Greetings!
The Green Jewelry Movement is growing by leaps and bounds in 2010 and this issue has updates from across the country and overseas, plus news about exciting designs, exhibitions, and more.
Thank you for everything you do to make the world a better place.
Christine Dhein Green Jewelry Educator
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Fair Trade
Gemstones in Tucson
An Open
Forum on Eco, Ethical, and Fair Trade
![gems](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/406.jpg?a=1103071196473)
On Friday, February 5, 2010 The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) hosted an seminar at the
at the AGTA GemFairTM Tucson, AZ that focused on eco, ethical, and fair
trade gemstones in an open town hall format.
Bill Gallagher, CEO of Lori
Bonn Design, Inc., facilitated the event that was attended by a group 25 people
representing diverse sectors of the industry including students, emerging and
established designers, manufacturers, and gem dealers. Participants included Eric Braunwart, Marc Choyt, Tom Cushman, Christine Dhein, Peggy
Jo Donahue, Greg Valerio, and others, many of whom
have been key players in the Madison Dialogue, an initiative promoting sustainable development and verified sourcing of
responsible gold, diamonds and gemstones.
This forum looked at the issues, challenges
and opportunities for eco, ethical, and fair trade gemstones. Some participants voiced frustration regarding the lack of information about how to get started sourcing fair trade gemstones. For those with more experience, the
most common challenges and issues included transparency, no agreement on
standards, lack of third-party verification, limited stone choices and
difficulty sourcing fair trade, semi-precious stones at lower price points.
Despite the challenges, the discussion included the possibility of rapid, market-driven changes and the vital role of education. Greg Valerio, a champion of fair trade gold in the UK,
stated "[I am] leaving
Tuscon Gem Fair thinking a fair trade gemstone is a real possibility. The
Jewellery revolution turns again."
Ideas for a Fair Trade Future Survey data was collected
from participants at the forum and tabulated by Susan Kingsley, of Ethical
Metalsmiths, in order to create an on-line resource directory that will continue to grow
with the movement. Look for more details about the directory in the next issue of GJN. Other ideas to grow the movement that came out of this
session include the creation of introductory educational information for jewelers, designers, gem suppliers and others on how to
get started sourcing fair trade gems. The working title
of this resource is First Steps on the Road to Fair Trade Jewelry. To receive updates on progress after the forum, join the Madison Dialogue.
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Green Jewelry in Australia Part 1
The Green Jewellery & Small Objects Symposium
Report
![bario neal](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/411.jpg?a=1103071196473) ![bario neal](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/412.jpg?a=1103071196473)
Left: Christine Dhein and Cathy Salter Right: Green Jewellery Symposium panelists Rebecca Ward, Bibi Locke and Cathy Salter
The Green Jewellery Movement is
alive and well in Australia! Read about the Green
Jewellery Symposium in Brisbane, Australia and look for a
report on Christine Dhein's Green Studio Practices class down under in the next issue.
The Green Jewellery
& Small Objects Symposium, held November 13, 2009 at Griffith University Queensland College of
Art, was attended by over 50 enthusiastic jewellers, designers, students and
educators and was organized by Elizabeth Shaw, Head of the Jewellery & Small Objects Department. Four speakers presented on a variety of topics within the Green
Jewellery Movement including Rebecca Ward, Bibi Locke, Cathy Salter and Christine Dhein. The presenters discussed the enviornmental impact and origin of materials
used to make jewellery. Several speakers also
considered the message conveyed by choice of materials.
![bombay shards](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/413.jpg?a=1103071196473) ![drifter](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/414.jpg?a=1103071196473) Left: Bombay Shards Necklace in recycled glass and sterling by Rebecca Ward Right: Longshore Drifter Necklace in sterling and pebbles by Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward is a studio
jeweller who "tastefully transforms trash" such as glass collected from demolition yards and beaches, vinyl records, and other recycled materials to create jewelry with an
eco-aesthetic. She shared the advantages of working with recycled materials
including, finding materials and lower materials costs.
