I am sure you have heard of the term fast fashion. The way things go from runway to the watered down versions found in stores for mass consumption. The same exists for jewelry. Cheaper more affordable versions of jewelry sold at the same stores where you can get BOGO deals line the aisle to the register. Jewelry made to only last a short while before it degrades and then is discarded. It's made of cheap materials full of nasty chemicals. Harmfully made and harmful to wear. Fast fashion jewelry is part of the fast fashion problem harming our environment.
While we are mindful of recycling, curbing our consumption of everything, not contributing to the fast fashion problem and creating garbage, it's important to be mindful of the jewelry we choose to adorn ourselves with. Fast jewelry contributes to the fast fashion problem as well.
Bandit Jewelry
The sterling silver we use for our jewelry at Bandit Metalsmithing are often recycled and reused. We take our clean scraps of sterling silver (even the dust) and melt it down to create new sterling silver sheets. We always make sure to only recycle clean sterling silver without solder to maintain purity. Metals that have solder on them are sent to a refinery and recycled there.
The stones used in our work are either vintage stones or are ethically sourced. Which means that a person was paid a living wage to extract the stone from the earth in the most responsible and ethical way.
This of course is reflected in the price of a quality product. When something is ethically made it is ethically sourced and the price should reflect that. At Bandit Metalsmithing you are getting a quality product that is well made and comes with a lifetime guarantee on craftsmanship. It is something you can feel good about.
Cheap, mass-produced junk feeds into the idea that things exist to be thrown away. With sustainable, quality purchases, you can be the change you want to see.
0 comments