One of the more surprising suggestions  Plan is to only buy jewellery for very special occasions. When the Stockholm Environment Institute analysed carbon emissions by sector “personal effects” came surprisingly high. Cutting down on buying jewellery by 75 per cent could shave 130kg off your carbon footprint.

There are many ethical and ecologically responsible alternatives to jewellery that is sourced in destructive and unsustainable ways. Ethical jewellery ranges from recycled and vintage pieces to gems that are sourced from mines where workers are treated fairly.

Five things you can do to green your jewellery:
 

1. Choose jewellery made from recycled and reclaimed materials.
    
2. Buy vintage. Sporting second-hand jewellery is chic and eco-friendly.
3. Wear conflict-free diamonds and ethically mined gems.
4. Choose ethically mined gold jewellery or buy antique.
5. Seek out fair trade gems. Seek out pieces that have been made under fair labour and wage conditions.

Recycled jewellery

From used metal to handmade wooden pieces, recycled jewellery uses materials that would otherwise end up in landfill. The end results are not only are eco-friendly, but also unique.
 

In the spotlight…

• Planet Trash offers a wide selection of beautiful and inspiring high quality jewellery made from recycled materials.
• Woodland Treasures specialises in hand carved wooden jewellery made from salvaged or recycled British hardwoods.
• Seraglia makes fair trade, handmade unique jewellery using recycled and salvaged materials. “Reusing and repairing is not only an effective way of saving resources, it saves on carbon emissions too,” says founder Lucy Wills.

Vintage jewellery

Buying vintage is an environmentally friendly alternative to buying new jewellery. And by choosing vintage, you’ll have something totally unique, safe in the knowledge that you haven’t promoted mining of virgin materials.
 

In the spotlight…

• Bejewelled has a large collection of vintage jewellery from ranging from the 20s to the 80s. It also stocks collection of vintage and bridal jewellery.
• Trinket Jewels sells a treasure trove of vintage costume jewellery and vintage silver gathered from all over the world. Everything it offers is either handmade or completely unique – and usually both.
• I Want Vintage. This website takes the legwork out of finding that something special. It has gathered the best vintage shops, suppliers and specialists from across the UK into one place.

Diamonds

Conflict diamonds, also known as ‘blood’ diamonds, are typically African gems that were illegally exploited during the 1990s to fund rebel militias. The Kimberley Process is a certification scheme introduced in 2003, to ensure trade in diamonds does not fund violence. The system now guarantees that 99 per cent of diamonds sold in the UK and 69 other signed-up countries are "conflict free".

But even “conflict-free” diamonds are mined, so even though they are more socially sustainable they still aren’t environmentally friendly. Manufactured diamonds are formed in labs with heat and high pressure machines rather than mined. These, too, have an environmental impact but, unlike open-cast mines, do not destroy ecosystems through harsh mining tactics.
 

In the spotlight…

• An Alleweireldt jewellery collection uses precious materials combined with everyday materials. Old records and ice cream sticks are refashioned with gems into beautiful and eye-catching pieces such as the vinyl bracelet, set with conflict-free diamonds.
• Ingle and Rhode. For more traditional tastes, Ingle and Rhode offers fine ethical jewellery produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Safeguards are in place to assure all their diamonds are certified conflict-free and they ensure that their diamond cutters work in good conditions.
• CRED is an ethical jewellery company that supports the Kimberley Process and ensure that all their diamonds are conflict-free and come from suppliers who adhere to the scheme’s protocols. Cred sources all its precious metals and gem stones from small-scale artisan mining communities that have a concern for the biodiversity of their region.

Gold

Gold mining is one the most polluting industries in the world. Acid mine drainage, cyanide spills, and heavy metal pollution are among its negative environmental impacts. Metal mining eats up a disproportionate amount of energy – the industry employs less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the world’s population but it consumes 7 to 10 percent of the world’s energy.

To avoid newly mined gold, buy jewellery from antique shops instead or go for recycled gold.
 

In the spotlight…

• Fifi Bijoux. Formerly head of design for a commercial jewellery firm‚ Vivien Johnston created Fifi Bijoux in 2006 after becoming concerned about labour issues in factories in Asia, and discovering the social and environmental implications behind mining precious metals and stones. She only uses gold sourced from socially and environmentally responsible‚ community operated mines.
• Oria Ethical Jewellery is a socially and environmentally committed company that sources the most ethically produced materials available. They support small-scale, fair trade companies which have good working conditions and pay decent wages. They source their gold from small alluvial (hand panning) cooperative mines in Argentina and Mexico. These mines do not use toxic substances such as cyanide and mercury.

Fairly traded gems

Choose fairly traded jewellery that has been crafted by artisans working under fair labour and wage conditions. Not only are fairly traded gems ethically sourced, but they're most likely acquired with the well-being of the planet in mind.

Fair trade guarantees that a business is conducted ethically and does not use child labour. Fair trade also guarantees that businesses use eco-friendly practices. To find out more, check out our 60 second guide to… Fair trade.
 

In the spotlight…

• Cornflower Gems specialises in hand-crafting jewellery using high quality gems sourced from Sri Lanka. They guarantee that all gemstones have been fairly traded and authenticated.
• Akalico fair trade jewellery is a quality jewellery range. All designs produced for Akalico have been created in India under strict fair trade policies. These ensure that working conditions are good and a fair wage is paid, artisans work in a safe and comfortable environment, and training and progression is provided. Akalico jewellery is British Association of Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) accredited.
• Fair Gems aim to provide jewels of the highest quality that have been produced in an ecologically and socially responsible form. They guarantee their products are fairly traded and ethical