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We caught up with fair-trade jewelry pioneer, Kimarie Burnette of Kimarie Designs to learn more about what inspires her and why she uses fair-trade labor from Bali.

1.  How did you get started in making jewelry?

I traveled to Bali and fell in love with the art and the people.

2.  Sustainability in the jewelry sector is pretty rare, what inspired you to go fair-trade?

My friend told me people were dying refining metal in Indonesia because of the toxic chemicals, we then set about learning how to refine our own metal and establish best practices.

3.  What one thing would you like all jewelry shoppers to know about traditional jewelry?

I'd like people to know that jewelry making in Bali is a centuries old tradition that is handed down from generation to generation. All our jewelry is hand fabricated with a lot of love.

4.  Who are you outside of the founder and designer of Kimarie Designs?

A mom and wife and big fan of sushi.

5.  Who would you be most thrilled to know is wearing your jewelry?

My friends.

6.  What is the experience of working in Bali like?

Working in Bali has been amazing. My goldsmiths now our the kids of my previous set of goldsmiths that are retired and fishing now. It has been wonderful to see them grow up get married and now have to enter “the real world” have a job raise kids etc. My aesthetic and constitution seems to fit Bali like a glove. I love the organic wild and at the same time laid back and very fatalistic tones of their culture. I am able to understand it and work within it very well.

Each week we profile a new Sulusso featured designer. All of our designers have one thing in thing in common - a commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

Hear from Gary Ptak, the designer of The Conscience Collection - a line of fine jewelry made exclusively from recycled gold and lab-created diamonds.

1. How did you get started in making jewelry?

For many members of this industry, including myself, it was something of a family tradition. My dad started out in the jewelry manufacturing business with his brothers in the 1940's, so I have always been around it. Throughout my life I've been exploring many different creative avenues, and making jewelry has become an outlet for expression as well as something that provided me an income. 

2. Sustainability in the jewelry sector is pretty rare, what inspired you to use only recycled metals and lab-created gems?

To a certain extent I’ve always been personally conflicted with jewelry manufacturing because of the disparity between the emotion evoking beauty of our materials and the unspeakable journey many of these materials have taken to become finished jewelry. 

Throughout my career I've worked to reconcile that conflict in my business. Sustainable fine jewelry just makes sense to me. I've been using recycled metals and lab grown stones for many years. But, about a year before the movie "Blood Diamond" was released, I recall many industry blogs and publications fearing the release of the movie, speculating that if the public learned the dark secrets of the diamond trade that sales would be crippled.

Certainly, it was a legitimate concern for the industry, but what moved me most was that the message from these sources was focused on how to debunk the "propoganda" in the film and assure consumers that the highlighted issues were not a systemic problem. The industry wanted consumers to believe that Hollywood sensationalism was making the problem out to be much larger than it was. My feeling was that the issues brought into the light in the film were real, legitimate and that addressing them was critical.

The reality of lab grown gems and recycled metals is that beauty does not need to be compromised and the "wow" factor is taken to another level in that the piece is not only a fashion statement, but a statement that the wearer is observant of the impact that their choice has made.

3.  Why do you think lab-created gems are important to the sustainable jewelry movement?

Besides their beauty, what attracts me to the gems I use in The Conscience Collection is that I know that our environment was not destroyed or even disturbed in their procurement. Nobody was enslaved or had their life or health in danger while bring them to market. These points cannot be understated. I enjoy conducting my business in accordance with these principles—sometimes doing so makes manufacturing more complicated. Sometimes it negatively impacts the bottom line, but I believe what I am doing is the right thing for me to do.

4. Who are you outside of the founder and designer of Gary Ptak, LLC? 

Father, husband, cook and television personality, bass player, traveler, driver, dog lover, friend to all animals, patriot, photographer, athlete, coach and all around good guy.

5. Who would you be most thrilled to know is wearing your jewelry?

My wife.

6. Could anyone who knew you as a young boy have predicted that you would be a pioneer of sustainable luxury?

I doubt it. It would have been far fetched, however, taking initiative and acting in accordance with my values has been an enormous factor in my life as far back as I can remember. I'm told I was "taking a stand" before I could stand. While I've certainly learned from mistakes and been enlightened numerous times, my principles have always led my way.

via 3blmedia.com

Each week we profile a new Sulusso featured designer. All of our designers have one thing in thing in common - a commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

Hear from Okomido jewelry founder, Midori Ferris-Wayne. Learn about her inspiration and where she can be found when not at the jeweler's bench.

1.       How did you get started in making jewelry?

I have fond memories from a very young age of playing with my grandmother's jewelry and dreaming of collecting my own treasures. So jewelry has really been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The idea of actually designing jewelry was a more gradual process. I immersed myself in jewelry history when I worked at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and then transitioned into the Fine Jewelry auction world. Eventually, through those connections I began designing one-of-a-kind pieces. Creating a full line was a logical extension of this process when I moved back to California.

2.       Sustainability in the jewelry sector is pretty rare, what inspired you to use only reclaimed materials?

Two reasons, really. First, I've never been one to do anything halfway, so once I started finding out about the horrifically negative impact of traditional mining practices there was really no turning back – particularly as it became evident that it isn't as challenging as most designers think to commit to sustainability.

The second reason is that the story behind each piece of jewelry is significant to me, and I love the connection to other people's histories that comes from recycling. A particular ring from reclaimed materials isn't just timeless because of the exceptional components and design, but because it literally contains fragments from other jewelry with incredible sentimental value to countless other owners. I think that is tremendously meaningful, not to mention fun.

3.       What one thing would you like all jewelry shoppers to know about traditional jewelry?

I generally try to avoid getting preachy about this issue, but since you asked...  I've done my homework enough to know that it's not just hype--traditional mining really is "as bad as they say." Personally, it's definitely a matter of conscience to find alternative sources for my materials, and I think if most people took the time to educate themselves, they would find compelling reasons to demand full-scale change in the industry. I sometimes think of it this way: very few people would enjoy eating even the most delicious food at their favorite restaurant if they learned that the people growing and cooking the meal were exposed to horrible toxins in the process. A purchase as consequential as jewelry should merit at least as much consideration.

4.       Who are you outside of the founder and designer of Okomido?
 
I make jewelry in part because I am inspired by the beauty of my surroundings. So, it’s no accident that you are most likely to find me taking advantage of everything our small town in Sonoma County has to offer: picking apples in the orchard next to our house, going to quirky, local festivals like the Gravenstein Fair, or taking the short drive out to the ocean. I spend as much time outside as possible playing with my kids on the trampoline. I'm also a Project Runway addict, with a weakness for great food and Dwell Magazine.

5.       Who would you be most thrilled to know is wearing your jewelry?

It would thrill me equally to know that the gloriously stylish actor/environmentalist Emily Deschanel was wearing an Okomido Twig Bracelet as it would to know that my grandmother cherishes her Honesty Pod earrings and wears them almost daily.
 
6.       Could anyone who knew you as a young girl have predicted that
you would be a pioneer of sustainable luxury?

Living in the Sierra-Nevada foothills during grade school, just minutes away from one of the oldest hydraulic gold mining sites in the country, made an undeniable impression on me. Any of my family members familiar with that wasted moonscape in the midst of lush forest would agree that it's hard not to be changed by that experience, and none of them are surprised that I've built a business, which reflects that.

via 3blmedia.com