Each year, we see the sustainable movement increase in popularity with more people becoming vegan, more people being more conscious of their buying habits and more people than ever starting to realise that there is a growing issue and a growing need for more action.
If you are starting to think that you want to be more sustainable, then your buying habits are the one thing that you are going to create the most influence with. If you are serious about this, then it is safe to assume that you will be interested in ethical and sustainable jewellery.
Impulse buys are always tempting and are often much more affordable, but this shouldn’t deter you or even persuade you to purchase that item. At the end of the day, buying cheap always means buying twice, at least which in turn results in a landfill. In this article, we will go through some of the best ethical and sustainable jewellery brands in 2022.
What Is Ethical and Sustainable Jewellery?
Ethical and sustainable jewellery is any piece that doesn’t negatively impact the environment or the people who make the jewellery. This usually consists of a range of factors including:
- The materials used can be completely traced back to ensure ethical production.
- Not using methods that negatively impact our planet.
- Not permitting child labour and offering fair wages.
- They used a closed-loop manufacturing process.
- The use of lab-grown diamonds.
- Recycled materials are used.
Top Ethical Jewellery Brands
Missoma
Missoma has been around for a while now but has lately become increasingly popular with the more conscious shopper. They produce demi-fine jewellery that is handcrafted and responsibly sourced which is exactly what we are all after. They are situated in Notting Hill in London.
Sustainability and ethics are the core values behind Missoma and they are continuously pushing the industry for a better future. They have partnered with environmental charities such as TreeSisters as well as all of their materials are recycled silver and are also members of the Responsible Jewellery Council which means that they give you an extra layer of transparency.
Zoe Morton
Zoe Morton started creating ethical and sustainable jewellery with the mission to alter the jewellery industry by creating ethical jewellery that people are proud to wear. Her whole concept takes into consideration the design and how it symbolises travels and special moments in one life.
Zoe aims for people to be constantly reminded of the good times in life and her jewellery is a piece that you can wear every day with that memory in place. They are completely traceable in terms of their supply chain and production in the UK and Bali. Zoe has also been working with Ecology to offset the carbon footprint.
Vashi
Vashi is in a world of its own when it comes to sustainability as they take careful consideration of its environmental impact at every step of the process. This means manufacturing their jewellery in-store whilst lowering the carbon footprint through local production that is only created when a piece is ordered, ensuring no waste by only using recycled materials and conflict-free diamonds.
Their belief in authenticity is crucial to delivering the social good that people are going to follow which is why they have joined the environmental social governance rather than a corporate responsibility-led initiative.
Yala Jewellery
Yala jewellery is an ethical brand and its core values are all about empowerment. The whole collection is inspired by modern Africa. The pieces are all handmade by communities in Kenya and include intricate and geometric designs and textures.
The founder was born in Kenya and she is pushing the boundaries for Kenyan women and African culture through her designs which is brings more intrigue whilst also supporting artisans in their communities. Audrey the founder now has over 150 artisans and she ensures that each and every artisan is paid a fair wage and are working in sage environments.
Kimaï
Kimaï is another brand that is paving the way for the jewellery industry as they use innovative methods in creating their products and sourcing their materials. They are aiming to redefine modern luxury by showing the real value of their pieces. They also use lab-grown diamonds and fully recycled gold to create their beautiful pieces of jewellery offering full transparency.
Their lab-grown diamonds are the exact same as real diamonds in terms of the chemicals that make them as well as the appearance of natural diamonds. The difference is they are not mined and cause a lot less damage to the environment.
Atteya
Atteya is derived from the word ‘Atiya’ which means gift in Arabic. This brand aims to be an ethical fine jewellery brand for the conscious and modern generation. The jewellery is all inspired by ancient talismans as well as natural forms that were found on travels around the world.
The great thing about Atteyas designs is the fact that they are completely unique and offer timeless individual styles. Their jewellery pieces are made from recycled materials and ethically sourced gemstones as well as create the jewellery by hand using green energy. Just to top this brand off, they always give 5% of profits to social and environmental charities.
Francesca Dot
Francesca Dot is slightly different with their designs as they are more contemporary than modern which makes a fresh change for some. The collections include birth flowers, birthstones and a collection of rings, necklaces and earrings.
All of the jewellery is ethical and sustainably made using completely recycled sterling silver and 18kt gold that is sourced from Jewellery Council-certified suppliers. As well as using sustainable materials, Francesca also only creates their products in small batches from Artisans that are passionate about the environment ensuring all packaging is recyclable.
Alice Gwyneth Jewellery
Alice Gwyneth launched in 2018 in the UK. Alice focuses on sustainable and ethical design in both jewellery and homeware which makes her unique in this list. Every piece of jewellery is handcrafted by Alice and is all made to order resulting in minimal material and resource wastage.
Alice believes that the old ways are still the best which is why she uses wax casting to create her unique pieces. All of her jewellery pieces are made from eco sterling silver as well as brass recycled gold and the most beautiful ethically sourced gemstones.
Idyl
Idyl is another brand that does its own thing. They originally started with a simple pair of diamond studs that can in turn be attached to other settings ensuring that you are able to create countless looks and styles with one main pair of earrings. They use a combination of lab-grown diamonds and 100% traceable gold. They pride themselves on their minimalistic designs with a timeless style in mind.
Idyl stands for inclusivity, sustainability and modularity so equality and fair treatment are at the forefront of their minds when creating anything. This is why some of their profits go to the Global Fund For Women which is a human rights charity for all women and young girls.
Astley Clarke
Astley Clark is a brand that solely works with noble metals, semi-precious and precious gemstones as well as a mix of natural diamonds. All of her materials are 100% responsibly sourced and follow the Kimberley Process meaning that all diamonds are conflict-free. Astley Clarke also supports Theirworld which is a charity that supports children’s and women’s causes in developing countries. They also strive for fairness which is why all suppliers and employees are paid a fair wage.
It is great to see that so many wonderful jewellery brands are now turning to more sustainable and ethical production and sourcing methods. At the end of the day, being nice doesn’t have to cost the earth. Now more brands than ever are changing the way they do business, it paves the way for more businesses to follow in their footsteps.
Are There Alternatives to Sustainable Jewellery Brands?
Sustainable jewellery brands are a fantastic way to buy quality products that don’t harm the planet. The issue with these brands is that due to them using new innovative and ethical methods, the pieces are quite a lot more expensive than other brands.
Lab-grown diamonds are a new and innovative method of creating diamonds that don’t exhaust natural resources and prevent us from digging up the earth. The issue with lab-grown diamonds is that to create them, they need a ridiculous amount of energy which is often not green energy or even renewable meaning that it still created a large footprint.
The other alternative to this is by purchasing antique or vintage jewellery. This is a great option for multiple reasons, the first is that you are getting a lot more for your money as you are not paying any VAT due to you not paying it on second-hand goods.
The other benefit is that they are extremely sustainable. The manufacturing methods of an antique engagement ring will not use anywhere near as much energy as newer methods, as well as the pieces, are not using any new resources which in turn reduces the amount of mining done. If you were looking for an investment, this is another great option as these pieces will hold their value much more than lab-grown diamonds.
