Sapphires – a rainbow of (ethical) options

[Sapphires are a great alternative for consumers not wanting diamonds]

Sapphire, the September birthstone, was once believed to protect against envy. (Rubies, which are essentially red sapphires, were believed to attract and maintain love.)

Derived from the Greek word “sapphirus,” the word “sapphire” means blue, but the reality is that sapphires come in a whole spectrum of colors including yellow, pink, green and white. Next to diamonds, sapphires are the hardest gem stone making them ideal for engagement rings and every day wear. Though the white sapphires can be mistaken for diamonds, it is the vibrant colors that are attracting brides to be. (White sapphires lack the brilliance of the colored sapphires.)

Sources of sapphires are found virtually around the globe from the United States to Sri Lanka. In addition to fair-trade sapphires being available, so too are lab-grown sapphires, which are chemically and optically identical to their mined counterparts.

Fair-trade gems are those that are tracked from mine to market to ensure that they have been handled according to a set of protocols, which include environmental protection, fair labor practices, health and safety standards, and a tight chain of custody that reduces the possibility of treated gems being sold as natural.

Gems are often treated to be of a higher quality or color grade. When purchasing colored gems, be sure to find out if the stone you are considering has been treated. Natural stones are more rare and therefore more valuable.

Greenwala and Digg spread information about sustainable fine jewelry

C5 company is slowly getting the word out that options now exist whereby consumers don’t have to sacrifice beauty or craftsmanship for sustainable fine jewelry. We recently posted an article, which appeared on Greenwala and Digg, outlining the basic issues associated with traditional fine jewelry and describing some of the options available.  This is the first article in a series. Please read, comment and share.

Here is an excerpt…

“We all love beautiful sparkling diamonds and gold, but the social and environmental impacts associated with the $75 billion/year jewelry industry are devastating. Metal mining is one of the most toxic polluters in the U.S. with cyanide, mercury and arsenic contaminating nearby soil and waterways. The gem trade has also long been marked by negative impacts including social disruption, hazardous working conditions, unfair wages, child labor and community displacement….”

Read full article on Greenwala.

Give the article a thumbs up on Digg.

Learn more about sustainable fine jewelry at www.C5company.com.

Green diamonds?

We received an inquiry asking about the existence of green diamonds. Since it is the first time we have ever been asked this, we thought we would pass along the answer to everyone…

Ethically sourced, genuine green diamond created in a lab.

“Lab-created diamonds are available in a full spectrum of colors including shades of blue, yellow, pink, peach and as of recent, green. The green is more of a peridot (lime) color. They are being produced by one of our suppliers in Russia. The company we purchase most of our lab-diamonds through is based in the United States, but the closest they have to green is more of an aqua color.

Lab-created diamonds and gems are the most sustainable option available. There is no social impact of the stones and the environmental impact is minimal and drastically less than the environmental impact of mining. Lab-diamonds are produced in a machine the size of a washing machine and require as much energy as a hair dryer. There is no waste involved in the process.”

Read more about lab-created diamonds.

Alternatives to diamonds

As consumers learn about the social and environmental implications of mined diamonds, they increasingly look for alternatives that they feel better about purchasing and wearing. Some consumers are boycotting diamonds altogether preferring other precious gems such as emeralds, rubies and sapphires. However, there are others who want the look of a white diamond, while not having to compromise their values. This is especially true when it comes to engagement rings.

Here are three alternatives concerned consumers should consider:

• White Sapphires – Though sapphires lack the brilliance of diamonds, white sapphires are a great option for accent and side stones. In sizes less than a half-carat, they are nearly identical looking to diamonds.
• Moissanite – Not only are moissanites far less expensive than diamonds, but they are far more brilliant too. The only downside is that they sometimes have a slight yellow or greenish tint dectable when next to a white diamond.
• Lab-created Diamonds – Lab diamonds are optically, chemically and physically identical to mined diamonds, but without the social or environmental impact. They are similar in price to mined diamonds, but availability is limited.

C5 company carries ethically sourced diamonds, lab-created diamonds, moissanite and white sapphires as well as a range of gem alternatives.

Rare gem available through C5

Conscious consumers searching for an alternative to traditionally mined diamonds should consider Zultanite, a rare gem found in Turkey.

Zultanite is a unique color changing gem that will turn from sage green to champagne to pale raspberry in different lighting. This exquisite stone has a higer refraction index than a diamond (.048 compared to .044) and is hard enough (7.0 on Mohs scale) for everyday wear.

In addition to being durable and exquisite, Zultanite is recovered using only environmentally safe mining techniques. The Zultanite company claims to be having a very positive economic impact on the lives of the miners and the surrounding community in rural Turkey. As an example, miners are provided housing and meals as part of their employment.

Custom cocktail ring featuring a snowflake cut zultanite (more than 2 cts.) surrounded by pink and blue lab-created sapphires

 

C5 is one of less than 40 retailers in the United States carrying Zultanite. The gem has been very well received by our custom clients as it is an excellent pairing of beauty and sustainability.

Contact us to learn more about Zultanite and our custom design services.

Bigger, better diamonds…coming soon.

