Ethical Jewellery Australia sells traceable diamonds that have been cut in ethical cutting factories

We have forged relationships with companies who sell traceable, ethical Diamonds. We can now offer you Diamonds with a verifiable origin. This beautiful, high end material has been cut by a workforce who enjoy fair wages and conditions.

We offer pink and yellow diamonds from the Argyle mine in Western Australia contact us at  enquiries@ethicaljewels.com.au for further information.

We offer you certified diamonds graded D to G in colour and from Flawless to Si1 in clarity. We never offer inferior goods – all of the certified diamonds we source are graded very good to excellent.

We have a selection to offer you from Argyle in Australia (white and coloured Diamonds), the Diavik mine in Canada and from the ‘Kalahari’ collection, a fair trade option, mined and cut in Namibia. All of these Diamonds are sweatshop free and non-conflict. They are all accompanied by guarantees of origin.

Argyle Cognac Diamonds

Argyle Cognac Diamond – colour grade C7

Diamonds

The basics

When it comes to Diamonds in particular (though the same goes for virtually all gemstones too), traders refer to ‘the four Cs’ — cut, clarity, colour and carats (weight).

Cut

Diamonds and Gemstones are cut in many different ways, with the choice of cut usually being based on what will most enhance the value of the stone; to recover the most weight from the rough stone, minimise the flaws and present its particular colour or brilliance best.

The table should not exceed 60% of the width of the stone and should be no smaller than 40%. Dark stones tend to have a large table to allow more light into the stone. Most modern gems cut by top professionals are done on a modern faceting machine or diamond-cutting machine, and the trend is to keep the table between 50% and 60% — 60% is the norm.

The pavilion main facets are crucial to the finished look of the stone and are cut at an angle that suits the density (specific gravity) of the stone. It’s important to understand that Diamonds and Gemstones are cut to reflect light internally.

Light coming in through the crown (or top) of the stone is gathered by the crown facets and reflected off the back pavilion facets and returned to the eye; this is why it’s okay to set diamonds and gemstones in a rub-over or bezel setting — You don’t need an open or claw setting to show off the brilliance of a stone.

The quality of the polish on facets (or Cabochons) is also important for the brightness of a Gem. Poorly polished facets will not allow enough light to go into the stone. A well-polished stone will bring out a depth and colour of Cabochon stones. Also, poor polish will not allow light to reflect off facets, which, when highly polished and flat, act like small mirrors, reflecting light back out to the eye. Rounded facets don’t do much for a cut stone unless it is a novelty type cut and facets are well polished.

Overall, the pavilion of a faceted stone does most of the work.

From a buyer’s point of view, choosing a cut is more about the design of the finished ring.

Baguette, marquise, oval and pear shapes, for example, can become dominant design features, so you need to be careful about buying something ‘out of the ordinary’ in the way of cut.

A heart-shaped gemstone may look fabulous on its own, but designing it into a ring could prove difficult and expensive.

Poor cut and polish is seen often with ‘native cut’ stones – that is, stones that have been cut in their country of origin using rudimentary equipment. What is common with native cuts is that no regard is given to the laws of physics — economics usually rules in this instance and the stone is cut to the largest size or weight. If the stones are cut too shallow or deep for the density of that material, the stone will be dead or lifeless through the centre of the gem.

Also, a stone cut to maximise the size of the table may have to sacrifice the depth of the stone, leading to a gem that is fragile, unbalanced and difficult to set. Gem Merchants and Jewellers call this effect a window; gem cutters call it a fish eye.

The bottom line is, do your homework, buy your Gemstones and Diamonds from a reputable dealer — one who has a passion for the stones they sell and an eye for quality. Finally, really look at the Gemstone in every possible light, particularly down through the table where any flaws or cutting deficiencies will have the most impact on the finished ring

The main cut types are:

Round Brilliant-cut: Most frequently used in Diamonds, but also commonly used with other colourless Gemstones, the round brilliant-cut ensures the maximum amount of light is reflected back through the table of the stone.

