TOP JEWELLERY DESIGNERS BRANCHING OUT INTO ETHICALLY SOURCED GOLD

Jewellery designers using ethical gold

Jewellery companies are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of using materials that have been sourced in a sustainable and ethical way

Around the world, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of looking for products that have been made from materials sourced in sustainable or ethical ways.

With a lot of food products coming from Fairtrade sources, which pay good prices to the suppliers, through to clothing that has been made in factories where people work in acceptable condition, it has fallen to the jewellery trade to start looking at ways of providing more help to the workers who find the materials it needs.

Top designer Stephen Webster is one such designer who has taken this step toward using metals that have been sourced in an ethical way.

Speaking to Professional Jeweller, the craftsman explained he was approached by Dutch NGO Solidaridad asking if he would be interested in using ethically sourced gold.

Being interested in seeing where the gold originated from, Webster suggested a trip to South America with the organisation, where he saw first hand the work being done by the small mines that have become part of regulated network.

All the gold that is offered by Solidaridad can be traced back to the original mine that it came from, ensuring that everyone involved in the process has worked fairly and in good conditions.

"We intend to grow the volume of business we conduct using Fairtrade gold. One day I want the gold we sell to be 100 per cent Fairtrade. For now, both Stephen Webster and Garrard offer engagement and wedding rings made in London using this gold," Webster told the publication.

This rise in demand for ethical jewellery has also recently been recognised by designer Charles Green, with the company now offering rings that are made from Fairtrade gold. 

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