Silver; can it ever become an ethical metal?

There is plenty of information around about how gold and diamonds can be ethical. In recent years the term “blood diamonds” has become a household phrase and this year “Fairtrade” and “Fairmined gold” has joined it. But what is it that makes gold and diamonds ethical? And can we ever expect to see silver join this very exclusive group?

Silver

The jewellery industry is well known as a destructive, dirty business which uses a massive percentage of the world’s energy and is one of the largest employers but still pollutes, kills and maims the environment and peoples involved.

Both diamonds and gold have been able to make steps towards becoming ethical due to two main points:

Third party certification has been established to police the processes involved in mining and refining the materials and the checking the supply chain from earth to product. This is the Kimberley Process for diamonds and the Association for Responsible Mining combined with the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation for Fairtrade and Fairmined gold.

These materials are highly priced meaning that those who can afford to use the material are already spending a lot of money. Any additional Fairtrade premiums added onto this can be passed onto the consumer quite easily as products which contain gold and diamonds will already have a high price.

Silver prices have been relatively low in recent years meaning that additional premiums on top may discourage use of the material. However, over the past few months, the price of silver has also been rising making it a much more costly product than the same time last year. Perhaps this increased price may make silver as an ethical material more possible.

Silver is not mined on its own. Generally, silver is mined as a by-product of copper, gold and zinc mines. It was estimated in 2008 that only 30% of silver is mined from silver specific mines. As well as this, silver is not used with the same exclusivity as gold is within the jewellery industry. It is estimated that 80% of all gold mined ends up being used to produce jewellery. Compared to this, silver is used in industrial, medical and technological fields. Only 25% of silver is used for jewellery and silverware.

These two things combined mean that there is not the same amount of money put into silver as gold and diamonds making it less likely for the amount of time and money required to source materials more ethically to be put in.

Currently recycled silver is the most ethical source of silver and this is currently what Opulent Ethics use but we are hoping that this may change in time. Once it has been proved that gold can be mined in less harmful and more sustainable ways then, hopefully, this will percolate down to mining other materials including silver.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for these developments soon.

That’s all for now….

A new technique for Opulent Ethics; wire erosion

In our last post we talked about our latest design inspiration for Opulent Ethics. We are currently designing and deliberating how to produce a range of pomanders. As part of this we have considered a range of techniques for producing various parts of the pomanders and we have decided upon a technique that Opulent Ethics have never used before; wire erosion.

We are looking to cut plates of silver into the exact same shape multiple times and after much research we have come to the conclusion that wire erosion is the way forward.

The process involves holding the material to be cut on a bed whilst a 0.3mm wire saw blade passes from top to bottom through the material cutting the required pattern. It works in a similar way to a cheese board and wire.

The thickness of the materials to be cut can vary massively which is a welcome change to laser cutting which, in Birmingham, is limited to 0.7mm in thickness. Also, materials can be stacked so you can cut the same shape on multiple pieces of material all at the same time.

The drawback with wire erosion is that holes need to be cut into the material to allow the wire to pass through. If not placed well this could alter the outcome of the design. Luckily, the company we have chosen to use, RF Bevan, are excellent at what they do and very helpful in tailoring your designs so that they work as efficiently as possible.

Our designs will be cut from 100% recycled UK silver and will be sent to RF Bevan next week when our materials arrive. But, in the meantime, we wanted to show some examples of wire erosion in use in order to demonstrate how precise and effective the process is.

Emily Richard has used wire erosion throughout her Torus range of jewellery to fantastic effect. This range, and others that Emily does, cuts slice forms using wire erosion before fitting them together in a range of designs. The outcome is a range of clean, precise, beautiful jewellery which is different to anything we have seen before.

Emily Richard Torus pendant 

 Emily Richard Segment pendant

Another jewellery designer and maker to use the technique is Kirsty Davies. Parts of her asymmetric Precious Pieces range was also cut by RF Bevan and the outcome is a playful but simple range of beautiful jewellery.

Kirsty Davies Precious Pieces pendant

Opulent Ethics is hoping that the outcome of our first foray into wire erosion is as successful and beautiful as Emily and Kirsty’s.

