• Taille d’une pierre sur une machine à facetter, lors de notre reportage sur les saphirs d’Auvergne

    • Ethical Jewelry: Guidelines for Choosing with Confidence

    Written by: L'atelier NAGOYA

    Behind every piece of jewelry there are mines, workshops and people. Choosing more responsible jewelry starts with knowing which questions to ask about the metal, the stones and the making.

    Why it matters

    Mining gold and stones can weigh heavily on the environment: deforestation, high water use, and the use of mercury or cyanide in some gold mines. It also raises human questions: harsh working conditions, child labor in some regions, and sometimes the financing of armed conflicts.

    More and more jewelers are looking for better-traced materials. For you, the first step is simple: ask where the metal and stones come from, and expect precise answers.

    Metal: recycled gold and labels

    Recycled gold comes from gold that has already been mined: old jewelry, workshop scraps, electronic components. Once refined, it has the same qualities as newly mined gold, without new extraction. The Responsible Jewellery Council’s Chain of Custody standard (RJC) covers recycled gold among other materials.

    For mined gold, labels exist. The Fairmined label, run by the Alliance for Responsible Mining, certifies gold from artisanal and small-scale mines that meet social and environmental requirements (SCS Global Services). The Fairtrade label also covers fair-trade gold.

    Stones: origin and treatments

    For rough diamonds, the Kimberley Process, in force since 2003, aims to stop the trade in diamonds that finance armed conflicts (United Nations). It does not, however, cover the social and environmental conditions of mines.

    Lab-grown diamonds, made in a laboratory, are another option: they have the same composition and the same hardness as natural diamonds. For rubies, sapphires and emeralds, ask where the stone was mined, where it was cut, and whether it has been treated.

    Rough sapphire on a black velvet tray, back from sapphire hunting in Auvergne
    A rough sapphire, gathered in Auvergne.

    Our choices at the workshop

    Most of our gold pieces are made in recycled gold: this is stated on each relevant product page. The stone closest to our heart is the Auvergne sapphire, whose origin we know; those in Gentiane, L’Ombrelle and La Chevalière are unheated and untreated. For the surrounds of Gentiane, you choose between natural and lab-grown diamonds.

    Each piece is crafted or finished by hand in our Saumur workshop, by a small team.

    The star-shaped setting of the Gentiane ring, before the stones are set, at the bench
    A gold setting, worked at the bench.

    Keep, care for, redesign

    A responsible piece of jewelry is also one you keep. Buying less but better, caring for your pieces and having them repaired rather than replaced all reduce the footprint of jewelry. An old piece can even be redesigned: see A Modernized Engagement Ring. And second-hand jewelry remains a fine option.

    Would you rather talk it over in person? We welcome you by appointment at our workshop, 44 rue de Rouen in Saumur, France, or you can write to us from our contact page.