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Due to the rate at which global warming is increasing, it is important that you start taking measures to manage it properly in your way. And one of the ways you can do that is by buying eco-friendly jewelry.
Eco-friendly jewelry is made with little or no negative impact on the environment. You should start using eco-friendly jewelry because they are produced from materials that do not destroy the environment and nature.
Do you run a jewelry business or a jewelry brand? Or are you a wholesaler or retailer that deals in jewelry? Or are you a consumer that wants to know more about eco-friendly jewelry? If your answer to any of those questions is yes, then you are reading the right article.
In this article, we provide you with all you need to know about eco-friendly jewelry.
Let’s dive in!
What is Eco-friendly Jewelry?
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Eco-friendly jewelry is jewelry that is made with little or no negative impact on nature or the environment. So, they are simply called environmentally friendly jewelry. They are usually created using sustainable jewelry materials.
Synthetic diamonds, pearls, gemstones, recyclable materials are some of the pieces that make up eco-friendly jewelry. The major aim of creating eco-friendly jewelry is not only to adorn but also to reduce the hazards in our environment and to manage global warming.
What are the Materials for Eco-friendly Jewelry?
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When it comes to making eco-friendly jewelry, one question must be shown up in your mind: What material should I select for my eco-friendly jewelry? Here, we TTT will show you the commonly used materials for eco-friendly jewelry.
1. Gold and Silver
Gold and silver are both precious and recyclable materials, which are able to be melted and reformed into new pieces of gold and silver jewelry easily. Besides, they are able to be melted down and reused without losing their quality at all.
2. Gemstones
Gemstones sourced from fair trade or other environmentally responsible sources are frequently used in eco-friendly jewelry. To make sure that the gemstones do not cause environmental concerns, small-scale mines with sustainable techniques have been developed for gemstone jewelry; concrete records of gemstone origins and mining practices are maintained and accessible to customers.
Besides, lab-created stones mimic natural stones in appearance offering a better substitution for natural gemstones.
3. Stainless Steel
Stainless steel has increasingly been used in jewelry since it’s well known as an eco-friendly substitution of mined precious metals. Stainless steel jewelry is beneficial to our planet because it can be 100% recycled and does less harm to the environment even if they’re mistakenly thrown into the trash. Even the “Brand New” stainless steel in the market has been recycled 50% or so.
With a shimmering appearance as silver, resilient stainless steel is popularly used in making bracelets and necklaces. Stainless steel jewelry is lightweight to wear and will not corrode, tarnish, or rust.
4. Pearls
Pearl necklaces, pearl bracelets, pearl earrings, and pearl rings are forever classic and give the wearers a sense of charm, elegance and dignity. The pearls, which are sourced from nuclei in oyster shells instead of tiny nuclei created from endangered mussel shells, are eco-friendly materials for jewelry making.
5. Aluminium
With the characteristic of being melted down and reformed continuously without any influence on quality, aluminum is also a kind of sustainable metal for jewelry making. Aluminum is lightweight and able to be handcrafted into creative and delicate jewelry.
6. Wood
Wood is a renewable source in nature. When making wood jewelry, it can be easily manufactured, ranging from smoothing, cutting, staining, polishing, painting to carving. There are various types of wood like koa wood, secret wood, and petrified wood that are frequently used in jewelry making. And wood jewelry has an appealing appearance as gemstones jewelry.
7. Clay
Clay material, which is applied to jewelry making and other aspects, can be dated back to ancient times. And it has been increasingly demanded presently. The reasons why clay is used in jewelry are as followed:
- It’s easy to shape the clay into any bead or pendant and it’s accessible to harden and dry it by oven or sun.
- Pressing the wet clay into the stencils, different designs, textures, and patterns are available.
- Paints and colors on the surface of clay jewelry are easy to add. Besides, clay jewelry can also be polished just like metal jewelry. Jewelry made from clay usually features an ethnic and natural look.
8. Sea Glass.
If you are seeking materials featuring an appearance like frosting gems, sea glass must be an excellent and eco-friendly option. Sea glass can be found on the ocean shoes and they are pieces of glass tumbled by waves. Being tumbled millions of times, the sea glass looks smooth and frosted with shapes ranging from large to small and sizes from oval to round.
Types of Eco-friendly Jewelry
- Eco-friendly Bracelet:
Chunky Cable Chain Link Bracelet
- Eco-friendly Necklace:
Lariat Style Gold Plated Link Chain Necklace
- Eco-friendly Earrings:
Blue Lace Agate Gold Drop Earrings
How to Make Eco-friendly Earrings?