That’s all for now….  

That key word “TRANSPARENCY”

Transparency (tr ns-pâr n-s ) - the quality of being clear and transparent.

     An object which is see-through.

We often hear about the need for transparency in all walks of life. Businesses who state that they are transparent are implying that they are open in all their practices and accountable for all they produce.

So how does this fit within jewellery? Practices used in the production and manufacture of jewellery are amongst some of the most harmful and dirty in any industry. The sourcing of materials is probably the worst with mining causing mass destruction, pollution and illness. Further down the production track, jewellery techniques such as plating and pickling materials are also damaging.

Ethical jewellery is still an up and coming sector of the industry but transparency is integral to its successful development. And trust makes up a large part of this. Until there is sector-wide standardization and certification of practices jewelers must select their materials and manufacturers mainly on their word.

Luckily for us, things are starting to change. Attempted certification, like the Kimberley Process, does exist but are not totally trusted….yet. Very soon the Birmingham Assay Office will be producing and using a Fair Trade Gold Hallmark, finally a trustworthy symbol.

There are, of course, many companies who are happy to discuss and provide as much proof as they can about their claims and it has to be down to the individual to look in to and decide on each individual case whether or not to trust or reject these claims prior to working with them.

So how can you be transparent? We at Opulent Ethics think that the biggest part of being transparent is to be realistic. By knowing your own limits and ensuring that you practice what you say you cannot be accused of being anything but honest.

Opulent Ethics has felt guilty in the past for not being able to achieve their utopian dream of producing 100% ethical, green products throughout but we are proud to be able to say that we do as much as we can with what is currently available and we make a point of monitoring and adapting to on-going changes.

We currently use 100% recycled silver and recycled, UK endemic or fair trade stones and nothing else. We are looking forward to expanding to work with fair trade gold in the near future but for the time being we will continue to ensure we work within our limits. We also ensure that we continue to be as ethical as we can in other parts of our business; using recycled paper and packaging, printing less and keeping our carbon footprint as small as possible.

So transparency is and will continue to be key. That’s all for now….       

Green design and good design do not need to be mutually exclusive

This week at Opulent Ethics we have been working to a set customer brief. The basics of this are:

·               We are provided with a stone or stones to produce a pendant or earrings

·               Item should be produced using CAD software

·               Maximum weight is 25g of metal

·               Pieces to be produced in silver by JewelCast casters

·               No additional stones to be used

·               Design should be different to current items on the market, exciting and high quality.

As an ethical jeweller our main concerns were the stone and the casting. After speaking to the customer we were pleased to learn that the stone we would be given was either recycled or mined under fair trade conditions.

The casting company, JewelCast were more of a problem. Luckily Opulent Ethics met Vipa Designs at International Jewellery London in September. Vipa are a casting company based in Melton Mowbray who can cast in and provide recycled silver and Fair Trade gold in various alloys. They are also able to help their customers design, CAD, stone set and finish their pieces, providing an all round design service.

In this case Opulent Ethics were lucky enough to ensure that we could maintain our ethical credentials whilst still meeting our set brief. This got us thinking about whether good design and green design are mutually exclusive or whether there are things we can do to ensure our products are always produced in a way we are happy with.

We think that the most important thing to do is set your own boundaries; what are you happy, unhappy with doing. At Opulent Ethics our plan is:

·               All metals will be recycled or fair trade (including making master patterns for casting)

·               After heat processes metals will be cleaned using citric acid rather than standard harmful chemical pickle

·               Stones will be UK sourced, certified ethically mined or recycled

·               Use processes which can be ethically undertaken; casting, oxidising, polishing

·               Produce designs with as small amount of waste as possible

·               Recycle waste materials

·               Use recycled papers for printing and packaging and soya inks for printing

·               Use green- hosting companies for blogs and websites

·               Where possible, source findings and other extras from ethical producers

Things that Opulent Ethics will not do include:

·               Use processes which are less than ethical or which use harmful chemicals; plating

·               Work with companies who are against working ethically (they do not have to already be working ethically, just be willing to change)

·               Use metals or stones which do not fit with our material specifications

Working within such clear boundaries makes work decisions and choices simpler and ensures that you never compromise your beliefs or produce anything you are not satisfied with.

