I'm not there...yet.

Through the course of doing research for Modern Hippie Mag I come across so many really talented jewelry designers. Of course my interest is focused more towards eco-friendly and "green" designers, such as Green Diva. I am so very impressed with their green business ethics and gorgeous jewelry designs! I also felt a twinge of...dare I say, envy. I would love to be at a place where I could design strictly eco-friendly jewelry, but truth be told...I'm just not there yet.

When I started making jewelry back in 2002, I did not consider its environmental implications, not because I didn't care, it just wasn't on my radar. Being environmentally friendly wasn't a top priority in my life in general. I mean sure, I recycled newspaper, magazines, and stuff like that...mostly. Purchasing freshwater pearl, gemstone and glass beads became my obsession and I frequented buying shows in NY and Arizona often. The point is that I started to do my homework and educate myself about the dirty side of jewelry and its affect on the environment. It was then that I decided to make some responsible changes. Of course by then I also had enough inventory to open my own bead emporium!

Last year I made the decision to rebrand Jaszy's Jewelry as eco-conscious jewelry designs. Realizing that tossing out my "non-green" bead stash would not necessarily be environmentally friendly, I decided that I would try to incorporate at least one eco-friendly and/or Fair Trade component into every jewelry design I made. This is what I will do until I can completely phase out the "other" stuff. I also support a local chapter of Girls, Inc. by donating jewelry making supplies for their DIY craft programs. Of course items that I need to replenish are certain to come from companies that have environmental and ethical standards like obtaining recycled Sterling Silver from Hoover and Strong, a refiner with over 95 years experience in environmentally responsible refining, ethically sourced gemstones from Columbia Gem House, and Fair Trade Tagua from One World Projects. In addition, I try to donate to organizations that are at the forefront of the environmental movement, like Green America, Greenpeace and NativeEnergy. Effectively, I’m doing what I can with the resources that I have.

One day very soon creating environmentally conscious jewelry won’t be an option, it will be the standard. No one will have to question whether or not someone or the environment was harmed by its creation. When that day comes I would very much like to be considered right alongside of companies like Green Diva, but for now I’ll happily follow in their environmentally friendly footprints.