When you hear the term "ethical jewellery," what is the first thing that comes to mind?
When we say "ethical jewellery" what kind of jewellery does it refer to specifically?
"Ethical" encompasses many different words, such as eco, sustainable, fair trade, supporting women, and supporting developing countries. Therefore, the definition of "ethical" actually differs for each person and each brand.
Currently, ethical jewellery brands in Japan can be broadly divided into three categories.
1. Uses natural stones with identifiable country of origin
They are concerned about the current situation where most gemstones cannot be traced back to their country of origin and are considered a black box, and to solve this problem, they use stones whose country of origin is known. As for the metals, they use materials with a known background, such as fair mine gold that is fairly mined in South America. They also guarantee that the human rights of all people involved in jewelry production, including miners and artisans, are protected, and they are mindful of ensuring that workers and local communities receive the benefits and profits.
2. Uses lab-grown diamonds and moissanite
By using artificial stones such as lab-grown diamonds and moissanite, they guarantee that they are not involved in the environmental pollution and human rights violations of miners that can occur when mining natural diamonds.
3. Uses "removed stones" and recycled materials
They remove stones from second-hand jewelry that is no longer in use and remake it into new jewelry designs, a process known as "upcycling." Because they do not use newly mined gemstones or metals, they are guaranteed not to contribute to human rights violations against mineral miners and are environmentally friendly.
Although 1 to 3 are all grouped together as ethical jewelry brands, the issues they approach are completely different.
While 1 places emphasis on people's lives and human rights, such as empowering people in developing countries, 2 and 3 place emphasis on environmental considerations. Of course, there are brands that span multiple areas, and there are also brands that are trying to achieve ethics from angles other than these three (donating a portion of sales to non-profit organizations, etc.).
Jewellery Wanderlust fits number 1, "We use natural stones with identifiable country of origin," and number 3, "We use removed stones and recycled materials."
As the term "ethical consumption" suggests, being ethical is a new added value. That is why some companies and brands have taken advantage of it, and even if they don't abuse it, they can call themselves "ethical brands" because they meet certain standards.
Jewellery in particular is expensive. If you are interested in purchasing something because it is "ethical," we recommend that you check the company or brand's website or social media to see if the brand's stated ethical standards match your own ethical standards.
You can find Jewellery Wanderlust's specific ethical standards here.