Fair trade jewellery's coming of age

Leonardo DiCaprio's Blood Diamond made us shun unethical jewellery forever, so you can imagine we're elated to find out the Fairtrade Foundation has some certified Fairtrade jewellery in the pipeline. Together with the Association for Responsible Mining and the ethical jeweller in Chichester, Cred, the foundation is working on a project, Green Gold, to bring high-end Fairtrade jewellery to us.

It may be cheaper than Tiffany's, but while Cred's jewellery is stunning for special occasions it's just too dear for everyday wear for us. Luckily, there are now lots of smaller companies, such as Made, Silverchilli and Jungle Berry, who offer ethical and green jewellery that we can afford.

And it looks promising. For everyday-smarts, we particularly like Made's range made from recycled flip-flops. Silverchilli's bangles and silver necklaces are fit for evening-wear and Jungle Berry's Rainforest Rings (see above) are mainstream with a quirky twist. They're made from the silver of disused South American silver mines and Tucuma fruit seeds, which have fallen to the ground naturally, from the Amazon forest. And like all other Jungle Berry products, they're made by local artisans who get paid a fair wage.

SmartPlanet has just had a look at Jungle Berry's new range and we must say that while we're sure the Rainforest Rings will prove a hit with ethical shoppers, we're more into the necklaces made with acai seeds (see below), which are a waste product from the growing acai juice industry.

While we're waiting for the Fairtrade Mark to become available for jewellery, the British Association of Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) is our guarantee that our necklaces, bracelets and rings are fair trade. Besides being a member of BAFTS, Jungle Berry is also being eco-friendly by making its jewellery from already existing seeds and wood from off-cuts of felled trees and reclaimed wood.

So, green gold it ain't -- but nearly.

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