Step-cut: Typically used to show off coloured Gemstones to their best advantage. In Diamonds in can produce a bright, yet elegant, stone.

Mixed-cut: Often brilliant-cut above the girdle and step-cut below, the mixed-cut is most often used for Coloured Gemstones such as Sapphires and Rubies and other coloured transparent stones.

Fancy-cut: Refers principally to the overall shape — heart/pear/marquise and the like.

Cabochon cut: This produces a smooth-surfaced domed stone (no facets) in almost any shape. Rather than reflected light, it relies on the inherent colour of the stone.

The table below shows the most common cuts:

Common Shapes
Round		Usually brilliant-cut.
Square/Princess-cut		Square stones are ideal for bezel or channel settings where you want the gem material flush with the mounting.
Trilliant		Ideal for centre or side stones. Typically brilliant-cut.
Baguette		Usually step-cut — also available as a tapered shape.
Emerald		A step-cut variant. This cut offers protection to brittle material such as Emerald.
Oval		Typically mixed-cut. Second most common cut after round brilliant.
Cabochon		Round, oval or fancy.

Fancy Shapes
Heart		These are typically brilliant-cut or mixed-cut and are often used for very rare Gemstones, irregularly shaped stones or to work around flaws.
Pear (Pendeloque)		These are typically brilliant-cut or mixed-cut and are often used for very rare gemstones, irregularly shaped stones or to work around flaws.

Clarity

For both Diamonds and Gemstones, clarity refers to the absence or presence of flaws and impurities (or inclusions).

Generally, the fewer inclusions there are, the more valuable the stone — and this is especially so for Diamonds.

For some Gemstones, such as Emeralds, the presence of eye visible inclusions (described as ‘Le jardin’) does not detract from the value of the stone; some inclusions can help to establish origin.

This is significant for the more expensive coloured material such as Ruby and Emerald where origin can add significant cost/value to a Gemstone. Inclusions are normal in most gem materials. However, often these inclusions are not visible to the naked eye – but under high magnification many natural stones will show at least some microscopic inclusions — even synthetic gemstones have characteristic inclusions.

Colour

Depending on what you’re buying — and your partner’s taste — basically you’ll want either more or less.

For colourless stones (like white Diamonds), obviously less colour is better. In coloured stones — Champagne, Cognac and Pink Diamonds, Sapphires, Emeralds and so on — how much colour is desirable is more often than not a matter of personal taste. Unless you’re buying Opal or Parti (multi) coloured stones, what you really need to look for is even distribution of colour. Some Gemstones will show zoning when viewed from different angles — sometimes showing patches of virtually no colour — and this can really spoil the look of what would otherwise be a beautiful stone.

Carat

Carat is basically the weight of a Diamond or Gemstone.

One standard metric carat is equal to 0.20 grams. Within a type of stone, it can also serve as an indication of physical size, for example, a 1.00 carat Diamond will be physically bigger than a 0.8 carat Diamond of the same cut.

But this rule doesn’t flow across different types of Gem material. Different Gemstone materials have different densities (specific gravity). Hence a 1.00-carat Sapphire will be a different physical size to a 1.00-carat Diamond of the same cut. You’ll also often hear the term ‘point’. There are 100 ‘points’ in 1 carat. A 10 point Diamond, for example, is equivalent to 0.10 carats (or one-tenth of a carat).

The four Diamond ‘C’s

Clarity

Along with colour, clarity is one of the major criteria used in classifying Diamonds.

Generally speaking, the more ‘clear’ the Diamond, the higher its value.

The clarity of a stone principally relates to the visibility of inclusions and flaws, and it’s only in low-grade Diamonds that clarity becomes obvious. This is important from a buyer’s perspective.

Choosing a lower grade Diamond may enable you to buy a bigger stone for the same money — yet, depending on the location of the flaws, see no discernable difference in the appearance of the stone. The difference will be reflected in the valuation of the ring, but if “bigger is better”, sacrificing a grade or two in order to get a larger stone could be the way to go.

