Sustainable is Beautiful
Since its founding over twenty years ago, Green Lake has been a leader in creating sustainably sourced and ethically produced jewelry. Did you know we were one of the first jewelry studios in the country to cast all our rings from recycled metal? On this Earth Day, we’d like to highlight two materials in our workshop that are especially eco-conscious and complement each other beautifully: Fairmined Gold and Montana Sapphires.
Every piece of jewelry Green Lake casts in yellow gold is sourced from Fairmined certified mines. This assurance label is focused on organizing artisanal, small-scale gold miners (or ASGM) to meet world-leading standards for safe working conditions and environmentally sustainable mining practices.
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Tens of millions of ASGM work with simple tools in remote areas all over the world and account for 20% of the world’s gold supply every year. Their work, in turn, supports a secondary economy of 50 to 100 million people in developing countries around the globe, providing vital opportunities to those with few economic alternatives. By supporting this Fairmined standard we can bring ASGM communities out of poverty, dangerous working conditions, and environmentally devastating activities they would otherwise experience while mining. When we make your jewelry in Fairmined gold it has a direct impact to affect social and environmental good in the developing world.
The majority of the colored gemstones Green Lake sells begin as pieces of rough, purchased on site from small-scale mines in Montana. When the sapphires first arrive in our workshop from the field, they are examined by our lapidary to determine the most optimal cut to highlight their unique blend of colors and inclusions and faceted accordingly. Their journey is short, from nature to our studio, to then be worn by you.
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With strict state guidlines, Montana mines are at the forefront of sustainable and ecologically responsible mining practices. All of the water used in the process is recycled from an adjacent settling pond to keep sediment from entering active waterways. Sorted material is only sourced from shallow alluvial deposits and native juniper is replanted to restore the landscape.
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Montana sapphires offer an unparalleled level of transparency in terms of their sourcing in large part due to the relationships we have developed with our miners. At our Mine Your Own sapphire event we even give our clients the opportunity to meet the Montana miners who source our sapphires and search for rough right alongside them! We are very proud to offer this truly local gem of the Pacific Northwest as a sustainable centerpiece for custom jewelry designs.
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