There’s an article in the May issue of Conscious Choice magazine,
“Diamonds: No one’s best friend?” The author interviewed a suburban
Chicago couple who owns a jewelry store and sell only Canadian
diamonds.
The sidebar suggests alternatives to diamond engagement rings such
as matching tattoos.
Here’s an excerpt from the sidebar:
"Another option is to “recycle” an existing ring. Estate sales and
antique shops (along with older relatives) have plenty of vintage
jewelry. Yes, it’s likely to have been mined. However, being a
secondhand shopper means you’ve effectively cheated the jewelry
industry out of a potential customer. Reuse is also the theory
behind the Internet-based business, Green Karat. The company buys
other people’s jewelry, melts it down and refashions it into new
rings (www.greenkarat.com or 800-330-4605).
Finally, you can always fake it. Synthetics, such as cubic zirconia,
boast the exact chemical makeup of diamonds and have all the dazzle
of the real thing - but none of the drawbacks. - MB"
Mandy Burrell is the author.
If you’d like to write to the magazine to correct the horribly wrong
statement above, here’s the contact
CONSCIOUS CHOICE | 920 N. Franklin, Suite 202 | Chicago, IL 60610 |
Phone: 312.440.4373 | Fax: 312.751.3973 info@consciouschoice.com
Elaine Luther
Chicago area, Illinois, USA
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
Studio 925; established 1992
@E_Luther
Hello all,
I represent Green Karat, referenced in Thursday’s Orchid digest by
Elaine Luther. Elaine was commenting on an article in Conscious
Choice magazine. That article, written without contacting Green
Karat, incorrectly said that Green Karat “buys other people’s
jewelry, melts it down and refashions it into new rings.”
In fact, Green Karat utilizes fine gold sourced through ISO 14001
certified secondary refiners. That gold is thus ‘recycled’, but it
is not merely melted down discards (yikes!). While we serve a niche
for consumers who wish to step lightly on the Earth, we do not
compromise the quality of our jewelry in any way.
We welcome your comments regarding ways to offer environmentally
responsible jewelry, both in sourcing of metals and habits at the
bench. Neither our philosophy nor our site seeks opposition with the
jewelry industry. We are merely hoping, like you, to find healthy
ways to meld cultural traditions with our current environmental
challenges.
Warm regards,
Matt White
matt@greenKarat.com
www.greenKarat.com
800.330.4605
Matthew, I am not sure that Elaine referenced it because of the fact
that you mention remelting gold jewelry. The site was littered with
other inaccuracies which I have already emailed them about. If they
have used your material without your permission you should be talking
to them about it.
Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-6000
@spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com
Absolutely correct Daniel, my point in posting the article was to
share with the group what the media is saying about conflict
diamonds, and what one jeweler is doing to market conflict free
ones.
While I was at it, I wanted to draw attention to the shocking error
that the author made in stating that CZ are chemically identical to
diamonds. This sort of thing cannot go uncorrected.
Elaine Luther
Chicago area, Illinois, USA
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
Studio 925; established 1992
@E_Luther