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28 Oct

The Ultimate Guide to More Ethical and Sustainable Jewellery

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Just like clothing, the jewellery industry has a complex web of supply chains and sustainability issues that impact on people, the planet, and animals. But we’ve rounded up the best more sustainable brands making jewellery with better ethics. 

The ultimate guide to more sustainable jewellery

We’ve all sighed in frustration at how quickly our poorly made jewellery trend pieces tarnish or begin to lose their once irresistible lustre. Unfortunately, the fast fashion mindset has introduced a culture of buying jewellery that is then thrown out after a few wears, wasting resources, and exposing ourselves and the producers to toxic materials along the way.

The increasing global focus on sustainability in the fashion industry has also raised questions about the environmental impacts and ethics of the jewellery that we adorn ourselves with. When Good On You is rating brands, we look out for several certifications that signal a business is striving to do better, including the Responsible Jewellery Council’s membership, and whether gold is Fairmined or Fairtrade. You too can look out for these when shopping. And if you’re interested in getting a deeper understanding of more sustainable jewellery, bookmark our guide to natural and lab-grown diamonds, and our curation of necklaces, engagement rings, and earrings from better brands.

The more responsible jewellery brands below create beautiful lower-impact accessories and gifts, and have all been rated “Good” or “Great” by our world-class ratings team.

Alighieri

Rated: Good
woman wearing sustainably gold necklace and earrings from UK brand Alighieri

Alighieri is a collection of jewellery inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, with each piece corresponding to one of the poet's 100 poems. The brand uses a medium proportion of lower-impact materials and visits its suppliers regularly.

See the rating.

Shop Alighieri @ LVRSustainable.

Shop Alighieri.

Quazi Design

Rated: Great

Responsible design for social impact is Quazi Design’s ethos. Handmade in Eswatini from waste newspaper and encased in brass, its jewellery is sure to meet all your ethical standards. Each piece is dipped in varnish for durability.

See the rating.

Shop Quazi Design.

Hailey Gerrits

Rated: Great

Hailey Gerrits makes jewellery from recycled vintage find and semi-precious gemstones in Vancouver, Canada. The brands pieces are "functional and build up a personality in everyday wear, but are also distinct in their capacity as objets d’art—serving equally as items to be admired".

See the rating.

Shop Hailey Gerrits.

ARTICLE22

Rated: Good

Every piece of ARTICLE22 jewellery is locally handcrafted in Laos using recycled materials from Vietnam War bombs, plane parts, military hardware, and other aluminium scraps. The brand embodies the innovation that the fashion industry needs more of—using recycled materials to produce beautiful globally marketable products, while equipping local artisans with new skill sets and providing them with a sustainable source of income. ARTICLE22 gives back to clear more unexploded bombs in Laos, supports traditional artisans, and donates a proportion of profit to community development for workers.

The range is available in sizes S-XL.

See the rating.

Shop ARTICLE22.

AuTerra

Rated: Great
A gold wedding band, featuring a hammered finish from AuTerra.

AuTerra is a South African brand that creates sustainable jewellery handcrafted in precious metals recycled from e-waste.

See the rating.

Shop AuTerra.

Raven + Lily

Rated: Good

Raven + Lily supports local female artisans to create handmade jewellery, bags, and homewares. This US brand's products are responsibly-made and empower communities through fair wages, healthcare, and education.

See the rating.

Shop Raven + Lily.

Shop Raven + Lily @ Cerqular.

Untold Jewellery

Rated: Good
A minimal gold ethical engagement ring by Untold Jewellery.

Untold Jewellery is a UK-based accessories label that creates unique pieces using fairtrade gold, gemstones, and materials.

See the rating.

Shop Untold Jewellery.

FUTURA Jewelry

Rated: Great

FUTURA Jewelry is a New York based responsible jewellery brand. Each piece of FUTURA Jewelry is handcrafted with mercury-free 18kt Certified Fairmined Ecological gold. The brand's gold comes from the three certified Fairmined mines in the world that mine for gold without the use of toxic chemicals including mercury and cyanide.

See the rating.

Shop FUTURA Jewelry.

Atelier Lavoisier

Rated: Good

Atelier Lavoisier is a French high-end jewellery brand. It uses lab-grown diamonds to show that luxury does not have to come at a cost to the earth. The brand also uses some recycled materials, including people's old jewellery, to make new pieces.

Shop LAVOISIER.

See the rating.

Bleue Burnham

Rated: Good
A colourful engagement ring by Bleue Burnham.

Bleue Burnham is a jewellery brand based in the UK that is inspired by human culture and its connection to the natural world.

See the rating.

Shop Bleue Burnham.

Stephen Webster

Rated: Good
A thron vine design gold engagement ring by Stephen Webster.

Stephen Webster is a British jewellery brand that features collections of extraordinary rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and more for men and women.

See the rating.

Shop Stephen Webster.

Mayamiko

Rated: Great
woman wearing mayamiko colourful top

Mayamiko takes its Malawi-based responsible production to the next level with its fair trade fashion and accessories. The collection features a stunning curation of textiles and silhouettes from Africa, Asia, and Italy. This PETA certified vegan brand should be high on your list brands making colourful clothes. It is a leading advocate for better labour rights, and has created the Mayamiko Trust—a charity working in the community to train and empower disadvantaged women.

