Are These Jewelry Companies Spinning Fair and Green Concepts?
I really do not have an answer to whether these companies are spinning concepts or not, and in all fairness to each of them, I did not contact them to get their position. I list these posts just as a sample survey to illustrate lack of transparency and potential for consumer confusion and I would value feedback and response from anyone mentioned below regarding the nature of their ecological and ethical initiatives.
My email address is [email protected].
1. When someone pushes the concept that their bracelet is “green,” what do you think of?
Check out these two links below.
http://www.jckonline.com/article/CA6483673.html
http://www.jckonline.com/article/CA6483673.html
Apart from the humanitarian concerns of Simmons which have been questioned by some members of the progressive movement who believe that DeBeers, post blood diamonds, is using Simmons, the “green” bracelet is not connected to anything ecological whatsoever. What I have argued for in earlier posts is for transparency in sourcing for anyone who is going to call their pieces green or raise themselves up as a socially responsible player.
2. LauraJamesJewelry.com Goes Eco-Glam reads the headline of this post:
“The current Green Movement craze has bitten rising independent jewelry designer Laura James of Laura James Jewelry www.laurajamesjewelry.com. James aims ahead of the curve this season by merging high fashion with a glamorous recycled edge.”
Source: www.prleap.com/pr/87230/
The post discusses using her “eco-vibe” with her recycled crystal in every design and incorporating recycled rosary beads as well. It also goes on to discuss semi-precious gems, gold fill and sterling silver, but there’s nothing about the sourcing of her metals or her shop environmental practices. Do recycled beads qualify the production of a jewelry manufacturer as “eco”? The term, “eco-vibe” is quite ambiguous to me. Maybe if I lived in California I would understand.
3. Global Exchange.
I picked them as an example of a reputable “fair trade” seller that is a member of the Fair Trade Federation. They are selling “fair trade” jewelry, and posting the TransfairUSA Logo at the bottom of their site. Yet Transfair does not have jewelry as a product category.
4. Citizen Watch comes out with an eco watch.
They call this the “Eco Watch” because of its battery. But the battery makes up only a small part of the watch.What about the casing and movement? What about the practices in their own plants, where ever they are? The question here, again, is what qualifies a company to label themselves as “eco?”
5. One of the difficulties in sorting out the current state is that there are so many kinds of jewelry.
Check out this link:
Here, the author discusses why her jewelry is “eco friendly”; She writes: “My research reveals only one advantage of using organic seeds to make jewelry, and that is the “green” factor. Organic seeds incorporated into jewelry can be presented as an “eco-friendly” gift.”
The perspective is quite different from the concerns of the mainstream jewelry industry. How is the consumer to sort this out?
6. This one really caught my attention.
www.sprig.com/fashion/flores-earrings/
Obviously, this is a company really passionate about their mission to be eco friendly and “fair trade” based, but I cannot at this point find enough transparency to back up their claims.
7. Simon Cardwell has created “Eco Chic Jewelry” to benefit endangered species.
If he is going to use endangered species as a marketing draw, I would really appreciate an idea of what percentage of the sales go to these worthy causes, as Patagonia does. Doesn’t it follow that if you are going to add value to your product by linking it to a worthy charitable cause as a central feature in the marketing, the customer should know what that means?
fashiontribes.typepad.com/fashion/2007/10/you-cheeky-monk.html
Simon may well be using fair trade rubies and sapphires to make this piece. Those are available from Columbia Gem House. Eric Braunwart is not third party certified, but his system is widely accepted as credible. But what does he mean by “fair trade diamonds?” There is no such thing available on the market. His carelessness in claiming “fair trade diamonds” makes his other claims less credible to me because, unless I have missed something, these are not yet on the market place.
As for the silver and gold… perhaps he is using recycled silver, as that product has been available for a month. But I would be more convinced if he revealed some of his sourcing. I want to mainly know where his manufacturing is taking place. Outside of the US, recycled silver and gold is not available. Most of all, if it isn’t apparent by now, I want some transparency on his website http://www.cheekymonkeyjewelry.com, but none is provided.
8. Speaking of “for the record,” here’s one final entry that was recently picked up by a green oriented consumer trend site:
www.greatgreengoods.com/2007/09/29/recycled-vinyl-records-fleur-de-lis-necklace/
To me, the critical issue here, apart from showing us the wide range of “eco friendly” jewelry, is what vinyl they are cutting up. For me, I’d want to wear John Lennon’s song, Imagine, which is what I proudly sang with my classmates at my 8th grade graduation.