Making your eco-friendly jewelry will allow you to make use of sustainable jewelry materials and also have jewelry in your name.
Wooden earrings
To create wooden earrings, you will need the following:
- A pencil and a ruler
- Drill bit
- Needle nose pliers
- Jump rings
- Earring hooks
- Paintbrush
- Paint
- Glue
- X-acto scissors or knife
- 1/16-inch sheet of birch plywood
To create this beautiful piece of art, cut out different sizes of wood that you need. You can use a pencil, ruler, and scissors to do that. Then, paint the shapes of the wood that you cut out before using glue to hold them in place.
Use the drill bit to create a hole close to the top of the earrings. Pick your needle nose pliers to pull apart the closure on the earring hook, slide the ring via the opening, and carefully squeeze the closure back together with the aid of the pliers. After that, you can rock your wooden earrings.
How to Choose a Trustworthy Eco-friendly Jewelry Manufacturer?
There are many eco-friendly jewelry manufacturers but you need to carefully choose the trustworthy ones to patronize, so you don’t end up buying fake eco-friendly jewelry. Here are the things you should consider when choosing a trustworthy eco-friendly jewelry manufacturer:
- Material Origin–lookout for the traceability of the materials that the eco-friendly manufacturer is using. It’s the right choice to purchase eco-friendly jewelry from a manufacturer who can provide you with enough information about the materials.
- Eco-toxic washing and polishing–trustworthy manufacturers do not use acids or toxic chemicals like cyanide in the jewelry cleaning and polishing process.
- Waste collection–reliable eco-friendly jewelry manufacturers collect the waste metal dust and wastewater by using special collecting machines, filters, or tanks. Finally, they send these waste to recycling facilities.
- Eco-friendly packing–it’s good to choose manufacturers who provide custom packaging. In this way, you are able to require compatible or recycled packing.
In short, it’s vital to find out what materials your eco-friendly jewelry manufacturers use, where they get their materials and find out if they comply with sustainable practices.
How to Care for Eco-friendly Jewelry?
It is one thing to own a piece of eco-friendly jewelry, it is another to know how to take care of them properly. It would not be good for you to buy a piece of expensive eco-friendly jewelry and just abandon it. Here are some ways on how you can take care of your eco-friendly jewelry:
1. Vinegar
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When using vinegar to take care of your eco-friendly jewelry,
- Get a small plastic bowl and pour a small quantity of vinegar into it. Certain ceramic bowls have a texture that can likely scratch metal, that’s why you should use plastic.
- Put our silver or gold jewelry in it for no more than twenty minutes.
- Use a soft bristle brush to get rid of any stubborn stain before using a soft cloth to rinse off the vinegar.
Besides, if you don’t want your pearls and gemstones to get damaged, avoid using vinegar on them.
2. Polishing Cloth
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Learn to use a polishing cloth to clean your jewelry. A non-abrasive cloth would do too if you can’t get a polishing cloth. Avoid using paper towels or tissue paper on your eco-friendly jewelry because they could scratch them.
3. Baking Soda
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A lot of eco-friendly jewelry users use baking soda to keep their jewelry clean. If you want to use baking soda to clean your jewelry, Dip a soft lint-free cloth in a small amount of baking soda, then use the soft cloth to carefully polish your gold or silver.
4. Mild Soap
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You can use mild without containing phosphates and ammonia to clean your pearls, diamonds, and silver. Mix your mild soap in warm water, then dip a soft cloth in the mixture. Then, use a soft cloth to clean your pieces of jewelry.
You can leave sapphires or rubies jewelry in soapy water when you are cleaning them because they can withstand it.
Dip your pearl jewelry in soapy water for only a few minutes, leaving it for an extended period can damage it and so is scrubbing it thoroughly. After removing them from the water, use a very soft cloth to keep them dry immediately.
Why Choose TTT Jewelry?
We TTT manufacture beautiful jewelry but more than beautiful. We have been an eco-friendly-oriented manufacturer for over 10 years.
TTT can assist you in accomplishing any of your fashion jewelry projects and these projects are handled by a team of professional artisans. And from materials to production and packing, every process is eco-friendly and sustainable.
Besides, if you want your jewelry customized, we can get that done for you too. Buying one of our products will clear any doubt you have about buying eco-friendly jewelry.
Visit our website to see the entire collection of handmade eco-friendly jewelry that meets the latest trends in the industry. Leave your details for our manager to contact you. You will get a free consultation!