She also discussed several challenges, including a lack of consistent supply,
lower perceived value, cost of jewelry shifting from materials to design and
manufacture, and the challenge of designing a wearable piece of jewelry from
found objects. She also warned the audience to be aware of the difference between
recycled and repurposed materials. As she explained, recycled materials have been discarded after being used for their original purpose, then
collected, transformed and reused in a new form. Recycling gives materials a
new life before going to the landfill. Repurposed materials are often purchased
new from the manufacturer and labeled "repurposed" because they are being used
for something other than the original intended purpose. Unfortunately, these
types of "repurposed" items have the same carbon footprint as newly
manufactured materials.
![bib earrings](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/416.jpg?a=1103071196473) ![bib leaf pin](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/418.jpg?a=1103071196473) ![bib leaf pin](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/417.jpg?a=1103071196473)
![hosking](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/419.jpg?a=1103071196473) Top: Jewellery by Bibi Locke in recycled stainless steel and copper Bottom: Brooch by Marian Hosking in sterling silver
Bibi Locke, a jeweller and graduate student at Griffith
University presented her thesis, The Tarnished Legacy of Silver: Paradox in
Australian Jewellery which discussed environmental themes in the work of
Marian Hosking, one of Australia's most innovative, renowned designers. Bibi
questioned Hosking's use of sterling, potentially from newly mined sources, and
suggested that this choice of materials introduces complex issues to the work, which
have been previously unexamined.
![salter1](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/420.jpg?a=1103071196473) ![salter2](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/421.jpg?a=1103071196473) ![salter3](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/422.jpg?a=1103071196473)
Jewellery by Cathy Salter in recycled copper and anodized aluminum
Cathy Salter, founder of Kit and Caboodle and
ecojeweller.org, and a recent graduate from Curtin came from Perth to share her
research about the problems in the jewelry supply chain and sourcing of ethical
and environmentally sensitive materials in Australia. Cathy has been active in
contacting suppliers across Australia to ask them to provide products with recycled metal
content. Just days before Cathly's lecture, A&E Metals Merchants, the primary metals
supplier for many Australian jewellers, announced that 100% of the metal content
in their precious metal alloys comes from recycled sources.
Christine Dhein gave the final presentation, The Greening of American Adornment which offered a brief history of the green jewellery movement in America over the last decade. Geared toward jewellers and makers, the bulk of the information focused on how to implement eco-friendly studio practices in the jewellery workshop. Some of the information presented can be found in Christine's article, Reduce Environmental Impact with Green Bench Practices.
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Tips from our Readers Proper Pickle Disposal in the East Bay
Tiny Thoughts Necklace, enameled copper by Isabelle
Eyman
Isabelle Eyman
creates
personal, custom pieces for people so they don't clog up their jewelry boxes with unused jewelry. She knows how important a special piece of jewelry can be and states "I have pieces I have worn for 10 +
years...and still wear them because they are meaningful to me." Recently she started making custom, enameled Tiny Thoughts Necklaces.
Customers
can order custom pieces with words of intention or names of children on them.
Isabelle
also offers this information on pickle disposal for readers in the Alameda/East
Bay area of California:
"This
weekend I met someone who worked for East Bay Municipal Utility District...and
I asked him what was the best way to dispose of the pickle that we accumulate
as jewelers. After some discussion, he said that it is best to go to the Alameda Household Hazardous Waste Center and drop
it off there.
This is for
those that are in the East Bay, but the concept is the same: by dumping it down
the drain, the copper, which is considered a toxic heavy metal when it enters
the water supply, truly gets lost and is non reclaimable. By
depositing at the Hazardous waste facility, it is reclaimable.
I have left
my pickle on and let all of the water evaporate out, and then collected the
crystals. The crystals can also be then be taken to hazardous waste.
I know Christine
already sent something out about pickle disposal, (see Proper Disposal of Studio Chemicals) but I wanted to send this
information because I could not remember all of the details myself and thought some
of your other readers could use a refresher.
