Eco-friendly precious jewelry from GreenKarat
By now everyone is aware of the human and environmental toll of mining, especially diamond mining. I mean, there was a Leonardo DiCaprio movie about it. No excuses for the uninformed!
Still, the question remains for eco-friendly brides and jewelry lovers alike: "How do I get my bling?"
GreenKarat, ecologically responsible jewelers, have some answers, starting with post-consumer gold.
Yes, you should recycle those old earrings! We have enough gold already out of the ground to satisfy even King Tut. The thing is, most of it is stuck in a vault, in the shape of Aunt Sally's hideous gold bracelets or a broken gold pocket watch that is never coming back into fashion. Ever.
GreenKarat calls it dormant gold, and they offer a trade in program, similar to that late night informercial. Only, instead of cash, GreenKarat offers you the choices of credit toward a purchase, melting it down to make yourself something new, or for the truly altruistic (and rich) donating it to benefit the environment.
As for diamonds, the king of bling, GreenKarat says it's time to phase out diamond mining all together because it is impossible to do it sustainably. They believe that synthetic diamonds, the quality of which has increased exponentially in recent years, are the answer.
Politics and ethics aside, would you want to wear this stuff? In the gallery, a selection for you to judge yourself.
As for diamonds, the king of bling, GreenKarat says it's time to phase out diamond mining all together because it is impossible to do it sustainably. They believe that synthetic diamonds, the quality of which has increased exponentially in recent years, are the answer.
Politics and ethics aside, would you want to wear this stuff? In the gallery, a selection for you to judge yourself.
It's Energy Independence Day! 
Green Your 4th of July Celebration
The Importance of Pollination - It's Not Just Bee Sex
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-20-2008 @ 2:00PM
Kristen said...
I would totally wear that! I really like the second and the fifth ones (I dig flowers -- can you tell?). And I like that their stance on diamonds. There's really no such thing as a conflict free diamond, and if there's a synthetic option, why not use that?
Reply
8-22-2008 @ 11:18AM
Meghan said...
GreenKarat and C5 company are both great options for consumers concerned about the social and environmental impact associated with traditional fine jewelry.
C5 was founded on the belief that you shouldn't have to sacrifice beauty for sustainability.
All of our jewelry is made from recycled metals and uses either ethically sourced stones or lab-created gems. We offer both so that consumers define "sustainability" for themselves. By boycotting the mined diamond industry altogether, we are indeed taking income away from the very people in developing countries we are trying to help.
Check out www.C5company.com
Reply
9-11-2008 @ 1:26PM
Tiffany said...
Good for you GreenKarat and C5! My husband and I own a small Jewelry Store in Colorado Springs, CO.
Recycling gold and offering trade-in value towards new pieces is a service that we have always offered to our customers, and we encourage it. It is a eco-conscience way to do business, as well as it offers our customers a substantial savings on a new beautiful custom pieces of jewelry.
We refuse to sell any type of conflict or questionable origin gemstone. We offer and encourage diamond and gemstone alternative stones, that are beautiful and of the highest quality, but are man-made. Using alternative metals is also one avenue we use to be eco-friendly. We do work in Tungsten, Stainless, PMC, and even Ceramic.
As a consumer, do research when you invest into a jewelry purchase. Know not only where the material comes from, but who made it! We have to be responsible not to support third world slave labor and manufacturing. Blood Diamond shed light into the world of diamond trade, but there are many other people who suffer because of the jewelry industry.
We don't have a website, but anyone can contact us at DJMCustomJewelry@aol.com
Reply
9-12-2008 @ 5:21PM
Tiffany said...
Good for you GreenKarat and C5! My husband and I own a small Jewelry Store in Colorado Springs, CO.
Recycling gold and offering trade-in value towards new pieces is a service that we have always offered to our customers, and we encourage it. It is a eco-conscience way to do business, as well as it offers our customers a substantial savings on a new beautiful custom pieces of jewelry.
We refuse to sell any type of conflict or questionable origin gemstone. We offer and encourage diamond and gemstone alternative stones, that are beautiful and of the highest quality, but are man-made. Using alternative metals is also one avenue we use to be eco-friendly. We do work in Tungsten, Stainless, PMC, and even Ceramic.
As a consumer, do research when you invest into a jewelry purchase. Know not only where the material comes from, but who made it! We have to be responsible not to support third world slave labor and manufacturing. Blood Diamond shed light into the world of diamond trade, but there are many other people who suffer because of the jewelry industry.
We do not have a website, but anyone can contact us at DJMCustomJewelry@aol.com.
Reply
9-20-2008 @ 4:00PM
Miss OHaha said...
This is great to inform people have how harmful mining is.
I have friends that are native Australians and there land has been devastated they tried everything possible to stop the miners and have landed loosing the court case with a heavy bill and land that now looks like a close up of the moon.
They use to live sustainably but that is not possible now there is nothing there but tyre tracks in dirt left by the miners.
I make upcycle fun jewelry as a humourous way of getting back at the miners.
There on my website.
www.missohaha.com
Thanks Miss O Haha
Reply