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By
Bryan Huynh
Ethical jewelry brands work to have fair trade or recycled materials, keep a low carbon footprint, fair sourcing, livable wages, and community outreach.
Here are some of our favorite ethical and sustainable jewelry brands that give you stylish, high-quality pieces. Many of these brands do community outreach work -- such as ending poverty through employment and fair wages -- in addition to creating beautiful jewelry.
Before we show you our top choices, it’s important to note that prices for ethical fashion will run higher than most retailers. We will use the following scale to show the price range:
$: Under $25
$$: $25–$50
$$$: $50–$80
$$$$: $80 or more
Price: $$ - $$$$
Soko is a San Francisco and Kenya-based ethical jewelry brand that is women-led and uses a tech-powered platform to connect artisans in Kenya with the global marketplace. These artisans are empowered to build their business and sustainably increase their income; they use mobile tools to access their consumers, orders, and payments.
Soko is Certified B (benefit) Corp, which means businesses meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
Soko uses upcycled and sustainable materials to create minimal, classic, and luxury pieces, many of which are inspired by traditional tribal designs and architecture. Its pieces include earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets, which can be gold-plated, silver, brass, or have mixed materials.
See more at Soko.
Price: $$$$
Toronto, Canada-based company Mejuri creates fine jewelry with fair labor, environmental sustainability, and ethically sourced, fair trade metals, gems, and stones; diamonds are conflict-free and cultured pearls come from oysters and freshwater mussels. Many of its pieces are 14 karat gold, 18 karat gold plating on sterling silver, or sterling silver.
Mejuri’s rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces are handcrafted by jewelers around the world (India, Italy, South Korea, and more) and produced in small quantities for the highest quality. It also has frequent collaborations and limited-edition items.
See more at Mejuri.
Price: $$ - $$$$
Catbird, a Brooklyn, New York-based company, believes in creating beautiful pieces that are created through ethical working conditions and fair wages. This is a woman-owned brand that makes their jewelry in-house at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Catbird has over 40 on-site jewelers and artisans that use recycled gold and conflict-free, responsibly-sourced stones to create beautiful and high-quality jewelry for everyday wear, special occasions, and more. It manufactures rings, necklaces, earrings, anklets, and bracelets, and even specialty pieces such as engagement and wedding rings.
The Catbird Giving Fund donates 1% of all sales to organizations such as the Food Bank of NYC and the ACLU.
See more at Catbird.
Price: $ - $$$$$
Nashville, Tennessee-based company ABLE is a B Corp brand that provides fair wages and ethical working conditions to its workers. It creates sustainable businesses opportunities for Nashville-based women who have overcome adversity.
ABLE’s female artisan-made jewelry includes beautiful, classic, and simple pieces (such as necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings) made from responsibly sourced materials. Jewelry is made in-house with recycled and responsibly-sourced materials.
See more at ABLE.
Price: $ - $$$
Ten Thousand Villages was founded in 1946 and has been a trailblazer in ethical and fair trade practices -- in fact, it’s a member of the Fair Trade Federation. It’s based in Akron, PA and has artisans worldwide (in over 30 developing countries), including Cambodia, Colombia, Peru, Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Nepal.
Ten Thousand Villages has beautiful and handmade affordable pieces (bracelet, necklace, earrings, rings, pins) that are made with local, responsibly sourced and sustainable materials.
See more at Ten Thousand Villages.
Price: $ - $$
Nashville, Tennessee-based company Nisolo is a certified B Corp that pays fair, liveable wages and has good working conditions, along with transparent and ethical production practices.
Nisolo uses responsibly sourced and sustainable materials and collaborates with local artisans in Kenya, Mexico, and Peru to create beautiful jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, rings, and necklaces.
See more at Nisolo.
Price: $$$$
New York City-based company Aurate is an ethical jewelry company that believes in ethical working conditions and employs local seventh-generation artisans who create beautiful gold jewelry inspired by NYC icons ( historic building doorknobs and the Brooklyn Bridge) made with sustainable sourced and 100% recycled gold.
See more at Aurate.
Price: $$$ - $$$$
New York City-based Accompany is a certified B Corp business that creates ethical, artisan-made jewelry. It uses responsibly sourced materials (such as Colombian wood) and sources its jewelry from indigenous communities. It also teams up with brands like Soko and Makua for original, one-of-a-kind jewelry.