The most commonly used gem grading system is that developed by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA). In terms of visible flaws or inclusions, these classifications are based on what can be seen with a loupe (a magnifying glass of 10x magnification). In the GIA system, there are 11 grades (from the top):

The Scandinavian Diamond Nomenclature (Scan. D.N) and other systems vary slightly in their classifications, but the most obvious is in the I 1 to I 3 range where clarity is often referred to as P 1, P 2 and P 3 (where ‘P’ stands for Piqué — pronounced Pee-Kay). From an appearance point of view, it’s very difficult for an untrained person to distinguish between an FL and an SI² Diamond. It’s only when you get into the ‘I’ (or Piqué) grades that the imperfections start to become more easily visible.

Position of the Imperfection/s

If your budget dictates that you must go for a lower-grade Diamond, one thing to be very mindful of with the ‘I’ or Piqué grade Diamonds is the position of the flaw or inclusion. If it’s right on the edge of the girdle, then an inclusion could well be hidden by a claw or bezel when it’s set — in which case the Diamond might appear perfectly good and you’ve got yourself a bargain. If the imperfection is away from the girdle, somewhere in the middle of the stone, then it’ll be visible.

Colour

As for clarity, when it comes to colour, less is (worth) more — until you get into ‘fancy’ coloured Diamonds like pink and so-called champagne and cognac coloured diamonds. Basically, ‘white’ Diamonds vary in colour from colourless to very pale yellow — colourless being the most desirable. The GIA scale for classifying Diamond colour is shown below:

Please note, G to J Diamonds will not actually look very ‘yellow’. To an untrained eye, it is very difficult to see ‘shades of colourless’.

Carat

Between Diamonds of the same cut, say, round-brilliant, the carat weight of different Diamonds can be used as a relative measure of physical size — given the proportions by which Diamonds are cut are fairly uniform. We all perceive the prestige attached to owning a 1.0 carat Diamond ring (or bigger) — but just how big is a 1.0 carat Diamond? The following table will give you some idea of approximate physical size relative to weight (for round cut Diamonds only):

Princess Cut Diamond Scale Round Brilliant Cut Diamond Scale

Colour, Clarity and Carats — what’s the best value combination?

Colour and clarity are the two major determinants of the value of a Diamond of any given weight (assuming it has been cut properly). Although proprietary cuts such as Hearts and Arrows TM and Lucida TM do attract a premium.

From a value perspective, given that inclusions in Diamonds graded SI1 and above are virtually invisible to the naked eye, in our opinion you should put colour before clarity when selecting from stones graded SI1 and higher.   We recommend avoiding ‘I’ or ‘P’ stones of any weight or colour. For diamonds under 0.5 carats, you can get by with a G or (possibly) an H colour.

The basic rule is: “Always buy the best you can afford”. Given that weight (or size) increases cost exponentially per stone, if you can’t afford a single big Diamond, consider purchasing several smaller Diamonds. Within the same clarity and colour grades, ‘small’ Diamonds cost less per carat than ‘large’ ones. By buying several small stones you can either get more carats for your money, or get the same total weight for fewer dollars.

Is there such a thing as ‘too big’?

When buying a Diamond for your partner, you should be mindful of the size of her fingers. The same sized Diamond will look big on a woman with small hands and fingers, but small on a woman with large fingers. Of course, for some people, to hell with it — just get the biggest possible — and that’s fair enough. But if bigger isn’t necessarily better for you and your partner, you might consider buying a smaller Diamond and spending the money you save on a platinum rather than gold ring — or an extra week away on your honeymoon!

COLOURED GEMSTONES

Looking for a coloured stone engagement ring? A pair of birthstone earrings or a gorgeous handmade pendant?

We have access to  untreated Australian Sapphires and other coloured gemstones such  as Topaz that have been  mined in North Queensland. Rubies from Tanzania, Sapphires from Malawi and much more.