Since the mid-1800’s, scientists have been working to develop lab-created diamonds. In the 1950’s, General Electric was the first to produce man-made* diamonds. The diamonds produced had wonderful applications in technology for cutting, electrical insulation and heat conductivity. However, the ability to produce white (colorless), gem quality diamonds of a size that meets the demand for engagement rings has been slow to evolve to the point where it makes economic sense to produce them in mass quantities.

A new article out on LiveScience.com indicates that this may no longer be the case. It may be soon that lab-created diamonds, produced by a process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD), will be readily available.

Click here to read the full article that appeared on Yahoo and MSNBC.

C5 company has created custom jewelry using colorless, lab-created diamonds of exceptional quality. As the global supply has been very minimal to date, we have used both HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) and CVD (chemical vapor deposition) diamonds, depending on what was available. The processes to create diamonds are different, but both result in brilliant diamonds that are not marked by the severe negative and social issues associated with their mined counterparts.  

For more information on the history of man-made diamonds, we recommend The Diamond Makers by Robert M. Hazen.

* Lab-created, man-made and synthetic are synonymous with regard to diamonds. However, there are companies that produce fake diamonds and refer to them as synthetic stones. Price is usually a good indicator of whether or not it is a real diamond.

Rising stars in sustainable jewelry

There are hundreds of jewerly designers in the United States, but only a handful are creating jewelry that as sustainable as it is beautiful.

The C5 jewelry boutique now features pieces by:

Eternity Band with Diamond Solitaire by Jennifer Dawes

• Lori Bonn
• Kimarie Burnette
• Jennifer Dawes
• Gary Ptak

Each of these designers, plus Alberto Parada whose pieces will be added this week, align with the mission of C5. They prove that as conscious consumers, you don’t have to sacrifice beauty for social and environmental responsibility.

Whether fair-trade in Bali or hand-crafted in the United States, the jewelry featured on the C5 boutique doesn’t carry the negative impact associated with most fine jewelry on the market.

For more information about these designers, please visit the Designers page of the boutique.

Madagascar suffering due to embargo

Madagascar began to suffer when President Marc Ravalamanana learned that perhaps the largest emerald crystal ever unearthed anywhere (valued at 130,000 Euros) was legally exported from Madagascar by an established Malagasy Emerald dealer and a Chinese national. President Ravalamanana attempted to get Interpol to help him get the 1169 lb. stone back from a museum in Hong kong where it is currently on display.  He illegally boarded and searched the plane he believed held the stone on Feb. 28, 2008, in Mada, and imprisoned the dealer for more than a month.  When he could not retrieve the stone, he implemented policy that makes it illegal for any gem material to leave Madagascar.  This action came as a surprise as the President had been well respected and believed to be helping the people of Madagascar.

His decision to implement the embargo is destroying the gem industry in Madagascar and adversely affecting more than 1.5 million people whose income came from the legal sale of gems. 

The situation in Madagascar further illustrates the critical role that the gem trade plays in developing countries. Embargoes and boycotts are not the answers for helping these communities as they often punish the artisanal miner and local trader.

Change must be a multi-pronged approach that includes (but isn’t limited to) lab-created gems as alternatives to those that have been mined, involvement of NGO’s on the ground in developing communities, action among governments and corporations to establish better human rights and environmental practices, and third party industry regulators.

More options in sustainable fine jewelry

C5 company is pleased to announce that we have expanded the options of gorgeous, ready-to-wear, sustainable jewelry available through the C5 jewelry boutique.

The boutique now features select pieces from The Conscience Collection by Gary Ptak.

The Conscience Collection is made in the United States and combines brilliant, lab-created diamonds and gems with recycled gold, platinum and palladium.

This collection elegantly combines sustainable innovations with the luxury you expect in fine jewelry. The pieces show off diamonds in a stunning range of yellows, pinks and blues as well as rubies, emeralds, and all colors of sapphires.

Offering The Conscience Collection is just another way that C5 allows you to wear your commitment with jewelry you can feel good about. Gary Ptak has set a new standard for the jewelry industry with the launch of this impressive line.

Check out The Conscience Collection at http://stores.c5jewelryboutique.com/StoreFront.bok.

The Conscience Collection by Gary Ptak featuring recycled metal and lab-created gems

Love, earth eco-jewelry line in question

In July, Wal-mart announced its Love, Earth eco-jewelry line. Subsequently, environmentalists and community advocates such as Global Response have come forward to question the sustainability of the jewelry.

Wal-mart claims that 100% of the gold and silver used in the jewelry is traceable back to the mine from which it has been harvested. Of the many concerns voiced are:

1. Tracing metal back to a mine in and of itself isn’t sustainable.
2. The metals used in the jewelry is virgin, rather than recycled metal.
3. The metals are from mines (Rio Tinto and Newmont Mining Corp.), which have been marked by environmental issues in the past.
4. The mines meet Wal-mart’s standard of sustainability, but there is no third-party accountability.

Further concern has surfaced about the communities affected by the mines located in Utah and Nevada. More than 100 tons of earth are impacted to produce a single ounce of gold. The gold is mined on the land of the Western Shoshone people who claim that the mines are not only polluting the region, but operating without their permission.