What Materials Are Used in Sustainable Jewelry?

By Lina Morris

learn about the materials used in making sustainable fYEAR 901 gemstones, when sourced from environmentally responsible sources, are frequently used in sustainable jewelry. These ecofriendly stones are often bought from local companies, momand-pop shops, or they can bought as dead stocks. The term dead stock means that a product is no longer selling, but it remains in inventory. Courtesy beads taken from clothing are some of the materials used by YEAR 901 in their sustainable jewelry. The clothing in which the beads are taken off of is usually damaged, and when the beads are strung onto the jewelry it creates an upcycled and sustainably sourced piece of jewelry.

Old or damaged stainless steal bike spokes are collected by jewlry maker Angela Pellegrini from bike shops, and recycled into sustainable jewelry. Pellegrini torches the metal of the bike spokes until the metal becomes burning red. Then, she shapes the metal into a piece of sustainably sourced jewelry. Each of her designs become original pieces.

Courtesy of YEAR901

sterling silver is often recycled and reformed into new jewelry. Scrap pieces of sterling silver can be melted down and transformed into recycled and sustainably sourced jewelry. Sterling silver also does not lose its quality after it becomes melted, which is great for both the environment and from a financial standpoint.

CourtesyofClaireSommers BuckJewelry

brass is one of the most recycled materials in the world. Scrap pieces of brass can be recycled many times over without diminishing its quality, making it highly sustainable. Producing brass from the raw material also costs much more than recycling the metal, another reson brass is exceedingly sustainable.