The havoc that mining wreaks on the natural world and the people and wildlife within it is no joke, so since the beginning of my jewellery-making practice in 2011 I have been committed to running a practice that is as sustainable, fair and safe and possible. This committment has meant that my methods and practices have grown and changed over time as I have been working and learning within an industry that is also ever-changing. The jewellery industry is, and has been for a long time, constantly evolving within an incredibly complex system of frameworks, definitions and semantics. Thankfully, growing consumer demand for better transparency in their purchases has meant that these frameworks are slowly but surely funnelling towards a more transparent, simplified and most importantly safe and fair, future. To put it simply, these waters have always been muddy but they are thankfully becoming clearer.

​Here is a brief outline of what I do to ensure that my small business as a jewellery maker is as sustainable, safe and fair as possible:

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Material Sourcing

Precious Metals

All of the silver and gold that I work with is 100% recycled. This includes sheet and wire stock that I order from my local refinery, as well as any castings that I order when using the lost wax method. 

I am also careful to only buy prefabricated silver and gold chain that is made from recycled stock. The chain that I currently use is made in Italy, and is sourced from an Australian supplier.

 Gemstones

You may have noticed that I use the term “consciously sourced” when speaking about the gemstones that I use in my jewellery creations. It’s difficult and often impossible to provide clear-cut evidence and definitions regarding the ethical concerns within the gemstone trading industry, so I have always employed the utmost care, research and consideration when buying any kind of precious or semi-precious stone for my practice. I will continue to do so as I move forward with ever-growing knowledge of the industry that I’m working within. 

I have three methods of sourcing the gemstones that I use in my creations, which I’ll expand on below: 

 - Secondhand / Preloved Stones

Many of the gemstones that I buy are secondhand/preloved. I have often bought from other jewellers selling off old stock that they no longer have a use for, and I’ve sometimes bought preloved jewellery from charity shops to take apart, extracting the stone and melting down the silver or gold that came with it. When I started out making jewellery, the charity shop route was my primary means of gemstone sourcing. It is, however, the most expensive way of sourcing stones so I don’t employ this method of sourcing very often any more. Even so, I can’t help but cast my magpie eye over the jewellery cabinet whenever I’m at the checkout of a charity shop (which is whenever I get the slightest chance as I’m a true thrift shop addict), being drawn to those irresistibly special finds. 

 

- Mined Natural Gemstones

Any gemstones that I buy new are from a New Zealand-based dealer who employs responsible sourcing practices, in line with the three step process for ethical disclosure outlined by CIBJO (The World Jewellery Confederation) in their Ethics Commission Special Report 2019. This process entails due diligence of supply chain, internal risk assessment (with appropriate action) based upon the findings of that due diligence, and clear and effective communication of results to the next party to receive the goods. This gemstone dealer travels overseas regularly to personally oversee the working conditions and practices within which these gemstones are being extracted, traded and cut. This dealer has a close relationship with the network of suppliers through which these gemstones are produced, which provides a clear and consistent flow of information about gem sources and the ethics surrounding extraction and the path to market.

 - Lab-created Gemstones

I sometimes buy lab-grown gemstones, which are chemically, physically and visually identical to natural mined gemstones. I do this is for three reasons. The first reason is that my choice to only buy natural gemstones that come from an ethically responsible source results in a relatively limited selection of gemstone buying choices for me. The second reason is an obvious one, which is that lab-grown gemstones and diamonds happily remove the potential of the unsafe and unfair working practices commonly found in the shady areas of the gemstone and diamond industry. As well as being more reliably humane, lab-grown gemstones also have a lighter carbon footprint than their natural mined counterparts. The third reason is that lab-grown gemstones are typically more affordable than natural mined gemstones, which helps to keep my creations that little bit more affordable.

There is, however, the caveat of denying income for workers operating within the natural gemstone industry and supporting fairer and safer working practices through the purchasing of responsibly sourced natural gemstones. This is why I don’t exclusively buy lab-grown gemstones, but choose to vary my selection with a mix of natural and lab-grown gemstones.  

I’ll round off the topic of gemstone sourcing by sharing this report summary taken from the release of an Ethical Sourcing Special Report by CIBJO at the Virtual Congress in November 2021, prepared by their Coloured Stone Commission. The report detailed issues around ethical gemstone sourcing and how the principles of responsible supply chain management can be implemented without disenfranchising artisanal and small-scale miners, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Charles Abouchar, head of the Coloured Stone Commission, presented the report summary:

"With the overwhelming majority of rough coloured stones produced by ASM (Artisanal and Small-scale miners), which in turn channels its supply through a complex trading network that has developed organically over literally hundreds of years, the coloured stone industry is the most fragile structurally in all of the jewellery sectors," Mr. Abouchar writes. "but literally millions of people rely on the income it generates, many of them living in the least developed and most poverty-stricken countries in the world." 

 "If we impose our ethical value system without integrating the opinion and perspective of the local populations, we are likely to be regarded as imposing a new form of colonialism. This would be counterproductive", the CIBJO Coloured Stone Commission notes. "Nobody should discount making the utmost effort to have the sourcing of our rough supply be as ethical as possible, but the complex realities of the artisanal mining sector means we must be nuanced in implementing ethical rules."

  -  CIBJO Coloured Stone Commission Special Report 2021

You can find more information on CIBJO, the leading international confederation for jewellery, gemstones and precious metals ethics, here.