Contact us at enquiries@ethicaljewels.com.au to discuss your needs and we will  see what treasures we can find for you.

Sapphires from North Queensland

Gemstones from Ruby Fair

http://www.rubyfair.com.

They have an extensive range of untreated/unheated, fair mined, Rubies, Sapphires,

Spinel and Tanzanite.

Why did we choose Ruby Fair?

“Rubyfair.com is a partnership between British Jewellers and Tanzanian Miners where both the miners welfare, the environment and ecology of the land and the final price to you the customer are all given careful consideration.

You can buy your Ruby facets , Sapphires and cabochons safe in the knowledge that both the miners and the land are given due care and reward.

With our own Ruby mine in southern Tanzania we can supply untreated gemstones of the highest quality at a fair price to you.”

No child labour – we employ no children ( under 18 ) in the mining or cutting process . We do have one lad who is 16 who helps in the kitchen at the mine and he makes very good cakes !

Minimal or no damage to the environment- We recycle our water and let it settle. All our open cast soil is replanted by local farmers who are welcome on our land. Before we started up we had a fulll environmental study completed and we stick to it.

Fair pay and conditions for the workers – We feed house and pay our miners above the standard wage for a skilled fundi ( craftsman) they also all share bonuses.

No heat, filling or fracture treatment in our gems – We find then cut them then sell them thats it 100 per cent natural. Support to the local community – We sponsor the local orphange You can read more about this project at: http://www.rubyfair.com/downloads/retail_jeweller.pdf

OTHER GEMSTONES

Fair trade traceable Coloured Gemstones from Columbia Gem House.

Their mission statement: “At Columbia Gem House, our mission is to offer unrivaled expertise and value with the largest variety of natural Colored Gemstones. We offer exceptional volume calibrated cutting techniques and designs, from mine to market, while strictly adhering to The Quality Assurance and Fair Trade Gems Protocols.”

You can choose from an extensive range of fabulous colour. Columbia Gem House offers Rubies, Sapphires, Amethyst, Garnet, Fire Opal, Tourmaline, Citrine, Imperial Diopside, Zircon, Peridot, Pearls and more.

GEMSTONE 101

When it comes to Gemstones, not only is there a lot to choose from, but there are also lots of traps for the unwary.

Imitation, synthetic (often incorrectly described as ‘created’) and treated stones are common, so it’s possible to get ripped off if you’re not dealing with a reputable trader. If you want to be sure you’re getting what you paid for, insist on having the stone or stones tested at an independent Gem laboratory before you buy. (Generally they won’t value a stone for you, but they will tell you whether it’s real or not.)

The four Gemstone ‘C’s — plus ‘H’

Like Diamonds, when choosing a Gemstone, you need to consider cut, carats (size), clarity and, most importantly, colour.

Also like Diamonds, the value of a particular Gemstone depends on its rarity, size and quality.

And when it comes to rarity, often it’s a colour that can be rare within a particular type of Gemstone (take Pink Diamonds as an example — still a Diamond, but much more expensive than White Diamonds). This is where the deception can come in.

Often it’s possible to alter the colour of a Gemstone through chemical, heat or radiation treatment — making it a more valuable colour (or in an attempt to pass the stone off as a different type of Gem all together). We also think it’s important — when buying stones for a ring that will be worn all the time — to consider ‘H’ — hardness.

Many Gemstones are relatively ‘soft’ or fragile and will get damaged easily if worn on the hands rather than, say, in a pendant.

Colour

In Gemstones, colour is described in terms of:

• Hue — its pure spectral colour (from red to violet)
• Intensity — the brightness or dullness of the colour
• Tone — the amount of background white, black, grey or brown
• Distribution — the evenness (or unevenness) of colour

The actual colour of a stone is a combination of its pure spectral hue and background white, black, brown or grey tint. The pure spectral and background colours go together to create the tone.

For example, if white is present with red, the stone will appear lighter in colour. If black is present, the stone will appear darker. Generally, the closer a stone is to the pure hue, the more valuable it is considered.

