The Ethical Jewellery Labels To Put On Your Radar

While ethical fashion and jewellery were once pegged as ‘having a moment’, the reality is that now more so than ever consumers are becoming increasingly aware of where their pieces are coming from. Brands now have to live up to the transparency that those who plan to purchase their pieces want and expect – revealing everything from who and where they are made to where the fabrics and stones are being sourced. 

In particular, when it comes to jewellery, consumers are becoming more mindful of where particular items are coming from, whether that be an on-trend shell piece, a statement earring with a particular gemstone or diamonds. Below, what ethical jewellery really is and where to shop some of the brands we love. 

What Is Ethical Jewellery? 

Ethical jewellery has no negative impact on the people who make it or the environment they are sourced from. That can include anything from not using child labour and ensuring fair wages and working hours, to not using practices that pollute or impact the environment negatively and using materials that can be traced in an ethical way, be that, recycled or synthetic gemstones or diamonds. 

Where To Shop Ethical Jewellery Brands? 

Below, we’ve rounded up a list of some of our favourite ethical labels that perfectly blend their values to quality and style. 

S-kin Studio

Founded and inspired by country Victoria and Australia’s natural landscape, S-kin Studio founder Chi Mai was on a mission to create both ethical, sensitive skin-friendly pieces. “We take every step possible to minimise our effect on the environment and reduce the negative effects of fast fashion by taking a holistic view to our jewellery making process,” Mai says. Pieces are sourced from small businesses around the world, who only produce solid gold, sterling silver and gold-filled jewellery which prolongs the life of the brand’s pieces and reduces the consumer’s footprint. 

Alighieri

Alighieri, founded by London-based designer Rosh Mahtani, is a collection of jewellery inspired by Dante Alighieri’s ‘Divine Comedy’, with each piece corresponding to one of the poet’s 100 poems. Everything is made by hand using a process of lost-wax casting, in recycled bronze, ethically sourced in Italy. The brand counts celebrity fans such as Alexa Chung. 

RUUSK

This Australian-based labels values lie in both durability and sustainability, using locally recycled and refined precious metals all hand-carved, cast and polished in its Sydney studio. The label operates off a ‘Green Studio’ too, ensuring a carbon off-set for couriers wherever possible, as well as biodegradable packaging. On top of its already ethical practices, RUUSK has made a further commitment to plant a tree for every piece purchased, with designer Tania Gnecchi Ruscone saying: “We believe that no positive act is too small and that every step in the right direction is worth celebrating.”

Holly Ryan

At the core of Australian-based jewellery designer Holly Ryan’s eponymous label is simplicity and wearability. Each piece is carefully considered to capture modern architecture, sculpture and conceptual art in a wearable way, with Ryan’s passion for sustainability front and centre of every collection. Minimising its environmental impact, pieces are created using sustainable materials and low or zero-waste processes. All metals are recycled and stones are sourced as ethically as possible. 

Melissa Joy Manning 

Jewellery designer Melissa Joy Manning has championed sustainability and ethically-sourced materials since her brand’s inception in 1997 and is even a founding co-chair of the CFDA Sustainability Committee. The label uses diamonds and precious stones that are responsibly sourced, while also operating from a Green Certified studio which includes a zero-waste policy. 

The Line Of Sun

This unique, Australian-based label created pieces that are designed and made in Melbourne from locally sourced materials. With minimising waste as an important focus in its ethos, each of The Line Of Sun’s collections is created in small runs with every scrap of metal saved during the working process and melted down to create new works. The result is intricately patterned and textured jewellery inspired by constant experimentation and evolution. 

Blue Nile to Sell Lightbox Lab-Grown Diamonds

Blue Nile has launched an exclusive line of Lightbox lab-grown diamond jewelry, its first foray into synthetics in its 21-year history.

De Beers-owned Lightbox seemed like the obvious choice for a partner, given the alignment of the two companies’ perspectives, Blue Nile CEO Sean Kell told Rapaport News Thursday.

“We’ve been watching the lab-grown diamond market for some time. We think both natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds have a place in the market,” he noted. “When we first discussed stepping into the lab-grown space, Lightbox was the only brand partner that came to mind.”

The online jeweler’s partnership with the lab-grown brand is an effort to offer a greater range of products to its customers.

