Conflict free – How to purchase jewelry without a humanitarian impact

In these times of mass production and rising demand, an unfortunate byproduct of the jewelry industry is an ongoing humanitarian crisis relating to the entire proccess of acquisition of gemstones, in particular diamonds – at every point of the supply chain from mining to proccessing.
Due to the high value of these gemstones, many immoral individuals seek to exploit jewelers and consumers by cutting costs in a myriad of ways which involve mistreatment of people or even outright violations of their rights.
In multiple natural resource rich countries, particularly in the continent of Africa, these operations include forced labor, child miners, and forceful coercion and extraction of resources.
So how does one ensure his purchase of jewelry doesn’t fund a cruel trade built on human suffering?

These days, there are plenty of legal systems put in place to eventually starve these practices of funding, such as the Clean Diamond Trade Act in the US, and the worldwide effort of the Kimberley proccess – but unfortunately these are not enough as mass production of jewelry often induces large companies to not put enough effort into screening all of their suppliers properly, and in general these things aren’t often enforced well enough.

However, a rising movement is the world of jewelry is calling to abandon mass suppliers, and mass stores as well.
Small scale jewelers and local workshops spend more time ensuring the sourcing of their materials is not only high quality, but also of ethical origin.
So an important things to look for when you are purchasing your wedding bands, whether they are with diamonds or emeralds, is that you shop with a company that shares your values.

If you’ve heard the term “Blood diamonds” before, you might know it is referring to diamonds that were acquired with cost to human life, sometimes funding paramilitary groups seeking to overthrow legitimate governments and gain control, and sometimes involving inhumane working conditions such as overworking, underpayment, and lack of workplace safety regulation. But did you know this issue exists in a lot more fields than just the diamond industry?
In fact, an industry on the rise for exploitation of impoverished laborars is the lithium mining industry with is mostly for the production of electronics and batteries.
In addition to that, the palm oil industry has contributed to a major loss of habitat for a wide range of wildlife due to deforestation for clearing growing grounds for the oil palms.

As consumers, it is important to be aware which products we use in our daily lives are contributing to climate change, water pollution and human suffering in order to make more conscious choices about the items we choose to purchase and our habits when we are shopping.
We know we have one home in the universe, and that is earth – so we do all that is in our hands in order to protect it to the best of our ability.

For us, one of the most important things is ensuring that our products bring nothing but joy, and that can’t be happening if someone has to suffer in order for the product to be made. That is why we carefully select our suppliers and only purchase from artisan jewelcrafters that prove to us their obtainment of the gems is humane and conflict-free.

We hold a firm belief that over time, with the support of the customers and the co-operation of jewelers worldwide will lead to a ceassation of inhumane practices in the jewelry industry.
However, it is still important to keep in mind there is plenty more to be concerned of besides the unethical employment conditions of miners and proceessors of gems, as there is also a large environmental impact to the industry.

Large scale production carries with it the unfortunate side effects of a major carbon footprint, and big factories take up land areas that could have been otherwise converted into agricultural land, that is why small scale production, particularly in manual workshops carries a smaller environmental impact.
Handmade items do not carry with them the added burden of having changed a lot of hands, since usually once artisan who make handmade products has the materials or ingredients, they do most of the work in one place, so there is a lesser environmental impact as there is not a lot of transportation of goods.
We personally, as well as many other small-scale production companies have opted to swap out our vehicles for electric ones, so that when we are running our business errands we still keep it green.

Another way to purchase greener, is the option to opt for lab gemstones.
We offer a wide variety of lab-made gemstones, alongside ethically sourced natural ones, because you have the right to choose where you invest.
Lab-made gemstones might be more production-inducing, but can be more sustainable as they do not involve mining, and tend to be cheaper.
However, we do understand it is important for many people to have natural gemstones, as a way of connection with mother earth and marveling at the beauty of nature’s creation, so we make sure to provide the option for you (if it isn’t there, contact us and we can make it happen!)

An additional fantastic thing that helps majorly with sustainability is not holding a large stock, and we are firm believers in that.
In the past, stores were forced to carry a stock of every single product they offer, in different sizes and colors. This includes jewelry, but holding all this jewelry carries waste of materials in the form of unsold products, as well as heavy costs of transportation, insurance, and security.
That is why at Vidar Jewelry we use advanced 3D rendering technology to create a zero-waste wide variety shopping experience.
Since we really want each and every customer to have a ring they will truly love, and we also make loads of custom rings from requests by the scratchboard – It would be physically impossible to hold everything we have to offer. So instead, we opted for this method, that allows us to bring to life the rings of your dreams, and only handmake what you want when you want it.

This has the added benefit that changes can be made to any ring, so if there is a design you like that includes gemstones you want to change, such as changing a sapphire to a blue diamonds it is easily possible!
This also works in favor of your budget, as we can find alternatives to designs you liked that will allow you to receive a more affordable but just as high quality version of your dream ring!