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Ethical jewellery practices

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The awful conflict that's currently growing in the Democratic Republic of Congo inevitably brings our thoughts back to gold and jewellery. This vast country has huge deposits of diamonds, gold and copper. And while the 870m dollar diamond industry provides work for around one million people in the DR Congo, diamond diggers earn less than one dollar a day and work in extremely dangerous conditions.

So it's always a worry that the jewels you choose could hold some dark and dirty secret. If you are determined to be as eco conscious as possible with your wedding plans and outfits, then the only way to be sure that your engagement rings and committment bands have come from completely ethical sources is to buy from a totally transparent company.

Bario-Neal is one of these. A collaborative work of designers Anna Bario and Page Neal who handcraft all their jewellery in Philadelphia, USA. Bario-Neal promotes total transparency, fair trade initiatives and the development of third party certification systems for ethical jewellery.

Their gorgeous collection is made from reclaimed metals derived from recycled jewellery or industrial materials, while diamonds and gems are sourced from the Tanzania Women Miners Association, TAWOMA. They sell on line but if you want to take a peek at their work and you just happen to be in New York, they'll be at the Metal Pop Up Shop opening at the Tribeca Issey Miyake Flagship store from 7th to 15th November.

1% of profits is donated to the Association for Responsible Mining (ARM) which is an independent, global-scale effort, and pioneer initiative, created as an international and multi-institutional organization to bring credibility, transparency and legitimacy to the development of a framework for responsible artisanal and small-scale mining. Please visit www.communitymining.org for more information.

They participate in the Madison Dialogue: a cross-sector initiative established to promote communication and collaboration among companies, civil society groups and others seeking to encourage best practices, sustainable economic development, and verified sources of responsible gold, diamonds and other minerals.

And as if that's not enough, after so much frustration and dead ends in their own research, trying to access information from suppliers, processors, and other jewellers about their materials and methods, they decided to publish their findings in a Research Blog which they hope will be useful to other designers and consumers, encouraging the creation of a more transparent jewellery manufacturing industry.
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