I recently attended a full day workshop on Ethical Jewellery run by the fabulous Stuart Pool and hosted at the London Jewellery School.

We covered topics such as:

• Industry issues and why we need responsible sourcing of metals and gemstones 

• Precious metals and ethical options 

• Diamonds & gemstones - including sourcing options and buying tips, mining and the journey of the gemstone, man-made stones 

• Workplace - what you can do in your own space to be more ethical

It is a massive subject, I found it interesting and initially bewildering that there are no simple choices to tick all the ethical boxes (health & welfare, environment, sustainability, community growth) but having pondered it, I now know I can give my clients’ options to fulfil their own ethical values.

Part one is about precious metals. I shall add my findings about diamonds and coloured gemstones onto the blog in the next few days.