See more at Accompany.
Price: $ - $$
31 Bits works with artisans in Uganda, Indonesia, and the US to create quality, fashionable jewelry such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. It employs women and ensures that their employees are cared for and receive benefits such as health care, counseling, financial education, and business mentorships. Product sales and purchases donates proceeds to empower women overseas.
See more at 31 Bits.
Price: $$$ - $$$$
Toronto, Canada-based company Omi Woods was inspired by founder Ashley Alexis McFarlane’s grandmother Doreen Salmon and the African diaspora, and launched as a contemporary heirloom jewelry brand to honor their culture. It creates beautiful necklaces, earrings, anklets, and more, all of which are full of meaning and meant to be passed on to later generations.
Omi Woods believes in fair wages and labor, and supports miners and their communities with improved health care, education, safety, and living conditions. It uses conflict-free metal and fair trade African gold that is ethically sourced from small-scale artisanal mines.
See more at Omi Woods.
Price: $$$$
Philadelphia-based Bario Neal creates beautiful custom jewelry with ethically sourced recycled and reclaimed materials. The brand was one of the first jewelry companies to be part of the Fairmined Assurance label and believes in creating sustainable and eco-friendly products.
See more at Bario Neal.
Price: $$$$
Smiling Rocks creates gorgeous sustainable jewelry -- rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets -- using lab-grown, conflict-free diamonds. The brand believes in giving back, so 10% of all purchases are donated to a charity of your choice.
See more at Smiling Rocks
Price: $ - $$
Starfish Project believes in providing safety, shelter, counseling, education, and employment to women who are escaping human trafficking in Asia; over 140+ women have been hired by the company and work in management, accounting, photography, and graphic designs.
See more at Starfish Project.
Price: $$$$
Los Angeles-based Gjenmi uses high-quality, conflict-free materials, and recycled gold to create beautiful pieces that are inspired by vintage jewelry. Its pieces include anklets, rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and even customizable ring stacks.
See more at Gjenmi.
Price: $ - $$
Aid Through Trade works with artisans in Nepal to create beautiful, unique, and handmade jewelry. These artisans are given fair wages, benefits, and a safe work environment.
See more at Aid Through Trade.
Price: $ - $$$$
Arlokea’s jewelry is made from eco-friendly materials such as recycled bullhorn and Tagua. Each purchase goes towards supporting their employees and artisans around the world -- in places such as Ecuador, Ethiopia, England, India, and Vietnam -- and tackling issues around health, education, and poverty.
See more at Arlokea.
Price: $$ - $$$$
Seattle-based Aster + Orion is a woman-owned brand that creates gorgeous and modern jewelry (necklaces and earrings) with recycled materials. These pieces use circular design principles and are hand sculpted in a 3D environment; its manufacturing partner in Thailand ensures a safe and fair workplace.
See more at Astor + Orion.
Price: $$$ - $$$$
Texas-based and woman-owned brand Laura Elizabeth offers stylish, statement, and beautiful pieces that are made from recycled materials and easy to style and labor.
See more at Laura Elizabeth.
Price: $$$$
Miadonna has gorgeous jewelry for every occasion, such as engagement rings, wedding bands, bracelets, and pendant necklaces. It uses 100% recycled metal and ethical, lab-grown diamonds.
See more at Miadonna.
Price: $$$$
UK-based Taylor & Hart is an award-winning jeweler that creates beautiful jewelry (such as engagement and wedding rings) and uses ethically-sourced, conflict-free diamonds -- whether it’s lab-grown or mined.
See more at Taylor & Hart.
Price: $$$ - $$$$
Washed Ashore creates unique and beautiful jewelry with 100% recycled materials and ethically-sourced stones, including gemstones from vintage jewelry and Keshi pearls, which are a byproduct of the pearl industry.
See more at Washed Ashore.
Ethical and sustainable jewelry doesn’t result in a negative impact on the individuals making it and doesn’t negatively impact the environment since the jewelry is made with fair-trade materials and conflict-free gems.
Bryan Huynh
Product Tester & Writer
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Edited by:
Bryan Huynh
•
Product Tester & Writer