By the way, the light source you use is very important when evaluating a stone. Different types of artificial lights emit different spectra and can have a significant impact on the appearance of a stone’s colour. Fluorescent lights are typically weak in red rays (they’re ‘cool’) and, as a result, red stones like Rubies and Garnets appear to be a darker purple-red compared to when they’re viewed under incandescent or daylight (both of which are strong in red rays).

Blue stones (like Sapphires), on the other hand, are best viewed under fluorescent light or in daylight. Under incandescent light they appear much darker — almost black.

Be aware too that background colour impacts on how a stone appears. Red stones appear even redder when viewed on an orange or yellow background. Diamonds are often displayed on a blue background to reduce any yellow tones.

Clarity

When it comes to gemstones, flaws are generally more prevalent than in Diamonds, and you’ll often encounter cracks as well as inclusions. The positioning of cracks can be very important — both from an aesthetic point of view and in terms of fragility. A crack (or feather) in the wrong place could cause a stone to break when it’s being set.

As for inclusions, their aesthetic importance varies with the tone of the stone. The darker the stone, the less visible inclusions are.

Inclusions are more visible in light, almost transparent stones. Importantly, flawless gemstones are extremely rare and very expensive. If you do encounter a “flawless” gemstone, view it with suspicion. It could easily be an imitation or a synthetic*.

The only way to be certain is to have it independently tested by a professional Gemmologist.

Finally, the presence of inclusions can, in some instances, be desirable. Gemmologists often use the type of inclusion to identify the authenticity and origin of a stone. Certain inclusions will confirm a stone’s rarity (or not) depending on its origin — and though two stones may look the same to the untrained eye, one could be much more valuable than the other even though it might have more inclusions.

* Contrary to popular belief, a synthetic gem material is not an imitation. Synthetic gemstones refer to gems that have the same physical, optical and chemical properties as their naturally grown counterparts, however, are created in a laboratory. Any synthetic gem material that does not have a direct natural counterpart is considered an imitation. There is absolutely nothing wrong with purchasing synthetic material, as long as you know that is what you are buying. Synthetic material must be disclosed by the seller.

Cut

As with Diamonds, it is the cut that reveals the true beauty of a Gemstone. Cut quality affects the depth of colour and the liveliness of the stone. Poor cutting can cause an otherwise beautiful stone to look drab and dull, however, good cutting can’t artificially enhance a low quality stone. If the stone you’re looking at looks below par, examine the cut. If the cut is good, you can assume the stone wasn’t good to start with. If the cut is poor, you could be looking at a good stone cut badly.

A good quality but poorly cut Gemstone can be recut, but Gem cutters are not magicians — they can only subtract – so the recut stone will be smaller than the original.

Carat

Between types of Gemstones, carat weight cannot be used as indicator of relative size — because different Gem materials have different densities (specific gravity).

Whilst weight is useful in valuation, generally physical dimensions (width, length and depth in millimetres) are more commonly used to describe the size of a Gemstone.

Note, unlike Diamonds, bigger does not necessarily mean more valuable. Some Gemstones, Aquamarine for example, are commonly available in sizes over 10 carats. In other precious stones — for example, Alexandrite, Ruby and Tsavorite (a green variety) Garnet — stones more than 5 carats are extremely rare (it is highly unlikely that you would ever see one). One of these stones over 10 carats could command prices much higher than an equivalent Diamond.

Hardness

When it comes to rings in particular — because they tend to receive a lot of rough handling — hardness of the set stones is important. The harder a stone, the less likely it is to get scratched or chipped in day to day wear. The same can be said for any Gemstone that has natural cleavages (fault lines).

Material such as Topaz and Diamond can be broken if you manage to hit the ‘sweet spot’. So you must bear in mind that hardness refers to ‘scratch’ hardness, not necessarily robustness.

Of course, you can set some softer stones if you take appropriate precautions in the ring design. Claw setting an Emerald isn’t ideal for example, because Emeralds are fairly brittle (due to the presence of natural flaws). Putting them in a bezel (or rub-over) setting will, on the other hand, do a better job of protecting the stone from damage.

