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• The pursuit of natural sustainability is the vision of almost everyone in the current environment, and in the jewelry industry, enjoying the precious jewels from the gift of nature, environmental issues can not be ignored in every aspect of the industry really exists. People can't help but start to think about what is more truly “precious” behind the gorgeous fine jewelry. As a result, sustainable jewelry has gradually become a hot topic, and the industry has begun to take action to practise sustainable development, and physically take up a responsibility to the environment and the world.

01
The jewelry industry, in desperate need of “Green”

In conjunction with the presentation of its glamorous timepieces, Chopard announced at the recently concluded Watches & Wonders 2023 in Geneva that it has become the first fine watch and jewellery brand to extend the use of steel, with its 80% recyclable steel content, to all of its steel watch creations. It is also the first fine watch and jewelry brand to join the Climate Group SteelZero.

Chopard, a member of the RJC (Responsible Jewellery Council), is a pioneer in sustainability. Since 2013, the brand has made a commitment to ensure that its raw materials are sourced from suppliers that operate in a responsible manner, ensuring that they are extracted from mines in an efficient, legal and socially responsible manner.

If you've been paying attention to environmental sustainability in the jewelry world for a long time, you've heard of “fair gold”. This is the same gold that Chopard has been using in its “Sustainable Luxury Path”. The source of the raw material is ensured to be fair trade, and all production processes must comply with social, environmental and ethical standards.

In 1998, Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Artistic Director of Chopard, was invited by the President of the Cannes Film Festival to reinterpret the Palme d'Or. In 2022, to mark the 75th anniversary of the world-famous Festival, Caroline Scheufele has reinterpreted the Palme d'Or once again.

The palm fronds on the trophy are made of gold certified as “fairmined” in accordance with Chopard's philosophy of sustainable development and social responsibility. Two of the palm fronds are adorned with diamonds sourced from RJC-certified suppliers.

From the Green Carpet High Jewelry collection to the Palme Verte collection, Chopard's classic creations exude a sense of timeless beauty, a perfect blend of ethical responsibility and aesthetic excellence.

That said, perhaps you can't help but question, does the jewelry industry also need to be environmentally friendly?

The answer is a big YES! Take the production process of the jewelry industry as an example, first of all, the mining and excavation of ores will lead to surface subsidence and sand, soil erosion, flooding and these problems. Jewelry processing, but also produces a large amount of industrial waste, such as waste liquid, wax water, containing precious metal waste, chemical storage waste and so on. Even after the jewelry has been shaped, subsequent steps such as packaging, selling, and iterating the jewelry can be harmful to the environment to a certain extent.

At the same time, the entire jewelry industry has not been much for environmental protection and the development of unified standards. The previous agreement “Kimberley Process” (Kimberley Process), only for the import and export trade of rough diamonds, and has been the standard of the early 2000s. As far as environmental protection is concerned, there is almost no relationship, nor can it help much.

The RJC, established in 2005, has done much to protect the environment of jewelry, mainly through clear regulations to ensure that the supply chain, from mine to retail, meets humane standards and is environmentally sustainable. But for the industry as a whole, the existing system is not enough.

Melissa Joy Manning, founder and designer of the fine jewelry brand, said in a previous interview with Forbes magazine, “The issues involved in the jewelry industry are multifaceted, including geopolitical, environmental and social. We need to embrace all three and set transparent metrics for grading materials. I don't mean ratings for cutting process or quality or anything, but industry metrics that are set up for responsibility and for the environment.”

Therefore, as everyone's awareness of environmental protection increases, the harm caused by the mining of jewelry to the environment and the serious lack of the relevant system, but also make the jewelry environmental protection issue is more and more important to everyone.

02 
Each one of them is positively sustainable

Jewelry circles are also opening their brains to make this hot wind of green jewelry more and more prevalent. For example, many jewelry brands are prioritizing environmentally friendly materials for their jewelry.

