Why it's Essential to Know Your Jewelry's “Ingredients”

With annual global jewelry sales expected to reach $292 billion by 2020, isn't it time jewelry came with a breakdown of its "Ingredients"? As consumers, we have every right-if not a responsibility-to know the origins of the jewelry we're buying, but not every- one knows what to ask The Swiss jewelry and watch company announced in March that by July of this year it would be using 100-percent ethical gold in all of its jewelry and watches "Working with ethically sourced Fairtrade gold in our jewelry allows us to help and promote responsible mining practices.

Being part of the Fairmined Initiative, a global enterprise created by the Alliance for Responsible Mining, is something that I am very proud of, as I feel there is an exchange of ideas; we report our fair-trade purchases and discuss ethics in environmental practices." The ethically minded, Berlin-based jeweler Lilian von Trapp takes a different tack, using only recycled gold and vintage diamonds in her designs Passionate about his country's resources, Jorge uses the material in combination with diamonds and gold, making the case for fine jewelry taking many forms-not just the traditional ones The London-based mining company Gemfields, the world's largest supplier of colored gemstones, says it's important for the buyer to ask the right questions about the jewelry she's investing in.

"For particular stones of interest, the jeweler may be able to tell you the country of origin You can also ask what certification the jewelry comes with, to prove the origin Since some countries have less transparent or ethical approaches for the production and trading of gemstones, the consumer should be able to make a judgement about sustainability from those proofs of origin if they are available" If we keep asking the important questions, we'll be compelling all jewelry companies to answer them as standard practice- without us even having to ask. Source