This Week's Obsession: Earth Day 2022
Do you still remember the COP26 summit held in Glasgow last year? As climate change is becoming an ever more serious issue nowadays, it’s time to do good to our beloved planet, not for ourselves, but also for our next generation. Themed “invest in our planet”, Earth Day 2022 is arriving this coming Friday. With emphasis on climate change, earth day workers are calling on people to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to keep the global temperature below 1.5°C. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet.
Why not take a chance to protect our planet while invest in some of the sustainable pieces that add glamor to your life? together we could deliver the greenhouse gas reductions needed by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement.
According to Taylor & Hart’s 20/21 trend report, searches are on the up for jewellery which is sustainable, ethical and made from recycled gold, and it’s easier than ever before to find brilliant jewellery brands with sustainability and ethical thinking at their heart.
--Sustainable Materials
Fairtrade gold: Natalie Perry, winner of professional jeweller’s ethical collection of the year, launched her own brand and made jewellery from Fairtrade gold. This gold came from the Sotrami mine in Peru and all the miners are guaranteed to receive a fair price for their gold. Many of our Covett Jewellery partners can transform gold jewellery you no longer wear into something new or use a family heirloom to create a bespoke piece.
Traceable gold: Many jewellers are focusing on being able to ensure their gold is traceable. For example, Mejuri’s website dedicates more than 1,000 words to explain its sustainability ethos and ensures 100% traceability of all materials across its supply chain.
Lab-grown gemstones: People often wonder if lab-grown diamonds are better for the environment. It's a good question and in essence, the answer is, "It depends." It depends on what processes and principles are used when manufacturing these diamonds. So how is a person supposed to make an informed decision?
Industry actions to celebrate earth day 2020
Ana Khouri
Ana Khouri has been committed to responsible practices since launching her brand. All her stones are ethically and responsibly sourced and she uses only Fairmined or Fair Trade gold. Even her packaging is either recycled or recyclable. To celebrate Earth Day this year, she has created the Teresa earrings, a one-of-a-kind pair of sculptural pearl swirls inspired by the four elements. “Each element is represented: water (pearls), earth (metal), fire (handcrafted using fire by our talented team of goldsmiths) and air (the design accentuates the empty space between the pearls, the metal and the body)
Anabela Chan
Inspired by her honeymoon to a mine in sri lanka, Hong Kong-born, London-based designer Anabela Chan began her use of laboratory-grown gemstones to avoid what she sees are the environmental, humanitarian and traceability concerns often inherent in mining. She acknowledges that lab-grown stones have their own limitations – there is much debate about the carbon footprint involved in their manufacture, for example – but Chan believes, however jewellers go about it, everyone can do their part to raise awareness of the ethical issues facing the jewellery industry. In her latest collection, Bloom, she combines recycled aluminium drinks cans to create intensely hued, psychedelic precious flowers that are set with lab-grown gems.
Industry actions to celebrate earth day 2021
shahla Karimi
Handmade in the Big Apple, Shahla Karimi jewellery uses recycled gold and conflict-free gemstones in their pieces. The two-man team includes founder Shahla Karimi, who designs and handles day-to-day operations, as well as Emma Scaramozzino, the senior product manager of the brand.
Inspired by stories and memories of the past, the brand taps into the feeling of nostalgia to produce its jewellery pieces. Designs are mostly minimalistic and elegant, perfect for everyday wear.
John Hardy Bamboo Collection
Artisan jeweller John Hardy has released a new bamboo collection for Spring 2021. Pieces are crafted by hand in the brand’s Bali workshop by master artisans.
For each handcrafted bamboo piece sold, bamboo seedlings are planted in Indonesia as part of their initiative to reforest Bali. The pictured Bamboo Cuff in sterling silver imitates the bamboo’s flexibility and weightless strength in its voluminous silhouette.
As the whole industry is shifting their focus to sustainable materials while protecting miner’s rights, why not invest in one of the pieces from Covett’s Vault as an effort to also contribute to our planet. As earth day 2022 approaching, come and celebrate with Covett!
Future trends in sustainable and ethical jewellery
- Searches for upcycled, recycled, repurposed and reworked products increased by 117% in 2021.
- Searches for “ethical jewelry” or “ethical diamond” have increased by 75% year-on-year, while those for “lab-grown diamond” have increased by 83%.
- Since November 2019, searches for “recyclable gold” have risen by 35%, while “ethical gold” has seen a 73% rise in interest since January of this year.
- Demand for the new Cartier recycled gold ring has been notably high, resulting in a 204% increase in page views for the brand’s ring.
- “Sustainable engagement ring” is a fast-growing category: searches are up 65% year-on-year. Demand for environmentally-friendly solitaires and bands is increasing in the UK, as well as in the US and France.
Can you have the fine jewellery you covet and still be a conscious consumer?
For Covett, the answer is a resounding yes. A conscious consumer chooses to move away from the consumerist culture of buying more, more and more as quickly as possible and embrace making every purchase choice with a lens of the impact of that purchase. The first premise of conscious consumerism is to buy only what you need – but this, in many cases, can remove entire sectors from the market. Do I really need more jewellery? Probably not, but if I choose to have jewellery in my life, is there a way to access it when I want or need to wear it, rather than have it sit idle?
Earth Day Featured Brand: The Rock Hound
The Rock Houd
RockStars Spessarite Molten Earrings
The Rock Hound
RockStars Albite Crystal Earrings
The Rock Hound
Chromanteq Golden Heliodor Pendant
The Rock Hound Chromanteq
Double Yellow Geode Earrings
The Rock Hound
Red Fairtrade Gold Hoop Earrings
