To my customers: I am committed to bringing you socially and environmentally responsible jewelry. My interest in environmentally conscious jewelry design comes as much from being a mother as from any global ethical considerations. My son is showing the same fascination with nature that I exhibited at his age and to further damage his world would be unconscionable. After all, what good is composting my kitchen scraps if through my work I were to contribute to environmental or social disaster elsewhere? My metals supplier gets the majority (most often all) of its Sterling and gold materials from reclamation and recycling. I am transitioning to cultured diamonds. Between the open pit strip mines and negative impact on native peoples, even 'conflict free' diamonds are often not so conflict free. Though Mass Energy's GreenStart program, both my home and studio are powered by renewable energy, avoiding over 3 1/2 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The beach stones I use of course replenish themselves.
To my fellow jewelers: What can we as jewelers do? Educate ourselves, make our voices heard within the industry and politically, and above all take personal responsibility. As an individual, ask your current supplier the hard questions about their materials. If you don't get the answers you seek, it is time to find a new supplier! No Dirty Gold is a coalition of advocacy groups that has managed to bring behemoths like Zale and Wal-Mart onboard. Ethical Metalsmiths is a group established "for the purpose of stimulating demand for responsibly sourced materials…" Check their site for political action information. On a more local level, try using citric acid instead of sulfuric acid for your pickle. It takes a little longer but works just as well without adding harmful chemicals to your work environment and waste water.