What emotions wash over you when you look at a sparkling piece of jewelry? Do you also connect these emotions with questions of ethics and ecology? I believe that we can all think of nature, preserve the principles of sustainability, and not only in the gold industry, look for ways that lead to a reduction of our environmental footprint.
Disposable investment
Not only thanks to increasing GDP, but also greater availability and low price, more and more independent women are buying jewelry. Some of the sales are often made up of timeless luxury pieces by local designers, but the vast majority of them are costume jewelry. Like fast fashion, cheap costume jewelry is often only worn a few times before ending up in landfill. Silver or gold plating will fade very quickly, leaving only "green skin" behind. In a landfill, metal or plastic components do not decompose, and in the end they release harmful toxins into the air, water, and again with our intoxicated body, the whole process is closed. It seems that this investment is not very worthwhile for us or for nature.
A freelance designer as a solution?
The value of a piece of jewelery is not only determined by its price, but mainly by its impact on the environment. Will you wear quality timeless sustainable pieces or will you prefer commercial and costume jewelry? It depends only on you which brands you decide to support and which products you buy. Thanks to low production, high quality and original design, the jewelry of independent designers definitely does not end up in the landfill. Although being proud of the fairtrade and fairmined labels is a rather demanding and expensive process for goldsmiths, small local jewelers can be considered ecological. However, each designer is responsible for the ecological footprint they leave behind, but more on that later.
