Sustainable jewelry is made with sustainable materials and produced in a way that is environmentally friendly. Sustainable jewelry includes items made with recycled or upcycled materials, as well as those made with certified conflict-free diamonds and Fairtrade gold.
Sustainable jewelry is often handmade, as this allows for a more personal connection between the jeweler and the customer, and helps to ensure that each piece is made with intention.
No matter what your taste, you can find sustainable jewelry that suits you. And when you wear it, you’ll feel good knowing that you’re supporting sustainable practices and helping to protect our planet.
Sustainable jewelry is not only fashionable but it is also made to last.
What is ethical and sustainable jewelry?
Ethical and sustainable jewelry refers to pieces that are crafted in ways that prioritize environmental preservation, fair labor practices, and the responsible sourcing of materials. This includes using recycled or responsibly mined metals, ethically sourced gemstones, and artisanal craftsmanship that provides fair wages and safe working conditions.
Why should I choose ethical and sustainable jewelry?
Choosing ethical and sustainable jewelry supports a more responsible and conscious approach to fashion. It helps reduce environmental impact, supports communities through fair labor practices, and ensures that the materials used do not contribute to conflict or exploitation.
How can I tell if jewelry is truly ethical and sustainable?
Look for certifications and memberships in organizations like the Responsible Jewellery Council, Fairtrade Gold, or the Kimberley Process for diamonds, which ensure that the materials are ethically sourced.
Reputable brands will be transparent about their sourcing and manufacturing processes, often providing detailed information about the origins of their materials and the conditions under which their pieces are made.
What materials are commonly used in ethical and sustainable jewelry?
Common materials include recycled gold and silver, ethically sourced gemstones, lab-grown diamonds, and other sustainable materials such as bamboo, cork, or recycled glass. These materials minimize environmental impact and reduce the demand for newly mined resources.
Sustainable Jewelry Brands
Nisolo
Nisolo is a company that makes sustainable fashion products. They have a wide range of products, from shoes to bags to jewelry. What makes Nisolo unique is their commitment to sustainability.
They use recycled materials wherever possible, and they manufacture their products in a way that minimizes waste.
Nisolo is a Certified B Corporation and also a certified fair trade company, ensuring that their workers are paid fairly and have good working conditions.
Every Nisolo purchase provides a living wage to producers in the factory they own in Peru, enables them to pursue living wages within the rest of the supply chain, and combats climate change by protecting trees from deforestation in the Amazon Basin.
Because of their commitment to sustainability, Nisolo has been featured in numerous publications, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
If you’re looking for a stylish and sustainable fashion option, Nisolo is definitely worth checking out.
Aether Diamonds
Aether Diamonds is a public benefit corporation that extracts harmful CO2 from the atmosphere and transforms it into valuable raw materials and consumer products.
They unveiled the world’s first and only carbon-negative diamonds made 100% from air in December 2020.
Listen to the founder Aether Diamonds talk about the mission and vision.
The company aims to extract 100 million tonnes of CO2 from the air over the next ten years. For every 1 carat diamond, they remove 20 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
All the energy used to power the growth of the diamonds is from clean, sustainable sources. The growing process continues for 3-4 weeks until the exact moment when it’s reached peak perfection.
The rough diamonds are then sent to expert craftspeople to cut, polish, and set them into jewelry by hand.
Kipato Unbranded
Kipato Unbranded was founded by 5 young women from different cultures and backgrounds that created a social enterprise that collaborates with local artists, promoting their talents and skills and gives them access to markets.
Kipato Unbranded is about beautifully crafted unique designs. The pieces are made from local materials that include brass, recycled bone, and beads.
“Kipato” is the Kiswahili word for income. This underscores the social justice core of the enterprise. The brand ensure that artists are empowered by their work and receive fair wages for their creativity.
From its’ beginnings, profits from the artists’ work, whether sold in international or local markets, go directly to the artists, creating a model that is sustainable and fair to them.
AURATE
All of AURATE’s gold is 100% recycled. It’s able to be repeatedly reused without losing quality or harming the environment.
Their gems follow a similar pattern. Each is carefully chosen and tracked, strictly adhering to the Kimberley Process.
The pearls are cultivated on family-run farms where they are carefully harvested — both for the pearl’s wellbeing and the safety of the marine environment.
Solitude
Solitude makes jewelry from real & recycled 14K gold and 925 silver. They have consciously chosen to ditch gold-plated jewelry, because it will wear off eventually and the color will inevitably fade, causing the piece of jewelry to end up in the back of your drawer.
All items are locally made by the team of sisters in Amsterdam.
Their recycled raw materials come from a Dutch supplier who purchases the metals in Germany and Italy. The ultimate goal is to be completely circular: only and solely using ‘old’ gold and silver jewelry of their customers to make beautiful new pieces of jewelry.
As customers provide more gold or silver than needed for their own new jewelry, it might be possible in the future to be a completely independent, transparent and circular business.
Raven + Lily
A Certified B Corporation and a member of the Fair Trade Federation, Raven + Lily is committed to responsible production. Their global network of skilled artisan partners use regionally sourced, natural and sustainable materials to bring designs to life.
Craftsmanship lies at the heart of everything they do, and are proud to help preserve local crafts in communities around the world.
