Eco Friendly Jewelry

It’s no secret that a large majority of the world’s jewelry comes from sources that are not healthy for the environment. In fact, much of the world’s diamonds come from century-old mining techniques that are not only dangerous for the miners, but harmful to the earth as well. Fortunately, times have changed, and there are now an abundance of green alternatives to choose from. Potential consumers only need to know where to look to find them. Consider a few of the suggestions below to wear the jewelry you love while causing only a fraction of the environmental impact.

Buy a Smaller Amount: Over the years, many people will find that they have collected hundreds of pieces of jewelry. Upon closer inspection, they’ll realize they’ve only worn each piece a handful of times. Why does this happen? Because the jewelry they bought only works with a certain outfit. To remedy this problem, do your best to buy jewelry that will look great with many different outfits. That way, you won’t feel guilty for having so many pieces lying around and you can be sure that you put every single one of them to good use.

Recycled Materials: Many companies are trying to reverse our impact on the world by making jewelry with reused metal. This metal can come from many different sources from aluminum cans to kitchenware to recycled machine parts. Because most manufacturers of this kind of jewelry are extremely proud of their contribution to the environment, they won’t be difficult to find.

Vintage Jewelry: As an alternative to buying new piece of jewelry made out of recycled materials, try buying old jewelry to reuse. You don’t need to feel bad about where it came from if the jewelry has already existed for quite some time. Besides, you’ll be putting it to good use rather than letting it collect dust in the back of someone else’s drawer. This also works the opposite way – if you no longer want a piece of jewelry, sell it or give it away for someone else to wear.

Buy Different Gemstones: Choose created stones as an alternative to the ones found through mining. Not only will they cost a lot less money, but most of the time, they’ll look and feel almost identical to the real thing! Although they are made using chemicals and often mass-produced in a lab, they still have less of an effect on the environment than mined gems. If you absolutely need to have the ‘real thing’, consider making pearls your preferred stone of choice. The impact pearl-farmers have on the environment is much less than that of miners.

Look for Better Materials: Not every piece of jewelry needs to be made out of metal and gemstones. In fact, plenty of beautiful jewelry is made out of materials that are much better for the environment. Jewelries made out of certain types of fabric, such as cotton or hemp are much more eco-friendly than metal chains. If you want to have beads on your jewelry, choose glass instead of plastic.

Make Your Own: Finally, try making a few pieces of jewelry on your own. These can be made out of materials you have or old pieces of jewelry you find lying around the house. This can even be a great project for you and your kids.

Sarah Harris is the marketing manager for Adiamor Diamond Engagement Rings where you can find a wide assortment of settings, loose diamonds, and other fine diamond jewelry at affordable prices.