If anyone
is interested in contacting the man I spoke with, his name is David McMullen,
Senior Wastewater Control Inspector, and he can be reached at 510-385-6158." -Isabelle Eyman Emeryville, CA
Find a drop off facility in your area by searching
the internet for "household hazardous waste" and the name of your town.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and learn more about the Green Jewelry Movement. Check out this month's events, and send this newsletter to a friend to help spread the word about using recycled and ethically sourced jewelry materials along with eco-friendly studio practices.
Sincerely,
Christine Dhein
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Green Jewelry Archives Now Available On-Line!
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Christine Dhein's Profile
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![christine headshot](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/161.jpg?a=1103071196473) |
Christine Dhein is a jewelry designer, author, and eco-educator who has been using recycled materials for over ten years.
Christine's jewelry can be purchased online at objectfetish.com.
View more work by Christine on Flickr.com, including her Fashion, Keum-boo and Tribal Elegance collections.
Learn More about instructional DVDs on Keum-Boo, the ancient Koren technique of bonding a thin layer of 24k gold to the surface of sterling silver. With this technique, 24k gold can be easily recycled over and over in the jeweler's workshop. Christine demonstrates how to make gold foil from scrap in her DVD, Keum-Boo: Beyond the Basics.
Join Christine on Crafthaus, an exciting new website connecting fine artists, studio jewelers and designers.
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To receive this monthly newsletter, send an email with "Green Jewelry News Subscribe" as the subject.
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Classes with Christine
![keum-boo pendant](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/185.png?a=1103071196473)
Keum-Boo in San Francisco Feb 26 - 9 am - 6 pm, 2010 at the Revere Academy Learn this dramatic, yet simple, Korean surface technique of bonding thin pure gold to silver. Keum-boo uses very little gold, and every scrap of gold can be utilized or easily recycled into new foil, right in your own studio. More Details
Surface Embellishment in San Francisco at Revere Feb 27-28 - 9 am - 6 pm Here is a chance to explore a wide variety of surface treatments
including Japanese foil and dot inlay, roller printing, stamping,
embossing, subtractive, and fused textures. Make a book of copper samples and instructions to take home for use in your own studio. More Details
![Stacey Lamothe](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/309.jpg?a=1103071196473) Green Metalsmithing in NY April 30 & May 2, 2010 at the 92nd St. Y Heard the buzz about green or eco-jewelry? Be inspired by visuals,
lectures and demonstrations, and get hands-on experience designing and making a "green pendant" to take home. More Details
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Green Exhibitions
![silver web](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/154.jpg?a=1103071196473)
Radical Jewelry Makeover Necklace by Christine Dhein
The work of Christine Dhein is featured as part of theRadical Jewelry Makeover project in Adornment and Excess: Jewelry in the 21st Century, an exhibition curated by Lena Vigna for the Miami University Art Museum in Oxford, Ohio, which opened January 21, 2010.
Making a Green Statement
![shana green](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/423.jpg?a=1103071196473) Green Necklace by Shana Astrachan
Shana Astrachan exhibited her Green Necklace made from recycled plastic parts and faux pearls at the 18 Reasons Community Exhibition, January 7th - 31st, 2010 in San Francisco. This quote is excerpted from her statement to remind you to keep asking tough questions of yourself and others.
"What is Green?
When are products truly sustainably produced?
Who or what else suffers in the process?
With the commercialization of 'green' products we are left wondering where the
term starts and ends, and how much of our perception is part of a marketing plan.
Many of us know what it means to practice methods of conservation, use nontoxic
chemicals, buy from manufactures that do the same, purchase only 'ethically'
sourced stones, etc. But is every aspect of the businesses you are working with 'ethical'?"
![sa green copy](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/404.jpg?a=1103071196473) Shana Astrachan in front of her Green Necklace at the 18 Reasons Opening
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Green Jewelry Articlesby Christine Dhein
![silver web](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs059/1101650039431/img/187.jpg?a=1103071196473) Your Studio: Making Eco-Friendly Choices, printed May, 2009 in Art Jewelry magazine. Download
a chart of 12 less toxic chemicals for making jewelry.
Proper Disposal of Studio Chemicals printed December, 2008 in Jewelry Artist.
Reduce Environmental Impact with Green Bench Practices printed November, 2008 in JCK Magazine.
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