“The launch of the Blue Nile Lightbox collection…now adds even more variety, quality and value for our customers as we head into the new year,” Kell said. “[This] will further expand and transform [our] product assortment to meet the needs of evolving consumers in the jewelry space.”

The collection will feature new and exclusive styles of jewelry, including earring, pendants, bracelets and rings, set with white, blue or pink lab-grown diamonds in 14-karat white or yellow gold. The pieces, which range from $600 to $1,750, will be available both online and in Blue Nile’s newly launched and soon-to-open showrooms, Kell noted.

While Blue Nile’s Lightbox collection will feature fashion jewelry, it will not include engagement rings, for now.

“At this time we do not [plan to carry them],” Kell added. “We think of lab-grown diamonds versus natural diamonds as two separate categories. Our belief is consumers will continue to select natural diamonds for engagement and significant milestones, whereas lab-grown diamonds…will give shoppers an opportunity to expand their jewelry box with…jewelry they can wear every day.”

Lightbox opens its doors

The launch coincides with the debut of Lightbox’s new 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Gresham, Oregon. The synthetics maker began production at the facility during the summer, as construction was being completed, and plans to ramp up output at the $94 million plant to reach 200,000 carats annually.

“Manufacturing lab-grown diamonds in the US was a goal from the beginning,” said Lightbox CEO Steve Coe. “With this facility and our…partnership with Blue Nile, we have an incredible opportunity to grow our business, improve consumer education and further establish Lightbox as the leading lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.”

Lightbox first dipped its toe in the retail space through partnerships with Bloomingdale’s and Reeds Jewelers. Earlier this month, the company announced an expansion to 10 independent retail jewelers in the US and Canada, a move it believes will enable it to gain insight into different audience segments, and learn how they shop and which products appeal to them most.

While the De Beers brand is currently focused on retail partnerships, Coe told Rapaport News he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of “one or two” self-operated stores “at some point.”

The company is also looking to expand its product offering, including creating larger sizes for its lab-grown diamonds, which currently weigh up to 1 carat.

“The biggest priority for us in 2021 is exploring the opportunity to go to larger sizes,” Coe noted. “That is something we are working on — going up to 2 carats.”

Meanwhile, the lab-grown brand is also looking to extend its color range beyond white, blue and pink.

“Our scientists are already looking at other color options, and in the lab at least, we’ve made yellows, greens, violets and other shades,” Coe added. “But that’s more likely in the 2022, 2023 timeframe, probably.”

Image: Creating Lightbox lab-grown diamonds. (Lightbox)

How To Choose between the Right Maang Tikka & Matha Patti Style

A jewellery piece that can instantly make or break your look is what you wear on your head, known as Maang Tikka and Matha Patti. For the brides, it is absolutely a headache and a big confusion and otherwise also for girls and women in regards to choosing the right type and style of Maang Tikka and bridal Matha Patti for themselves. Today, we are unearthing some easy ways to help you identify the most enhancing or the most complimenting styles out of these two options.

A Maang Tikka is a simple thread or a string with a pendant that rests on the temple of a woman’s face however a Matha Patti is more elaborate with two or more strings and a lot of embellishments plus a big pendant on it. A few things that will help you determine the right pick from Maang Tikka and Matha Patti are your features, shape of the face and the size of your forehead. So pay attention to the following points.

A) Round Face

Anyone with a round face must go for a Maang Tikka with vertical design such a diamond-shaped pendant to help elongate the shape of the face. A Matha Patti would not be the right choice for such faces as this would add pounds to one’s face’s roundness.

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B) Square Face

Matha Patti is a fitting jewellery style for square faces as a Patti style will add some roundness and softness to the snatched look of a square face. A side large pendant design known as Passa is also a good option for this type of face shape.

C) Oval Face

Women with oval-shaped face are blessed as all the styles look breathtaking on them. Whether you feel like wearing a Maang Tikka or a Matha Patti and of any style, everything would look great on you.

D) Small Forehead

Usually, women with two or three head, which means you have less temple space, must go for minimalistic and small American diamond Maang Tikka style.

E) Big Forehead

With a fivehead or even bigger, such women can go all out and wear a heavily decorated Maang Tikka pendant or a Matha Patti and both would be stunning for you.

It is easy to determine the right style for oneself and the science behind it is simple. Big faces go for bigger baubles while women with smaller faces and very delicate features must go for small-sized and delicate jewellery style.