Ethics
Ethics, materials & sourcing
The source of my materials is something I think a lot about, from my packaging to my metals. And while my practice is far from perfect, I am continually striving to do better, and always promise to be fully transparent with the way that I work and the processes I use.
Packaging
My packaging is almost fully eco, I use recycled and fsc certified paper and card, recycled ribbon, recyclable bio tape, only the box inserts aren't currently recyclable (I'm working on that too). I love a well wrapped gift, but I keep it as minimal as possible.
Metals
Where possible I use recycled silver and gold. I get this from my suppliers in Dublin and the UK. While buying recycled metal is good, for me it is only the start, working exclusively with fairtrade and fairmined metals is something I'd love to have availabe to me, I am working towards that goal all the time.
Gems
The gemstone industry is still a fairly unregulated one. The only stones that have any real regulation are the super clear and expensive high end gems, which count for about 5% of all the gems mined in the world. I prefer to utilise a little bit of the 95% so-called 'flawed' stones.
With that, I source most of my gemstones directly from lapidry artists (stone cutters) in the States and Pakistan who buy rough stone directly from mines they trust. A lot of my my ethics around this are based on trust and transparency with my gem cutters. I am continuously asking questions, creating relationships and learning as I go.
Me
So while I would love to sit here and tell you that every piece of material that I use is 100% ethically sourced, I cannot. I have no guarantees and no way of knowing sources with 100% certainty. What I can say is that with my own practices, once I have the raw materials, every process is completed within Ireland by my own hand, with the occasional job to my casters in Dublin or my gold platers in Kildare. With everything else, it is all a work in progress, and as always, if you have any questions or suggestions at all for me, please do not hesitate to get in touch taerjewellery@gmail.com , this is something that is very close to my heart and if there is an improvement I can make, I absolutely will.