Happy Earth Day!
I am busy preparing for the Last Friday Art Walk in Hillsborough, NC. I will be at King Street Bar showing my work. For more information on the Art Walk visit https://www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org/art-walk I will be at #6 on the map. They say a messy bench is the sign of a creative person. Well, if that is the case I am about to be very creative. Look at the disaster on my bench!
a sure sign of creativity!
It has been a challenge for me to find the time to get back to my bench. I so miss it! Since becoming a REALTOR® in January, I have been extremely busy with getting that business started. I am struggling to find time to get back to the bench. I will somehow figure it all out! Seeing how I want to have a successful show this Friday with some new jewelry pieces this blog may be a bit on the short side.
Earth Day got me to thinking whether or not I could be as environmentally friendly as I could be in my jewelry designing and metalsmithing. I am by no means perfect in my everyday life when it comes to being environmentally friendly but I do my best to do what I can. I continue to switch out products laden with chemicals for ones that are earth friendly and more natural. I recycle, and I do try to be less wasteful! But what am I doing in my jewelry business? Am I using Sustainable materials when I can? Am I purchasing raw materials that are sustainable and ethically sourced? This led me to do a bit of research to see what I might find.
I buy a good share of my metal and much more from Rio Grande Jewelry Supplies. This is an article on their blog that they wrote a couple of years ago on their commitment to Sustainability. I think they do a great job of explaining what sustainability means exactly in the jewelry industry. They are not (by far) my only source but they are one of my greatest sources.
Article From Rio Grande’s Blog
Our Commitment to Sustainability
Modified on: Mon, 18 Jan, 2016 at 4:27 PM
We believe sustainability is a social pact with future generations. Sustainable means meeting our present needs without compromising the needs of our children.
How do we go about accomplishing that? In part by offering products that are made from materials that are recycled/recovered or made from renewable materials. We also encourage manufacturing processes that minimize environmental impacts. More than 85% of our gold is recycled and the majority of the balance comes from American gold mines.
When a product is labeled as “Sustainable,” what does that mean?
- For findings and metals, sustainable means the products are made with reclaimed/recycled metal or with third-party-certified ethically mined metal. Many of the products not listed as sustainable in our catalogs or on our website are also likely made primarily or exclusively with recycled metal, we just haven’t yet established this with certainty.
- For displays and packaging, sustainable means the products are made from recycled or renewable materials and/or are produced with manufacturing processes that employ environmentally sound methods.
We have been working toward improving the sustainability of jewelry-making processes, products and materials for a long time.
In 1968, two decades before it became industry practice, Rio Grande eliminated harmful cadmium from the solders we sell.
We devised a way to reduce the investment material consumed in our casting operation by 20%.
We’ve commissioned regular energy consumption audits of our buildings for many years and currently use 33% less energy to run our facilities than we did ten years ago despite the fact that we’ve continued to grow each year.
We’ve eliminated toxic solvents from our cleaning processes and now use soap and water to clean our products.
The items above are just a partial list. We see sustainability as a never-ending process filled with opportunities to make the future better than the past. It is an effort we can all participate in and benefit from together. Our commitment to you and, more importantly, to all our children is to never waver in this effort, and encourage others to do the same.
For more information on environmental and social responsibility in the jewelry industry, please visit:
- Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (http://www.mjsa.org/)
- Jewelers of America (http://www.jewelers.org/)
- The Responsible Jewellery Council (http://www.responsiblejewellery.com/)
When you purchase from me please know that I am doing the best I can to use raw materials that are sustainable. I use a lot of vintage, recycled chain. I use recycled leather or leather samples for my leather jewelry and much more recycled materials. I package all my jewelry in handmade drawstring bags made from recycled upholstery and fabric samples. Like Rio Grande I too believe that sustainability is a never-ending process.
jewelry packaging made from recycled fabric samples
recycled leather
vintage recycled chain
Make one small change today to protect mother earth in the future!
Back to work on creating for This Friday’s Art Walk.
ENJOY!!
cheryl