Find most items in sizes S-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Mayamiko.

ABLE

Rated: Good
A delicate love knot golden ring by ABLE.

ABLE is a US-based clothing and accessories brands, that works with communities all over the world to make a meaningful impact, producing slow fashion that pays a living wage to women who have faced extraordinary circumstances. Most pieces are made from recycled silver, natural solutions are used in the manufacturing process, and scraps are melted down into new pieces of gold and silver.

See the rating.

Shop ABLE.

Holly Ryan

Rated: Good
Ethical luxury jewellery brand Holly Ryan featuring a woman of colour in a gold necklace

Thoughtfully designed, handcrafted jewellery. Quiet luxury for the modern mind. If something you purchase from Holly Ryan has lost its lustre, the brand offers an in-house repair service and also invites you to return the pieces you no longer wear. That’s the kind of circularity we love to see.

See the rating.

Shop Holly Ryan.

Jyoti – Fair Works

Rated: Good
Sustainable earrings by Jyoti-Fair Works

Truly embodying more ethical fashion practices, Jyoti – Fair Works employs people from marginalised or disadvantaged groups in India, uses only organic cotton in its clothing production, and leaves animal-derived materials out of the equation.

See the rating.

Shop Jyoti.

Automic Gold

Rated: Great
Sustainable gold bracelet by Automic Gold

Queer-owned Automic Gold is setting new standards for more ethical and sustainable jewellery. The brand's minimalist designs are made from reclaimed materials and are described as "radically wearable jewellery".

See the rating.

Shop Automic Gold.

Kimai

Rated: Good
woman wearing kimai earring

Kimai is a fair trade fine jewellery brand from the UK. Made in Antwerp using 18K gold and lab grown diamonds, this luxury jewellery brand offers statement and everyday essentials for the modern shopper.

See the rating.

Shop Kimai.

AGMES

Rated: Good
Ethical gold rings by AGMES

AGMES is a modern jewellery line from the US, inspired by urban landscapes, architecture, and modern art. Its pieces are handmade in New York from lower-impact materials, including recycled metals.

See the rating.

Shop AGMES.

YU STEPANEL

Rated: Good
woman wearing gold ethically made jewellery by YU STEPANEL

YU STEPANEL is an independent jewellery brand based in London that celebrates a slower pace of living and wearing.

See the rating.

Shop YU STEPANEL.

All Blues

Rated: Good

All Blues creates timeless jewellery for everyone, handcrafted in Stockholm, Sweden from recycled sterling silver.

See the rating.

Shop All Blues.

Elk

Rated: Good

A pioneer of independent Australian design, Elk was founded in Melbourne in 2004. Elk creates bi-annual collections that are informed by a design ethos where simplicity and sustainability meet innovation.

See the rating.

Shop Elk.

Laura Lombardi

Rated: Good
Sustainable gold chain by Laura Lombardi

Laura Lombardi is an eponymous jewellery line made and designed in New York that features the latest trends and ethics.

See the rating.

Shop Laura Lombardi.

Bario Neal

Rated: Great

Bario Neal is a custom jewellery designer that creates handmade rings and fine jewellery with conflict-free diamonds and other gemstones. The brand uses lower-impact materials, including reclaimed precious metals, Fairmined gold, and more ethically sourced stones to bring to life each of its uniquely designed pieces.

Melissa Joy Manning

Rated: Good

Luxury handmade jewellery from designer Melissa Joy Manning. The stunning pieces are crafted locally from recycled silver and gold sourced from a Green Certified refinery. The brand’s artisans design jewellery to be treasured and to last, redefining what "precious" means by creating pieces that are unique to the wearer, instead of contributing to a culture of disposable fashion.

See the rating.

Shop Melissa Joy Manning.

Stella McCartney

Rated: Good

Pre-Owned Stella McCartney Jewellery – Ships internationally

A member of the Ethical Trading Initiative and Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Stella McCartney has set some excellent environmental standards across the luxury fashion industry. Stella uses some lower-impact materials, including recycled polyester and organic cotton, and has a strategy in place to reduce waste across its entire supply chain. It has also adopted the ETI Code of Conduct that includes a living wage definition.

Find most items in sizes 34-52.

See the rating.

Shop Stella McCartney @ LVRSustainable.

Shop Stella McCartney Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Shop Stella McCartney.

So, there you have it. Whether you are looking for your next “treat yourself” item or a gift for a loved one, the beautiful, more sustainable jewellery that these brands produce while encouraging change and supporting better practices means that you never need to sacrifice aesthetics for your values.

Looking for more sustainable jewellery inspo? Discover more ethical luxury jewellery brands

Editor's note

Feature image via Laura Lombardi. All other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world's most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use our directory to search thousands of rated brands.

We updated this article on 23 October 2024. Our editors frequently make updates to articles to ensure they're up to date. We updated the selection to ensure we've got top picks from brands with recent ratings.

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