In addition to the aforementioned “fair gold”, recycled gold is also one of the less environmentally friendly raw materials, as Prada previously hosted a preview of its Eternal Gold collection in Shanghai. The first truly sustainable boutique jewelry collection to be launched by an international luxury brand in 2022, Eternal Gold breaks the mold by using 100 percent recycled gold in accordance with the RJC's Chain of Custody standard.

This gold is sourced only from compliant recycled materials, including industrial gold and post-consumer recycled precious metals. At the same time, the brand's selection of raw material suppliers is very careful and rigorous. Only suppliers that meet industry standards for human rights, labor safety, environmental impact and business ethics are selected.

For the first time in the world, the verification record is also available on the Aura Consortium Blockchain platform. In addition to verifying the authenticity of the jewelry purchased, the public will be able to browse the record to verify the traceability of each link and form of Prada's gold and diamond production chain, and to see whether each item is strictly sustainable.

BaYou with Love, the jewelry brand founded by designer, actress and environmentalist Nikki Reed, chose to collaborate with Dell across the border, using a process that is 99% more environmentally friendly than obtaining gold from nature, choosing to extract wasted gold from the motherboards of old computers, continually regenerating and reusing resources and striving to achieve zero waste.

Boucheron has always been fond of innovative materials, but instead of working on “gold”, it has chosen to turn another raw material into a treasure: the Jack de Boucheron Ultime capsule collection is a combination of Jack de Boucheron's design and “Cofalit” material. The Jack de Boucheron Ultime capsule collection is a combination of Jack de Boucheron's designs and the material “Cofalit”.

A material made from recycled industrial waste, Cofalit was originally buried deep underground for a long time, with its only use being as backfill for highways. But now, this dark black “ultimate waste” of raw beauty can be cut and polished like a gemstone, making its way into the world of luxury jewelry.

Reinventing jewelry is also one of the more popular ways to make jewelry sustainable. After all, there's no need to mine for new raw materials, which avoids the need for environmental issues.

The “big devil” Cate Blanchett has always been very concerned about the environment, in the 76th “British Academy Film Awards” (BAFTA Award), not only in dress choice of black Maison Margiela black silk gown that had been in the Oscars in 2015.

The Louis Vuitton Special Couture Pearl Necklace she wore also featured tourmaline host stones and Tahitian pearls from the Louis Vuitton Collection of Fine Jewelry. It was redesigned and created in a new combination by Kate herself and Francesca Amphitheatroff, Louis Vuitton's Creative Design Director for Watches and Jewelry. The stones have been recycled and reused in an environmentally sustainable way.

And this idea of using repurposed gemstones in her designs came from Blanchett herself, in the actress' own words, “Re-wearing and re-purposing and adopting a collective approach to more sustainable choices is integral to the growth and sustainability of the fashion industry.”

Valerie Madison, the founder of her eponymous jewelry brand, holds a degree in Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM) from the University of Washington, so she started the brand with a strong focus on sustainability, actively encouraging her customers to provide stones they already own to be redesigned and reused.

03
How to become a “green jewelry” collector?

From the public's perspective, if you want to become a “green jewelry” collector, what are some of the ways and considerations for collecting sustainable jewelry that is worth collecting?

• Consider the brand more fully.

Refer to whether innovative use of sustainable materials is used, whether renewable energy is used as much as possible in the production process, whether the brand will dedicate a portion of the benefits to environmental causes, and whether it is certified by a prestigious environmental protection organization.

• Reject fast fashion in terms of investment quality.

Whenever possible, shop for a higher quality piece of jewelry that can be worn for a lifetime or even as an heirloom, rather than a piece that will quickly be shelved as the trend passes, and cut down on the idea of always getting a new one.

• Consider getting your hands on antique jewelry.

Not only is there no added production or pollution generated, but it is also highly collectible and memorable.

• Turning the old into the new.
  

Customizing and trading in an old piece of jewelry you already have for a new one extends the life of the jewelry and has financial benefits.