Being Green & Making Green Jewelry

Did you ever wonder where your jewelry came from? And how did a rock get to look so shiny and beautiful? Did you ever consider that the price of your jewelry could have been human and environmental tragedy? Or that it might have funded terrorists and military atrocities? The Blood Diamond movie (2006) depicted the price indigenous people pay when unscrupulous businesses mine gemstones. Anyone would shudder to think that their jewelry was the result of human suffering, environmental pollution, or funding for terrorists.

Recently more folks are interested in being 'Green': consuming products which are environmentally friendly. This would mean that metals used in jewelry are mined without damage to the environment, native people are not exploited, and when the mine has run its full course and is closed, that the land is reclaimed and poses no health hazards for remaining and future generations.

For these reasons, I pledge:

  • I do not use any gold, see No Dirty Gold.
  • I purchase metals and gemstones from sources who in turn obtain them from companies who do not exploit the environment or natives, whenever possible.
  • I connect the metal components through cold connection techniques rather than soldering with chemicals potentially harmful to the environment whenever possible.
  • I use recycled materials for packaging and for my stationary.

See Ethical Metalsmiths, and Jewelers' Vigilance Committee for more information.

Endangered Jewelry

The International community follows the Treaty called CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) signed in 1973 by the U.S. and 120 other countries. These countries pledged to protect endangered species. The item is OK if it was owned before 1973 and is not offered for sale; or it is OK if it's more than 100 years old, not been repaired or modified using endangered species parts.

Elephant Ivory

Elephant ivory feels greasy and smooth, is creamy white, and darkens with age. It has little beige colored lines. Whereas bone is a brighter white, is drier, brittle, and is porous. Mammoth Ivory is a fossil found in the permafrost in Alaska and the Soviet Union, is 20-40 thousand years old; is a deeper brown, and has lines that bisect at 90° (Elephant Ivory lines bisect at 120°). Asian Elephant Ivory CITES List 1975, African Elephant Ivory CITES List 1977.

Coral

Coral are animals which live in warm ocean waters anchored to reefs. They grow about one inch per year. There are two types: reef coral and deep sea coral. The Victorians placed coral beads on children to protect them from evil spirits. Colors are red, orange, black, blue, pink, white, and gold. Natural coral have irregular shapes, are not identical, and have no mold lines. Blue and black coral are a horn substance, other corals are calcium carbonate. CITES List 1985.

The following corals are listed in CITES, not as threatened with extinction, but because trade in these corals needs to be controlled in order to avoid depletion:

  • Antipatharia
  • Helioporacea
  • Scleractinia (stony corals; these corals dominate coral reefs). Two corals in this group are listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act list: Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals.
  • Stonlonifera Tubiporidae

Tortoiseshell

The Hawksbill Sea Turtles' shells provide tortoiseshell, which has been used in jewelry, hair combs, and for decoration. It has a random pattern, and small dots are seen in a loupe. If warmed with hot water it smells like wet fur or wet hair. All 7 species of sea turtles were placed on the CITES List in 1975. All Sea Turtles are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.