The Ultimate Sustainable & Ethical Jewelry Buying Guide | Made Trade (2024)

FAQs

What is the most ethical way to buy jewelry? ›

Look for jewelry made in factories certified by a fair labor organization like Fair Trade Federation or the World Fair Trade Organization. Fair trade certifications ensures that workers making the sustainable jewelry are paid a fair wage and are working in safe working conditions.

The piece is fully traceable and doesn't have a negative impact on the people who made it. It isn't involved with conflict and supports the workers with fair wages and safe working conditions. Sustainable jewelry is about the effects manufacturing a piece of jewelry has on the environment.

Choosing the most sustainable metal for jewelry is a significant step towards supporting ethical practices and reducing environmental impact. Recycled gold and silver, Fairmined metals, and responsibly sourced platinum and palladium are excellent choices for eco-conscious consumers.

Pieces like beaded bracelets, pendant necklaces, and simple hoop earrings can be both easy to make and highly marketable, and what's better, these designs require minimal skills but leave room for creativity in terms of color, texture, and arrangement.

In general, independent jewelers have a lot more flexibility when it comes to both pricing and customization. This is a huge selling point. You can also find a local jewelry store that provides in house financing, waive fees for repairs, discount to match if required, etc.

Benefits of Eco-Friendly Jewelry

By utilizing sustainable materials and ethical production practices, these pieces contribute to reduced resource consumption. In turn, this helps to preserve the environment and biodiversity by minimizing the depletion of natural resources such as metals, gemstones and water.

Ethical and sustainable investing are the terms used to describe the practice of using one's individual capital in order to make a positive contribution to society. You might also hear it called socially responsible investing or impact investing, but the terms are all used interchangeably.

The term “ethical sourcing” focuses on social concerns and working conditions within supply chains, and may not include environmental areas. Sustainable sourcing tends to focus on the environmental impacts of a supply chain.

Jewelry Materials To Avoid with Sensitive Skin

If you are allergic to nickel, brass, or copper avoid jewelry that is most commonly made with this type of metal, including costume/fashion jewelry. Opt for higher quality fine jewelry instead. Fine jewelry has higher price tags, but it is made to last!

Is Pandora jewelry 100% silver? ›

All our sterling silver jewellery is stamped with a capital “S” for silver, followed by the purity stated as pure silver parts per thousand: S925 (92.5% pure silver).

Considered one of the purest precious metals, platinum is extremely rare and primarily mined in Russia or South Africa. It has a silvery-white luster and is four times stronger than gold, making it a durable metal ideal for daily wear.

Both gold and silver, as well as platinum, are rare precious metals that already experience a steady increase in value due to their rarity alone.

Why one piece is more expensive than another predominantly comes down to three main reasons: Quantity and quality of the metal used. Quantity and the quality of the diamonds or gems used. Craftsmanship.

Sterling silver and any gold other than 24 karat gold are both alloys, and contain copper. Any metal that contains copper can turn your skin green. That means 14k gold, 18k gold, sterling silver, brass, bronze, or pewter can all do this. The higher the karat of gold, the less chance of turning your skin green.

One of the best ways to avoid jewelry and gemstone scams is to study them. You know what you want to buy, so take your time to learn about the product and the store before taking the plunge. If you purchase a diamond ring, review the 4cs of diamond grading.

The safest method of shipping, confirmed by The Hanover experience, is U.S. Postal Service Registered Mail. If overnight service or speed is a necessity, USPS Priority and Express mail have had excellent loss results. The U.S. Postal Service offers up to $5,000 insurance for Express Mail.

For pricing and appraisals, selling to jewelry stores is better than pawn shops. Pawn shops have high overhead costs and typically resell items at a lower price. Jewelry stores have in-house master jewelers who can provide accurate appraisals and higher prices for your jewelry.

We are leaders in responsible sourcing and champion efforts to foster increasingly transparent and responsibly jewelry supply chains around the world.