High Standards

Mar 12

There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to jewelry. Get the big picture with our long-form deep dives into the ever-changing, everlasting jewelry biz.

6 jewelers who go above and beyond the industry's ethical practices

One of the most significant ethical strides the jewelry industry has made was in 2000 when The Kimberley Process reduced the flow of conflict diamonds into jewelry manufacturers and shops. Remember the movie Blood Diamond? Exactly. Jewelry is more than materials and memories. Knowing where those materials come from and the artisans who make a piece possible are meaningful too. Ethical sourcing, supporting local miners, and sustainability are also things to consider when making significant purchases. Here are some jewelers committed to creating beautiful things with the greater good in mind.

Bliss Lau / NY, NY

Bliss makes her designs with recycled gold and ethically-sourced gemstones and diamonds. She keeps close relationships with her miners and cutters, ensuring she knows where, when, and how her stones go from mine to market—she knows all this through transparency assessments and personally speaking with every vendor she works with. In 2019, Bliss's company became Fairmined Gold licensed, which means using "virgin" gold that benefits the lives of miners and environmentally-conscious techniques.

Dransfield Jewelers / Richmond, VA

In addition to their in-house collection, Dransfield sells independent designers which supports small businesses.Their estate selection and consignment services maintain a smaller ecological footprint. They believe in refurbishing existing items whenever possible and buy all sorts of old jewelry and diamonds—down to scraps. They also take some items on consignment and offer different options from cash or trade to redesign.

Valerie Madison / Seattle, WA

With a degree in environmental science & resource management from the University of Washington, Valerie is a bona fide environmentalist. She uses recycled metals, and sources eco-friendly stones, including recycled diamonds from older pieces of jewelry and lab-grown moissanite, which has a much lower impact than mined stones (and is more sparkly and more affordable). When a piece requires small white diamonds, Valerie opts for responsibly-mined Canadian melee diamonds. And did we mention her pieces are stunning?

Se Vende Imports / Portland, ME

Olive and Sage, the mother-daughter team behind Se Vende Imports, travel the world to find unique goods for their shop. Mixed metal jewelry and hand-tooled leather goods made by skilled craftspeople in Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Turkey, populate their shelves. They buy directly from the artisans, so they know where each piece comes from and learn first-hand how they're made.

Pavé Fine Jewelry / Oakland, CA

Conflict-free, vintage, and lab-grown diamonds. Recycled precious metals and certified fair trade colored gems. This Bay Area jeweler runs the gamut of ethical options. They're also excited about repurposing jewelry and gems into new pieces. Jewelry is manufactured in-house with best practices to ensure jeweler safety and environmental care. Pavé also gives back to environmental causes whenever possible.

Zia Couture / Savannah, GA

"That's what I love doing—working directly with the local makers," shop owner and jewelry designer Zia Sachedina told us. "A lot of it is fair trade, so it's direct to consumers from the artisan." Zia stocks his store with jewelry from artisans he meets while traveling and browsing bazaars—Turkey and India are two favorite destinations. His store carries jewelry, gifts, and accessories created by thirty different artisans and his in-house collection. Inspired by nature, Zia uses high-quality stones, recycled metals, and organic materials and mostly assembles his jewelry by hand.

Editor: Samantha Durbin

Wordsmith: Sydney Pfaff

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