Sustainable Jewellery – Beautiful and Unique

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Creativity always shines through in jewellery making. Delving into the depths of historical fashion and it’s evident that humans have often worn adornments. There are many ways to create jewellery—even with untraditional materials. I’ve listed a few examples below to show how beautiful sustainable and ethically made jewellery can be.

Nuts and Berries

Pretty Pink Jewellery is a Scottish based jewellery company who create beautiful pieces using sustainable and renewable natural resources from the Amazon Rainforest. One of the materials they use is vegetable ivory – don’t worry; it’s nothing to do with elephants! Vegetable ivory is, in fact, the dried seedpod from the large-fruited Ivory Palm and is native to tropical rainforests in Brazil of South America. This plant waits forty years before bearing any fruit. However, the first crop is left untouched for the birds and the second harvest is collected by hand from the forest floor. The workers form a collective to ensure their skills are all used.

Vegetable ivory has been carved into ornaments and made into buttons but, it can also be turned into jewellery too. It can hold different dyes and is so versatile that the craftsmen usually leave a brown section to show it is, in fact, a veg product.

Pretty Pink Eco Jewellery buy these seeds from responsible suppliers that care for and depend on the environment. They also donate 10% of profits to The Helping Hand project who are helping single mothers in Colombia support their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recycled Plastic

Recycled plastic is another creative way of producing beautiful jewellery. I’ve long been a fan of Sue Gregor’s bright and bold nature designs. Sue makes contemporary acrylic jewellery with wildflower designs. She uses 100% recycled acrylic in her work, and each piece is handmade and unique. By combining synthetic materials with nature, she produces beautiful and individual jewellery. I honestly can’t think of a better way to reuse plastic than to create a piece that can be worn and treasured for years.

Sea Glass

Sea glass is chemically and physically weathered glass that washes up on the shoreline. It is broken shards of glass which tumbles around the sea often for tens of years to achieve a matt frosted appearance. This sea glass can then be turned into beautiful jewellery. From a simple pair of earrings to more intricate designs. Glass Wing Jewellery use sea glass to produce beautiful engagement rings.

It’s even possible to provide your sea glass. I’ve often had a poke along the shoreline but haven’t found any myself yet! The colour is, of course, determined by the original glass. However, the most common are green, brown clear and white. My personal favourite is blue. There are many rare varieties too from bottles and jars used in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Reusing and rethinking ways of using objects that are natural and recycled is the way forward in sustainability. And these suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg with many craftspeople using recycled and natural materials in their designs: recycled metals and leather as well as reused and reworked gems and stones. There are even lab-grown diamonds and gemstones nowadays. Jewellery can be simple or decadent, but the main thing is that it is ethical and sustainable.

In the photos, I’m wearing a gifted necklace made with acai berries from Pretty Pink Jewellery and a gifted linen dress from Magic Linen.