With dinners and group gatherings back on our social calendars, every stylish 8Shader can look forward to dressier evenings and days – and what’s more essential for pulling off a striking ensemble than some eye-catching accessories?
Design isn’t everything though, so make sure you choose brands for their commitment to sustainability and fair practices – actions which range from the use of recycled metals and ethically-sourced gemstones to supporting local communities where the pieces are made; from reducing their carbon footprint and zero-waste programs to offering full transparency and tracing.
From playful metalwork to colourful cocktail rings, here are some lovely jewellery pieces to add to your collection this spring:
Finger Candy
Add a pop of colour to your outfit with a bold cocktail ring in oversized proportions. The Burning Desire Ring from UK-based Alighieri features a large cabochon-cut garnet forged into the brand’s signature 24-karat molten gold-plated recycled silver. Each piece created by the brand is completely unique, and handmade in Hatton Garden, London, through the ancient art of lost-wax casting.
Alighieri also uses recycled bronze in its talismans, bracelets and earrings, and all excess metal waste is reused. The brand is committed to materially reducing its carbon footprint through offsetting, and it sources precious metals from Cooksongold, certified members of the Responsible Jewellery Council.
Available at Alighieri
Link It Up
Chain belts that were wildly popular in the ’00s are back in style, but if you’d rather a more subtle look, go for a solid gold chain necklace instead, like Laura Lombardi’s Franca necklace, made from gold-plated brass that’s linked by hand. The New York-based designer uses recycled materials when possible and casts each piece locally in her studio.
Wear your chains layered, or opt for a chunky choker version, like Lauren Stewart’s Baroque gold vermeil pearl necklace, featuring irregularly shaped freshwater pearls. The LA-based brand’s founders, Rachel Loren, Satra Steward and Annah Stewart-Zafrani started out by upcycling vintage jewellery. The trio continue to work with local artisans for wax casting, metal casting and stone setting.
Available at Netaporter NETsustain.
Born this way
John Hardy’s Birthstone Amulet Keyring necklace is very versatile. The chain necklace, fashioned from sterling silver and 18k gold, can be split into two shorter chains that can be used as bracelets. The necklace also comes with a keyring connector chain and three amulets: your birthstone, a Padma, which symbolises enlightenment and rebirth, and a hand-hammered gold bead. John Hardy will donate up to 40% of the proceeds for the necklace to Every Mother counts, in support of mothers, families and maternity care workers worldwide.
The Bali-based brand is a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Council, and all packaging materials are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. All jewellery is handmade locally, and the brand is active in supporting local communities and keeping waste to a minimum.
Available at John Hardy
Dainty Days
Small but stylish, these dainty stacker rings and earrings are really easy to wear and won’t break the bank. Nyrelle’s Diamond Waterfall Earring comes in 9k or 18k recycled gold, with Kimberly Process-certified conflict-free diamonds. The company only every uses recycled gold, fairtrade silver and ethically sourced gems, and each piece comes with a two-year full warranty, followed by lifetime warranty on wear and tear.
The company also practices a closed-loop process to help reduce waste– so it buys back its jewellery at 20 percent of the purchase price, to be upcycled to new pieces.
Get stacking
Linjer’s stackable rings – Karoline, Ilse, Diamond Eternity and Diamond Solitaire – are all made with recycled 14k solid gold or vermeil, and labgrown diamonds. Sustainability is a core value of this design studio, focusing on the use of quality metals so pieces last many years, recycling metals, using recycled paper and cardboard packaging, and offsetting carbon emissions by funding renewable energy projects through Carbonfund.org.
Available at Linjer.
Au Naturel
Upcycled materials originally found in nature like driftwood, abandoned shells and stone can create unique textures and memorable jewellery. Niin’s Luna Inlaid Pendant Necklace and Earrings feature whitewood, abalone shell, resin, stainless steel and gold foil.
The pieces are made from gold-plated sterling silver. Hong Kong-based Niin, and its designer, Jeanine Hsu, works with small artisanal businesses across South East Asia, supporting small communities for the production of their designs, all while focusing on repurposed materials. All niin pieces come in recycled packaging.
Available at Niin
All the Rage for Vintage
If they look like they came out of your grandma’s closet, they’re in– earrings and bracelets in hammered gold, enamel details and pearls. Check out Octavia Elizabeth’s Charmed Micro Gabby hoops come in 18-karat recycled gold hammered by hand, and feature ethically sourced emeralds weighing 0.50 carats.
Available at Netaporter Sustain
Go Baroque
Agmes’ Baroque Bodmer Earrings, designed in collaboration with Brooklyn-based designer and sculptor Simone Bodmer-Turner, is fashioned from sterling sillver or gold vermeil, with a baroque freshwater pearl drop.
Almost all of the metals used by the brand are recycled, from the 925 sterling silver to the 14-karat gold. Games ensures that its designs are constructed to stand the test of time, made to last for generations by a small team of jewellers in New York City.
Available at Agmes
See also: Buckle Up: 5 Stylish & Sustainable Belts To Wear Now
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