Many of the world’s precious metals and gemstones are mined under harsh working conditions by people who are very poorly paid. Often, the workers are children.
The mining itself can cause significant environmental damage including the use of mercury or cyanide to extract gold. If that were not bad enough, thousands have been killed in wars funded by the sale of diamonds, often referred to as ‘blood diamonds’.
Fair trade jewellery is produced without child labour or worker exploitation, where the environmental impact is minimised and without causing or indirectly funding conflict. When someone next shows you their new diamond ring or gold necklace ask them if they know how it was produced. Always look to buy fair trade, ethical jewellery and wear it with a clear conscience.
This Fair Earth believes that handmade, ethical products can be more desirable, more individual and higher quality than their mass-produced counterparts. This Fair Earth has a fantastic range of ethical homeware and ethical jewellery. The homeware includes striking, fair trade and environmentally-friendly photo albums, photo frames, journals and candles. The beautiful range of jewellery is either fairly traded from small producers in developing nations or hand made closer to home in the UK. www.thisfairearth.com
Leblas fine jewellery specializes in combining traditional craftmanship techniques with modern design and sustainable practices. Using only the finest ethical materials, Leblas' collections are made entirely from 100% recycled gold and fine sterling silver, conflict-free Canadian diamonds and traceable semi-precious gems. Leblas carries fashionable, heritage, engagement and wedding collections, and provides other exclusive services, such as: bespoke, jewellery re-design and jewellery cleaning. Collections can be purchased from the Leblas Sloane Street location, or directly the website www.leblas.com, which offers free worldwide shipping and return services.
‘Luxury as it should be; without the blood, sweat and tears’. In 2006, Fifi Bijoux thrust issues of exploitation and environmental destruction by gold mining into the public arena. Fifi Bijoux Luxury Ethical Jewellery works in partnership between fair trade mines, NGO’s and communities. Jewellery is made using gold and silver from small mining co-operatives. No child labour or forced labour, cyanide or mercury is used. Their fair trade diamond eco jewels have achieved international acclaim for fashion forward design and craftsmanship.
Featured in Cosmopolitan, Elle, Marie Claire and named by The Independent newspaper as ‘Best Luxury Buy ’. Described by Harpers Bazaar as ‘The Fairest of them All’. www.fifibijoux.com
Indigo Ocean have an elegant range of fair trade jewellery hand made from solid silver in India by a community still practising the ancient religion of Jainism. All of their products have been exchanged for a fair wage because they wholly support the fair trade ethos and want to help make a difference. www.indigooceantrading.co.uk
Daisy Daisy brings you a great range of stylish and desirable ethical gift and jewellery ideas ranging from organic fairtrade kids t-shirts to greetings cards made from Rhino Poo! As a family owned and run business Daisy Daisy feel passionately that they can provide you with products that are created without exploiting people or animals with minimal impact on the environment. Whether visiting their shop on the Isle of Wight or using their online service, Daisy Daisy offer a friendly and hassle free experience. Everything they stock is carefully chosen to fulfil at least one of the following criteria -
Our Green Shop is the definitive on-line home for green and ethical products bringing you the widest range of approved eco-products available anywhere! Brought to you by Green Rewards - a private company with a strong social and environmental purpose - their products include fashion, accessories and jewellery.
Chocolate Couture is a fusion of luxury, ethical Jewellery. Sleek slithers of Platinum & Palladium and sensual Gemstones. Give ethically, with organic & fairly traded gifts or recycled & handcrafted. With a clear conscience, adorned with guilt free shopping, you can havemore with Chocolate Couture. www.chocolate-couture.com/
Beautiful and stylish fair trade jewellery and accessories. Amba nature work directly with producer groups in the Philippines and their fair trade homeware and accessories are made from unique and unusual environmentally friendly natural raw material sources that are renewable and not endangered, and individually handcrafted by skilled and talented artisans using traditional methods, which has less impact on the environment, and their gorgeous new fair trade jewellery collections are rich in semi-precious stones, beads and shells. www.ambanature.co.uk
London based jewellers who provide a selection of environmentally friendly and socially responsible jewellery. The e-boutique offers engagement rings, wedding sets, jewellery for him, jewellery for her and custom design jewellery. All Ingle & Rhode jewellery is made in the UK using green gold and no blood diamonds. www.ingleandrhode.co.uk/
Hairy Growler Jewellery is a design led, environmentally friendly jewellery collective. All of their jewellery is 100% recycled, 100% handcrafted in Cambridge and Newcastle. All completely original in both design and concept. www.hairygrowler.co.uk/
Other useful jewellery providers
Arabesque Fair trade and ethical jewellery and crafts from around the world.