Companies I Work With

Jewelry making is a magical process. There is something so profound about turning gold, diamonds and gemstones into something that can be adorned, admired and loved for years to come.

Unfortunately, the jewelry industry has a dark side like so many other main stream industries do. When I began my journey into jewelry making I experienced some of the downsides very early on. However, those experiences led me to learn more about the how to participate in this industry in a more ethical way.

Of course the most obvious was to find and sell vintage pieces. Jewelry that has already been made, worn and well loved. There is a lot of fun in the hunt of finding unique pieces filled with mystery and history. But I still had the desire to create some pieces of my own. Which led me down the path of finding people who are truly making a huge impact in a positive way.

When creating new pieces I choose to source my stones from these companies. Companies that are striving to change the jewelry industry and the world for the better. These companies are doing incredible things for the community and beyond. Below you will find a list of some of the brands I work with and a link to their websites if you want to find out more about them. I also wanted to share with you some of the things they do to make a safer industry for all. Most of my gemstones are sourced from the companies below while my diamonds are taken from vintage or repurposed pieces or sourced from a local contact of mine that adheres to the Kimberley process.

COLUMBIA GEM HOUSE

There are so many things I could share about Eric Braunwart the founder of Columbia Gem House and Fair Trade Gems. He has the biggest heart and more knowledge than you could ever imagine about the gem industry. Eric has made it his life's mission to make the industry a safer more equal place, all while still protecting the planet and its natural resources. He now has enlisted his beautiful daughter to help him carry out his life's mission. Below is an excerpt from their blog which shares a bit about their beliefs and practices.

"Fair Trade Gems is part of a movement in many industries to implement and promote ethical practices. These ethical practices apply to both employees and the environment. Fair Trade businesses make a commitment to providing fair wages and safe workplaces. Additionally, businesses commit to consumer education, environmental sustainability, respect for cultural identity and public accountability.

Consequently, fair trade products ensure your purchases make life better for the people whose labor brings you those products.

Since 1976 Columbia Gem House has been building the world’s largest ethical mine-to-market gemstone supply chain. We operate gemstone cutting facilities on two continents to ensure faceters are protected from Silicosis. Columbia Gem House also works directly with governments, non-profits, and miners. These ongoing relationships ensure safety, fair wages, ethical sourcing and environmentally responsible mining.

Protecting the Earth is an important aspect of the Fair Trade Gems® protocols. Protection includes being environmentally conscious during mining, cutting, and jewelry manufacturing.

Gemstones are usually mined by hand, unlike mining for most commodities and minerals. Small scale mining is often done with hand-held tools, minimizing the lasting impact on the surrounding environment. A gemstone miner is much more likely to use a shovel or a basket than a backhoe.

Columbia Gem House plans its mining operations to safeguard the natural setting of the mine. One vital aspect of planning is working closely with miners, who generally live near the gem deposits. Additionally, impact on the native wildlife habitat can by reduced by leaving as much vegetation as possible untouched.

Columbia Gem House works diligently to protect streams, watersheds, and groundwater from natural sediment and pollutants. Although mining operations move a lot of earth and rock, environmental impact can be reduced with planning. Careful planning ensures that sediment does not block or divert streams and runoff channels which could harm fish and other marine life.

It is the company’s policy to restore and replant mine sites to as close to original condition as possible once mining is complete. In Malawi, native plants are being cultivated to restore the natural habitat. In Australia, past sapphire mines are now beautiful lush pastures."

https://columbiagemhouse.com

CAPRICORN GEMS

Capricorn Gems was founded by Ian Bone and Rodney Beattie. They specialize in gemstones mostly sapphires and opals from Central Queensland in Australia. They both have a personal relationship with the miners ensuring that they employ the world's best practice mining processes and practices. All of their gemstones have complete traceability from mine to market. My heart sapphires from my "Queen of Hearts" are one of the many stones I source from them.

https://www.capricorngems.com.au/

BRASIL GEMLAND

Brasil Gemland is owned and operated by Joel Djahjah and his daughter Christina. Joel owns the mine and has had a personal relationship with the people he employs for decades. They believe in ethical practices which is why they follow their stones from mine to market. Most of the Emerald Melee you see in my pieces are from Brasil Gemland.

All of the emeralds I purchased from Joel at BG hold a special place in my heart. I found him at a booth at the Tucson Gem Show. They were small and rather hidden from many of the larger brighter booths. However, something about him caught my eye. We talked for a while as I picked out stones. He told me he was in his 80s and owned the mine detailing how he had worked hard to make it a sustainable business. He and his daughter travel to all of the different shows selling their stones, but he wasn't sure if he was going to continue traveling due to his age and health. He was warm, kind and very personable which if you've been in this industry long enough, know can be rare. I hope to see him again but if I don't I'll always cherish the conversation and experience I had with him.

TEMPLE TRADING CO.

I source my moonstone and labradorite from Temple Trading Co. This company is owned by Nandu Nichani who specializes in the gorgeous blue moonstone you see in many of my pieces including my Blue Moon Butterfly Necklace. Though he has lived all over and since settled in San Diego (my hometown), he is originally from India which is where his beautiful stones are mined. He has a direct and exclusive relationship with the mine which creates fair wages for its workers and maintains the utmost ethical practices.

MISFIT DIAMONDS

I buy my diamonds from various ethical companies (especially when it comes to sourcing vintage stones), but the first place I like to go to when I need something sparkly is Mistfit Diamonds. They specialize in salt n pepper and champagne diamonds as well as fun colored sapphires.

A word from them:

The majority of diamonds in the supply chain today do not come with documented origin. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS, established in 2003) was put into place to stem the flow of conflict diamonds into the supply chain, however, the KPCS still leaves many key questions (origin, labor practices, environmental standards) unanswered.

At Misfit we believe establishing documented origin is one of the first steps to creating transparency in the diamond industry. From there we can begin to explore the working conditions, labor practices, and environmental factors involved in the extraction of these precious stones from the earth.

Over the past two years since Misfit was founded we have been working on bringing products with documented origin to market. In 2021 we launched our collections of Canadian, Australian, and African origin diamonds. By sharing our processes with the industry and our followers we hope we can educate and inspire other businesses to follow suit. The more of us requesting origin documentation from our vendors, the more we can amplify the demand for this within our industry.

ABOUT THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS

The Kimberley Process (KP) is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative created to increase transparency and oversight in the diamond industry in order to eliminate trade in