina - inspired fair-trade pieces, with partial proceeds going to women's rights non-profits.
- Sumiche Jewelry Co. - check out their certified fair-trade platinum.
- Verde - fun fashion pieces made from materials like bamboo and vintage mother-of-pearl.
Apr 24,2007
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Jewelry… Love-Hate Relationship
So of course it is pretty and makes you feel pretty when you put it on, but my problem is that I can't keep up with it. I have lost or had stolen practically every nice piece I have ever had. So once I find things that I definitely LOVE LOVE LOVE, I just leave them on. For example, I super-glued a pair of earrings into my ears in 2002, and they haven't come out. That way I don't lose them (there are kind of nice, but I more just love the original design and sweet little hoop shape). And the necklace that I haven't taken off since I got it 6 months ago? A simple chain with this pressed blop of metal that has the word "gratitude" engraved in it. That is definitely the key to loving life really...being grateful, whether or not we are wearing that shiny new bling-ditty-bling thing.
Now, I do NOT have the same philosophy with horse gear... The more the better. But I do get it used on eBay to try to minimize the amount of raw materials my habits extract from this earth.
Jen... off to ride My Pretty Pony (her barn color is PINK! Poor thing...I am making up for my lack of feminine leanings by shifting them onto her!)...
Biter Comments...
The bang for the bite struck me today - does that mean it takes two garbage trucks full of mine waste to produce one new ring?
I am suprised no one mentioned moissanite, a synthetically created (usually with eco-practices in mind) gem taking the place of diamonds. http://www.moissanite.com
Diamonds aren't really that awesome of a gemstone, technically speaking, and if they weren't so popular than we wouldn't have some of the horrific practices that we do have going on today in that market. We as consumers are completely in charge of what happens in the diamond market.
That said, my mother collects vintage diamonds as a hobby and they are rather pretty, so I support the light green here as well. ;)
Hayley-
You can read more about mine waste here:
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1491
I was so excited to see today's tip. I make jewelry out of recycled glass, sea glass that I've picked up off the beach in the Caribbean and river rocks/stones. To me, these pieces are just as striking as precious gems and easier on the environment.
http://simplestones.etsy.com
I'm a jewelry fanatic!:) A really awesome and slightly cheaper place to find great jewelry is www.global.girlfriend.com. They have great clothes and other things too.:)
Erika-
I checked out your website. Beautiful stuff! I've been lusting after the recycled glass jewelry at another catalog, but yours is so much prettier! I love it!:)
LifeGem is a really cool idea, but will take some of the oomph out of the old joke about the widow who bought a new diamond and, when asked about it, said she'd promised the departed she'd buy a big stone in remembrance.
I love zulu beads. Made by Masi women out of dyed sea grasses, and glass beads. They're beautiful and versitle. Check out zulubeads.com.
please don't superglue jewelry to yourself. it's probably fine, but a lot of jewelry is gold or silver plated with base metal underneath. over time, the plating wears off and some people are allergic to the metal. leaving them in your ear for years like that encourages them to degrade faster and could give you an allergic reaction or prompt an allergy you haven't had before.
Does anyone know anything about Chatham gemstones? I was told that they are eco friendly because they are not mined. It sounds too good to be true and I wonder if there are any negative environmental effects.
one more thing... if we want to talk about sustainability, think about whether or not we want to replace mining with industry. is that a good choice? i see many people who know that the diamond industry is not sustainable, but i don't see reasons beyond just mining concerns and the blood diamonds. for example, the cutting of precious stones is still mostly done by hand. this labor cost is tiny compared mining and research, but it's enormously important ecologically and economically. the cutting and polishing industry in india is still largely comprised of children, and they aren't just cutting diamonds. they finish all sorts of jewelry from diamonds in platinum to semiprecious stones. even manufactured stones have to be cut. the next time you buy something with pave set tiny stones, just think about how that stone started its life. no one has yet made a synthetic stone that just grew into a round brilliant. where the rock comes from is only part of the story.
http://ihscslnews.org/view_article.php?id=61
i'm sorry to be a parade rainer on someone else's website. i'll go write in depth about some of the problems that aren't typically articulated in jewelry and then post a link.
Thanks for the original bite and the posts...... Does anyone know a good way to sell small amounts of gold (or other precious materials, I suppose) so that it can be recycled? I have a few pieces that are either damaged beyond repair, or lonely singles who lost their pairs. I would love to do the green thing and recover a few bucks at the same time. Thanks.
My fiance got me a ring from Brilliant Earth, a great company that uses renewed metals and conflict free diamonds from Canada. I was feeling really good about my ruby (from a fair trade mine in Malawi) set on a band with diamonds, until i started reading about the environmental issues and the dicontent of the indigenous peoples in those diamond mining regions. So, I've decided that for my wedding band i would like a band of renewed metal with moissanite (and maybe rubies) to match my engagement ring...however i can't seem to find a company that offers both. Does anyone know of a company that offers MOISSANITE with RENEWED METALS?
When you say you "superglue" jewelry to yourself, do you mean that literally? I hope not. (I have heard of weirder things, so I just had to ask) :-)
When you say you “superglue” jewelry to yourself, do you mean that literally? I hope not. (I have heard of weirder things, so I just had to ask) :-)
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Artist Laura Bergman reclaims broken antique glass and bottles in the Pennsylvania Amish Country and hand crafts them into amazing pendants and earrings. She discovered old dumping sites throughout the wooded habitat and rural farmland. These sites were simply how items were disposed of back then, and are now a treasure trove for collectors. See them at Olive Barn
well, that's a dilemma!
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http://www.wordofmouf.net
mom, i guess you should try e-bay buying/selling bidding. May be you will get good price.
http://www.dealndeals.com/
very interesting...
high fashion jewelry
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Zotta | April 24, 2007 at 07:00 AM