Eco-friendly Jewelry
Looking for some serious bling? Would you like to design your own fine jewelry into a personalized piece that could become an heirloom piece for generations to come?
Whether looking for set pieces or a personalized creation, whether browsing online or in the San Francisco showroom, Brilliant Earth is a rare gem in the jewelry industry because this company makes exquisite pieces all of which are made by environmentally and socially responsible methods.
Brilliant Earth was founded by a couple, Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg, who were inspired with the idea of creating a green jewelry business because the then groom couldn’t find a reliable source that guaranteed conflict-free diamonds.
This company guarantees that all its diamonds come from conflict-free and ethical sources: from Canadian mines that use environmentally sustainable practices. The company also practices fair trade and uses 100% recycled metals, obtained from various post-consumer sources, including existing jewelry, industrial-use metals, and even electronic components. But don’t let the term “recycled” fool you. The reclaimed gold, silver, and platinum are re-refined into their pure elements and are identical to newly mined metals. Since precious metals can be recycled repeatedly with no degradation in quality, they are a naturally renewable resource.
Why is it greener to buy from a jeweler who uses environmentally and socially responsible practices? Because there’s absolutely nothing eco-friendly about the jewelry industry unless, like Brilliant Earth, a company explicitly states in its mission statement that it strives to protect the earth and respect human life as well as wildlife.
In gold and gemstone mining, it takes a great deal of dynamite and brute force to lay the earth bare to extract the precious metals and stones. The gold mining process is especially destructive because it releases cyanide and mercury into water sources, polluting the environment and causing serious health concerns to the workers on site, and to communities and wildlife near and far.
In addition to environmental degradation, conventional gold mining is also steep in poor safety standards, inhumane labor practices, and carries the ill reputation of disregarding the rights and interests of indigenous people. Brilliant Earth addresses and overturns such environmental and social injustice.
Apart from mining for precious metals and gemstones, conventional pearl farming doesn’t fare much better either because many pearl farms wreak environmental havoc or destroy ecosystems by cleaning oysters with high powered hoses.
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