Again, this is a matter of personal preference and the risk you are prepared to take. Hardness in stones is measured in terms of Mohs’ scale — which rates stones from one to 10. Talc is softest, Diamonds hardest. (By the way, Mohs’ scale isn’t linear. The ‘gaps’ get bigger as the hardness increases — particularly between 9 and 10 where Diamond is exponentially harder than the next hardest, Corundum — Sapphire and Ruby).

If you want to claw-set a Gemstone for every day use, our recommendation is that you do not choose a stone of hardness less than 8.0 on Mohs’ scale. If you go for a bezel or channel setting, you can go down to 7.0. — As long as the stone is otherwise quite robust.

Gemstone Options

To help you with choosing the right Gemstone for your partner, below we’ve put together a table that shows suitable ring stones by colour.

You’ll see that we’ve divided each colour into Dark and Light. A ‘dark’ stone will have a strong, rich colour — difficult to see through. Most of the dark stones do have lighter versions, however, many of the light stones are generally only light. A ‘light’ stone is much easier to see through. At the extreme, some light stones will show just a tint of colour.

In the following list, we’ve only included stones that we recommend as suitable for setting in a ring. There are many others, but because they’re relatively soft (easily damaged) or of low value, we haven’t included them. You may particularly note that some popular stones such as Tanzanite, Iolite and Peridot have been omitted for these reasons. We have also included a few additional notes to help with choices.

Of course, if you really don’t have much of a clue, take a look at the section on birth and astrological stones — or check out the jewellery your partners’ already wearing. This might give you some ideas as to what you should go for.

Birth, Astrological and Anniversary stones

If you’re looking for something a little different that has some meaning and significance, consider choosing a feature Gemstone according to one of the following guides. Please note, in order to provide a reasonable choice of significant ‘ring worthy’ stones, these guides feature a combination of modern and traditional choices.

Birthstones

Astrological (Zodiac) Stones

Anniversary Stones

Gold — your options

When it comes to gold you have a few different options.

In Australia — and many parts of the world — the standard for jewellery is either 9 carat or 18 carat. 24 carat gold is considered ‘pure’.

In the US and Asia, 14 carat is a popular choice. The difference between 9, 14 and 18 carat is the amount of alloys that have been added.

18 carat gold has fewer alloys and is ‘softer’ than 9 carat. This makes it easier to work — but more importantly there’s a noticeable difference in colour.

18 carat yellow gold is markedly more ‘yellow’ and brighter than 9 carat yellow gold, 14 carat is somewhere in between.

Speaking of colour — you basically have three choices — yellow, white and ‘rose’.

No doubt you’re familiar with yellow gold. White gold looks a lot like polished silver, and rose gold has a reddish, almost copper colour.

Generally white and yellow gold are the most popular choices for rings — and white gold is probably more ‘in fashion’ at the moment. As for cost white gold is marginally more expensive than yellow gold — currently about $6 a gram more.

Our white gold is nickel free and has a high (12%) palladium content. Palladium is a luxury alloy which gives a much whiter gold doesn’t pose the same allergy issues as other alloys. Our white gold is a beautiful metal for jewellers to work with.

All of our metal is responsibly recycled from either jewellers or post consumer waste.

Platinum — what’s the big deal?

Platinum is the prestige jewellery metal — for practical and economic reasons.

On a practical level, platinum is tougher than gold, which make it ideal for setting valuable diamonds and gemstones. Stones are much less likely to come loose and be lost from a properly made platinum setting.

On an economic level, platinum is more difficult for jewellers to work — so that adds to the cost — but more significantly, platinum costs about twice as much as gold — and there are good reasons for that.

Even though platinum is more plentiful than gold in the Earth’s crust, it’s a lot more difficult to extract. Not only is most platinum found in low-density particle form (which means processing tonnes and tonnes of ore to extract enough for just one ring) it’s also typically deep under ground.