Dedicated to upholding a positive environmental and social impact, they work with organizations that encourage women to seek opportunities in roles traditionally occupied by men.
The brand believes in championing women from all backgrounds and cultures and ensure they are involved in every aspect of the business, whether at executive level, in design and development, or sourcing and production.
Kind Karma Co
Meet Kind Karma Co., a sustainable jewelry brand with a goal of being “the change we wish to see in the world”, founder Laurinda Lee began working with local Toronto youth shelters and organizations to create a group of motivated, underserved young, optimistic about their futures.
Profits from each sale go directly to the new, young artisans and help them fund their dreams of post-secondary education, independent shelter and more.
Kind Karma spreads goodness through the commitment to ethical fashion that gives back and creates opportunity.
By employing at-risk and homeless youth to make beautiful, custom handcrafted jewelry, all Kind Karma pieces have a positive impact not only in the community but throughout the world of fashion.
Daria Day
Daria Day is a sustainable jewelry brand ethically sourcing and creating exquisitely handcrafted products. They are deeply committed to elevating the lives of the artisans who create each piece.
They create wearable and functional art for people looking for style and authenticity of the materials used, believing in the healing and connecting power behind each gemstone.
Daria Day works with a group of local miners to source gemstones and silver. They are closely affiliated with the Rupani Foundation, an NGO that has created a rigorous testing process and ensures the gemstones are of the highest quality.
Startfish Project
The Starfish Project helps exploited women and girls experience freedom, establish independence and develop careers. Every week, they visit brothels and invite women and girls to experience freedom from their lives in the sex industry.
The organization equips exploited women and girls with the tools they need to build an independent life through holistic care programs and life skills training.
They also provide specialized vocational training to help the women develop careers in fields such as design, photography and accounting. They have employed and trained over 160 women and served thousands more through community outreach and programming.
Astor & Orion
Astor & Orion thinks that beauty without justice isn’t actually beautiful. That’s why they go above and beyond to create beautiful jewelry that comes with a beautiful story.
They use recycled metals and cutting-edge 3D technology to design and sculpt their beautiful jewelry, they’ve got third-party certifications galore, and they provide great pay, plenty of paid time off, paid maternity leave, and free lunch on site to all their amazing workers.
Their founder, Karen, is passionate about ethical fashion—she works tirelessly to make her brand as sustainable as it can be and even serves as the city lead for Fashion Revolution in Seattle.
Mulxiply
Pronounced “multiply”— the collection is designed in Maine, inspired by the Himalayas, andmade collaboratively by fair-wageartists in Kathmandu, Nepal.
They aim to create sustainable change by partnering with indigenous artisan groups to further their economic impact and interrupt the cycle of poverty.
After spending nearly 20 years in fashion and design, paralleled with volunteering alongside humanitarian organizations in the developing world, Tanja Cesh launched MULXIPLY in 2010.
While traveling to India, Nepal, and other parts of Southeast Asia, she was exposed to the horrors of human trafficking and the growing pandemic that affects poor and marginalized women and men the world over.
It was in the moments of sitting in villages, surrounded by women who were sewing or felting to make extra money for their families, where the seeds for MULXIPLY were planted.
She saw a way to combat poverty by creating dignified employment by combining her experience in the fashion industry and the western marketplace with skilled artisans who needed work.
Fair Anita
Fair Anita is challenging norms within the fashion industry and creating supply chains in the most ethical way they can imagine: investing in women and centering makers throughout every part of the process.
They believe accessories should be stylish, affordable, and thoughtfully-sourced. The brand goes beyond fair wages, investing in the individuals who breathe life into each one of the products.
They could not be changing the future of fashion without their artisan partners. As changemakers, they are on the ground making a positive impact both at home and within their local communities.
These cooperatives prioritize the full humanity of each artisan: paying 2-4x minimum wage, plus health insurance and educational scholarships.
They’re innovators in using sustainable, often recycled materials, and they’re constantly adapting to meet the ever-changing needs of their beloved communities.
Hathorway
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hathorway is a sustainable jewelry and accessories brand focused on quality, sustainability, and women’s empowerment.
As advocates of sustainable and zero-waste fashion, they handcraft all pieces with up-cycled buffalo horns from Northern Vietnam.
Buffalo horns are organic materials, a byproduct of waste, and created through a chemical-free process. While these horns are sourced in Vietnam, each, one-of-a-kind piece is designed and assembled in California to ensure the highest quality.
Along with their commitment to sustainable fashion, Hathorway is also a women-owned and women-run business.
They also donate 10% of profits to organizations that help women through education, science, justice, and other advancements of women’s empowerment.
Fair + Simple
Fair + Simple is passionate about beautiful, sustainable pieces that come with a story and do good for the world.
That’s why all their home goods, apparel, and accessories are handmade by female artisans who are lifting up their developing communities around the world.
Fair + Simple is committed to high quality, sustainable materials and fair trade practices for a beautiful piece you’ll treasure for years to come.
Ash & Rose
Ash & Rose is an online shop offering easy-chic style for the modern romantic, from ethical and sustainable designers. Find organic, recycled, and eco-friendly clothing, ethical production practices, fair trade and made in USA fashion.
They source the collection from local and global brands who care about people and the planet. Your purchase supports small independent designers and artisans who are making a big collective impact.
