Here at Ziorva, we create jewellery for the contemporary woman. She is stylish and sustainable. She chooses jewellery for its beauty, its quality design and its craftsmanship. When choosing her jewellery, she thinks about how things are made and their impact on the environment.
Fashion and Beauty on Female First
The inspiration from Ziorva comes from the beautiful landscape of Ireland, where I grew up. Vast skies, wild seas and rolling hills were the backdrop to my childhood and the inspiration for my jewellery. I want future generations to be able to enjoy this nature in the same way I did, so I know I must do my part to help protect and preserve the environment. For me, this meant creating jewellery that would represent, but not damage, our planet and those on it.
Knowing this, here are five reasons to buy ethical jewellery.
Respecting the Environment
Given the inspiration behind our jewellery, a respect for the environment is a central part of the work we do. Without the environment I grew up in, my work wouldn’t exist, so I want to preserve this for future generations to enjoy too. This means doing my part to try and minimise any impact on the planet and its people, even if it’s just from the way I make my jewellery.
Reducing your Carbon Footprint
By buying from a local, UK based jewellery brand, you can reduce your carbon footprint in many ways. If you buy local, it reduces the distance the jewellery has to travel. This isn’t just to transport it to your door, but also the distance travelled to make the individual components of the product. Additionally, a lot of the materials we use are recycled; the 9ct gold is 100% recycled and sourced from a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council, which makes sure the recycled gold is produced in an environmentally safe and ethical manner.
Responsible Materials
As well as 100% recycled gold, the the gemstones we use are as ethically sourced as possible. We check where the gemstones come from and we only get diamonds that adhere to the Kimberley Process, which prevents “conflict diamonds”. The gemstones we choose are chosen for their meaning as well as their beauty. The boxes we send our jewellery in are created from FSC certified card, which ensure the protection of our forests for the future.
Workers’ Rights
It is not only the environment that must be treated with respect when creating ethical jewellery, as there are also the workers to consider. One of the biggest rights workers can get is fair pay and good working conditions, so ethical jewellery makers check every step in the process to check their workers are being treated with the respect that they deserve. For example, the gemstones Ziorva source are from a reputable company, who have taken the time to make sure the employees are being treated like they should be, and the diamonds we use all adhere to the Kimberley Process.
Small Businesses
Finally, by supporting ethical jewellery brands, this often means you are choosing to support smaller, independent jewellery makers. Large companies often fall into the traps that ethical ones try to avoid. By supporting small businesses, each piece is more unique, and each is made with more care and meaning. One of the things that made me fall in love with jewellery when I was little was that each piece told a story; I hope you’ll be able to feel that too with the pieces.
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