A Guide to Gorgeous Jewelry With a Conscience

Five ethically minded companies and designers hope to instill some added consciousness into your next jewel quest.

By Noah SilversteinPublished: Aug 1, 2014

Hellin Kay

Five ethically minded companies and designers hope to instill some added consciousness into your next jewel quest.

Gemfields

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The colored-gemstone producer has a mine-to-market infrastructure, ensuring that only natural, conflict-free stones go to collaborators such as Marina B. Gold, emerald, and diamond ring, Gemfields Emeralds by Marina B, price on request, at Marina B, NYC

John Hardy

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A pioneer of the green-fashion movement, the silver-wares giant crafts many of its metallic pieces from old jewelry in Bali. Enamel and Silver Bracelet, John Hardy, $1,295; johnhardy.com

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Tiffany & Co.

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By procuring diamonds only from validated mines and closely managing its supply chain, the blue-box idol prioritizes accountability, providing classic gems without cost to the earth. Diamond and platinum ring, Tiffany & Co., price on request; tiffany.com

Melissa Joy Manning

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The California-born jeweler sees the beauty in upcycled materials. At her recently opened New York City boutique, display cases made of wooden doors salvaged from SoHo demolition sites house delicately sculptural treasures that glitter with ecologically mined and cut stones. Gold, silver, and opal necklace, Melissa Joy Manning, price on request, at Melissa Joy Manning, NYC

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Monique Péan

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The New Yorker travels from the South Pacific to the Arctic Circle in search of new sustainable materials. For fall, she added sky blue lepidolite from Australia to a signature lineup that includes fossilized woolly mammoth and walrus ivory. Thomsonite, rutile, blue lepidolite, spectrolite, diamond, and gold bracelet, Monique Péan, price on request; moniquepean.com This article appeared in the August 2014 issue of ELLE magazine.

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