Ethics and Materials
Sustainability is a word that has been thrown around a lot lately, such as financial sustainability, environmental sustainability, political sustainability and so on. At Wandering Soul Jewellery, it is of utmost importance that we are as sustainable as possible in our sourcing of crystals, our packaging and our materials. This ensures minimal impact on the environment while also supporting the local communities that extract crystals.
Ethically sourcing crystals.
There are no industry standards of ethically sourcing crystals, so it is up to individual sellers to define their own standards and be transparent about them. At Wandering Soul Jewellery, we purchase our crystals from trusted suppliers who have close relationships with the people who work in family-owned mines. Our suppliers have travelled to the places where their crystals are extracted to observe the work conditions of the people in the mines. Although rare, if our suppliers are at all suspicious of the working conditions of the workers, they will no longer purchase crystals from that mine. Therefore, at times we may have a certain crystal out of stock for a short period of time while we try to source it from another supplier. For us, it is always worth the wait to ensure ethically sourced, high-quality crystals. As mentioned, sustainability is important to us. Therefore, it is important for us to support family-owned mines as the money is then generated back into that local community instead of large corporations looking to profit from the spiritual community. We would never knowingly purchase from an unethical seller.
Packaging.
At Wandering Soul Jewellery, it is important to us that we keep our packaging pretty yet minimal to lessen our carbon footprint. The following is a list of the materials used in our packaging;
Envelopes: Made with at least 60% recycled content. They are designed for recycling and come with instructions printed on the back how to correctly recycle the envelope after use. Envelopes are Forest Stewardship Council approved.
Bubblewrap: All bubblewrap is repurposed and reused from our own crystal deliveries. As bubblewrap is a soft plastic and generally not accepted in kerbside recycling bins, we encourage you to reuse bubblewrap where possible. However, many national drop-off collection programmes that recycle plastic bags will also accept bubble-wrap. A quick Google search will inform you of your closet drop off centre.
Organza bags: Our organza bags are entirely reusable. If you do not want to store your jewellery in them and wish to repurpose them for a gift or another use, simply hand wash them with warm soapy water and allow them to dry.
Crepe/tissue paper: As of September 2020 all of our tissue/crepe paper is 100% acid free and biodegradable.
Our jewellery making materials.
The following is a list of materials used in creating our pieces.
Wires:
Silver plated copper wire, tarnish resistant.
Gold plated copper wire, tarnish resistant.
Black coloured iron wire.
Pro-quality stainless steel non tarnish wire.
Chains:
Silver plated snake chain with lobster clasp fastening. This chain is 24 inches in length, 1.2mm in diameter. Is is a copper base metal (lead and cadmium safe) with a bright silver plating.
Gold link chain: 2x3mm gold tone metal chain, lead free, nickel free.
Silver link chain: 2x3.2mm shiny silver plated metal, lead free, nickel free.
Rose gold link chain: 1.5x1.5mm rose gold metal plated chain, lead and nickel free.
Black cord: Vegan.
Earrings:
Silver plated fishhook earrings.
Gold plated fishhook earrings.
Sterling silver fishhook earrings.
Stud earrings are made from pro-quality stainless steel non tarnish wire.
Stud backings: silver and gold plated standard stud earring scrollbacks.