Some of the world’s major deposits are more than a kilometre down. The chemical processes required to refine platinum are more difficult too — taking up to six months to complete.

Palladium? What’s this?

Palladium is a noble white metal that shares many characteristics, such as strength and durability with platinum- without the high price tag.

Palladium offers a more radiant white than white gold with no rhodium plating required. With a weight similar to fine silver it has a lower specific gravity, therefore is notably lighter than platinum.

This means that not only do you pay less per gram, you need less metal for your jewellery piece.

Please note. Whilst platinum and palladium are beautiful and durable white metals, they can scratch. It is important to realise this and take care when putting your hands in abrasive substances such as soil. Gloveless gardening and precious jewellery just do not match.

What about silver?

Even though a lot of jewellery is made of silver, when it comes to fine handmade jewellery, silver isn’t really a good choice from a financial perspective.

First of all, silver is a lot cheaper than gold or platinum. Where you might pay $70 — $90 for a gram of gold, you’ll pay only $6 – $10 for a gram of silver.

This means that hand-finished silver jewellery doesn’t value up very high, so basically it isn’t very worthwhile when gold is almost as easy to work with. You’ll find that a manufacturing jeweller cannot make a silver ring for anything even close to the price you’d pay for a mass produced item. To get something hand made in silver you’ll pay up to ten times more than a similar retail item. (In Gold & platinum the gap narrows considerably.

In fact, for rings over, say $2,500 – $3,000, it is typically cheaper to have one hand made than to buy the same thing off the shelf – deep discounts aside.

Of course, another big downside with silver is that it tarnishes easily and needs to be polished on a very regular basis. (You can rhodium plate it but that’s relatively expensive given the value of the metal.)

Having said all this, we do offer the option of choosing silver, however, are unable to discount the manufacturing charges as the labour required is the same whether working with silver or gold.

Our environmental philosophy

This may or may not be important to you, but at EJA we’re very concerned about the amount of environmental damage mining for gold silver and platinum does.

Not only is mining for precious metals a very destructive process — anywhere up to twenty tonnes of ore has to be processed to produce enough gold or platinum for just one ring — but also the extraction process requires the use of some very toxic chemicals. Whilst most mining companies go to great expense to avoid accidents, they still happen. And there are many reports of disastrous spills and leakages all around the globe. (Cyanide is the main offender, though process by-products like mercury and lead also cause significant problems. Google ‘gold mining’ and you’ll see what we mean.) So that we don’t contribute to the problem.

EJA uses responsibly recycled precious metals. Most jewellery-grade recycled precious metals come from broken and old jewellery, and from waste and off-cuts from manufacturing jewellers as well as post consumer discards like computer components.

Importantly, recycled precious metals are exactly the same as their mined counterparts — and they cost no more. In other words, you get the same quality and pay the same price for recycled metal as you do for mined metals — so there’s no downside for you and plenty of upside for the environment.

For further information on our environmental policy see EJA philosophy.

Which is right for your partner?

When it comes to choosing a precious metal for your partner, it comes down to the dominant colour she generally favours. If she wears a lot of yellow jewellery — go for yellow gold. If her jewellery is mostly ‘white’ — go for either white gold, palladium or platinum (if your budget allows). If she favours rose gold — there’s your answer.

On a fashion level, as we mentioned above, white metals are very much ‘in’ at the moment. Another thing to consider is the colour of the stones to be set in the ring.

Whilst Diamonds look great in either white or yellow settings, on a yellow gold ring they’re often placed in a white gold setting to enhance the brightness. Red stones — like Rubies and Garnets — are enhanced by a yellow/orange background, so a yellow gold setting can be a more desirable. Either way, just remember, with gold in particular, it’s quite easy to have the band in one colour and the setting in another. You’ll often see yellow gold bands with white gold (or platinum) settings — and vice versa.

If this all seems too complicated, then simply email us at enquiries@ethicaljewels.com.au or telephone 07 3369 8438 and we will help you.