We recently went to a bespoke jewellery designer and came to learn some insightful information about the jewellery-making industry.
This conversation fascinated me as there are so many areas in which we as a human race can positively impact our environment and it doesn't have to be just based on what you eat, or how much you commute. Still, it is also important to what we wear, specifically in the sense of jewellery.
Before this meeting, I honestly did not realize how the jewellery I wore could harm the environment. I'll explain... I'm sure like many of you we all fall into the idea of buying jewellery that we can afford but that will also last us years to come, however, what we don't consider when purchasing that piece of jewellery is how the metal is sourced and if the diamond or gemstones used have been attained.
You see, though it is affordable, have we considered the facts? How those diamonds or gemstones were attained, was it through fuelling corrupt governments? By this, I mean attaining these precious stones in ways that cause them to be exploited as they are used to fund military action which later leads to the loss of lives and so much more. No, I don't think many of us have, and truthfully, I have not considered this when purchasing a piece from a local high street jeweller myself. I guess it is because I naively believe that high street jewellery would ensure this is not being done, but I honestly cannot say I know for sure.
Before you read on, I'm not here to bash any jewellery companies but merely trying to educate us all on things we should bring our attention to when purchasing jewellery. Keep yourselves informed on the metal used, is this something you could reuse to create something new? Secondly, are the stones you using legit? I mean do they uphold initiatives like The Kimberly Process, where stones are highly supervised, avoid being tempered within their shipping processes, and more? Lastly, don't be fooled by "greenwashing", when companies try to show they are considering the environment without having to break your bank account, think twice.
Given sustainability has been so highly spoken of in recent years, it does also mean some companies will try to make you believe, for example, that "lab-grown" diamonds are better for your pocket and the environment, understand that although this may be true to some extents it still means that the environment is impacted negatively. You may be wondering why.
Well, that's because "lab-grown" just means enormous factories that use extremely hot furnaces and chemical vapour dispositions, which are filled with methane and hydrogen that are heated to 800° C.
Now you might read this and say, "Casey this is ridiculous, both options either real or lab-grown seem bad for the environment. Which is the better choice?" To that, I will say, I understand and honestly, I am rather torn between both because although lab-grown is done in a controlled environment it still has the same effect as traditional mining which uproots biodiversity to build the factories, they are created in much like mining would, secondly it uses energy-intensive processes just like mining. However, one thing it does differently is it uses different gases, which although are natural and come directly from the earth's crust still cause environmental impact. Which I would think is far greater than the overall process of ethical mining. I guess the question we need to ask ourselves is which initiative supports our values the best, as all we can do for our environment is our best.
I am intrigued to be challenged on my opinion, however. Let's chat about this in the comments section. Hope you all enjoyed this blog. Until next time!
Casey xxx