Great believers in the idea that green design and good design can be one and the same are Inhabitat, a weblog based on this entire principle which includes information and links to all sectors of the design market; architecture, fashion, gadgets, transport, graphics, products…the list goes on. Their main interest is in

“…design innovations that enhance sustainability, efficiency, and interactivity in the home, Inhabitat’s attention is focused on objects and spaces that are eco-friendly, multi-purpose, modular, and/or interactive. We believe that good design balances substance with style”.

They are interested in ensuring that the useful designs which will change the way we live are packaged in a sexy, attractive way to ensure consumer interest and success. We here at Opulent Ethics feel that, even though our designs or ethical jewellery in general are not going to change the world for the better, our designs still need to be top quality, desirable and striking in order to capture and win consumer votes.

So we here at Opulent Ethics will be following Inhabitat’s lead and ensuring that our future work and designs are

“…inherently “Green”. Good deign is not about colour, style or trends – but instead about thoughtfully considering the user, the experience, the social context and the impact of an object on the surrounding environment. No design can be considered good design unless it at least attempts to address some of these concerns”.

 Inhabitat Homeless Tent

 Inhabitat Chop-Flops made from recycled chopsticks

Inhabitat's 1 laptop per child programme 

We will keep you updated on how our latest green design is getting on….

What is ethical jewellery and can it ever be 100% ethical?

You may have heard people say that to be truly ethical would mean not producing or wearing jewellery. Jewellery has adorned the body for millennia indicating social status, wealth or for beauty and this is not about to change now. Here at Opulent Ethics we are of the opinion that jewellery is staying put and the best thing we can do is to change consumer opinion so that those who purchase jewellery begin questioning where their products come from.

To be 100% ethical is very difficult and may even be near impossible at this time so the best piece of advice we here at Opulent Ethics can give is to choose your battles wisely. With our jewellery we began by sourcing UK recycled silver from a responsible source, Cred, whilst trying to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible by using UK gem stones. By using Western sources for metals and gems stones you are able to ensure they are fairly mined.

The ethical jewellery produced by Opulent Ethics uses materials which are obtained from sources that impact as little as possible on the environment and local communities. Examples of our ethical choices include ensuring gems are not from countries where money from their sale funds war or conflict and silver is acquired from a company which recycles industry and left over jewellery silver. In the future, where Opulent Ethics decides to use gold this will be Fair Trade and acquired from family run small-scale mines which use alluvial mining techniques such as panning rather than large open pit mines which obtain their gold using chemical techniques. For information on the impact of mining see the No Dirty Gold website.

Sustainable materials such as wool, woods or seeds are another possibility. Opulent Ethics are hoping to be working with vegetable ivory this year and will keep you up to date on all we find out.

It has become evident recently that artisanal techniques such as filigree are making a comeback in jewellery. Craftsmanship is now very important in design and consumers want to see evidence of these hand skills in their purchases. This is a positive for ethical jewellers such as Leblas who have been trying to resurrect traditional Spanish filigree skills in recent years.

Leblas’ De Blas Tanzanite Ring

Leblas’ collections are produced by filigree artisans in Spanish workshops whose skills have been passed down through centuries of perfected craftsmanship. They also ensure that their pieces are produced using sustainable practices, using materials and running their business in a socially, environmentally and culturally responsible way.

Overall, ethical jewellery should be based on fair trade principles. By this we mean that all involved in the supply chain should be paid a fair wage and they and their environment should not be exploited. You can go as far as ensuring that chemicals used in your studio are less harmful and are disposed of responsibly.

Here at Opulent Ethics we have made our choices as to how we can be as ethical as possible within the limits of today’s jewellery trade. Sadly, these limits mean that it is currently not always possible for our jewellery to be 100% ethical but we are constantly working towards moving nearer to this goal and we hope that one day soon it will be possible. Because of this we feel that transparency is very important as we do not want to mislead our consumers. We are open and honest about all the materials and techniques we have used whilst producing and manufacturing our products and we hope that this gives possible consumers the confidence they need to believe in our products.

That’s all for now….