Sustainability plays an extremely important role for Bijoux de Chagall and because of this, we use Lab created Gemstones wherever possible.
We recently invested in new exclusively cut Lab grown Opals like these amazing Rose Blush ones. Those fairy-tale looking Opals are truly magical not just because of their look but their soulful meaning - they are Lab grown gemstones! You will wonder why?
When many years ago I went on business trip to Shri-Lanka - we went to see gemstones mining and their local jewellery shop to get some amazing gifts for ourselves and family friends. The experience was unforgettable as the fact that the mining process was so scarily unsafe and primitive without any high technical tools and equipment.... I kept thinking about those poor people involved in that trade and this event stayed with me forever. Many years later I’ve started my own jewellery business and now looking back we are trying to make right choices and finding ethical and eco solutions.
We feel the Jewellery Trade has not been pressured enough into reducing their environmental footprint.
Heavily polluting mines and carbon-intensive manufacturing of Earth mined Gemstones are extremely harmful to the ecosystem.
Environmentally speaking, Lab-made Gemstones does not affect the natural resources in the same way the process of natural Gemstone mining does. While the chemical and physical composition of the Laboratory created Gemstones is very similar if not identical to what nature creates, the effect on the environment is very different. The resources used in creating Lab Gemstones does not involve digging holes or scarring the Earth and Laboratories leave behind far less pollutants or Ecological devastation.
Another huge problem with Gemstone mining is the dangerous working conditions created in the pursuit of the “prize” as well as the practice of using child labour. The concerns about poor working conditions and the use of out dated, poorly maintained or inappropriate tools and machinery are very real. No Gemstones are worth the price of Human lives. The Health and Safety of Lab created Gemstone workers is far easier to control and working conditions are hardly comparable to mine working conditions faced by the Miners.
If you think Lab Gemstones are fake, THINK AGAIN.
The vast majority of Lab created Gemstones are not fake, but geologically identical to natural Gemstones physically, optically, and chemically……. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t prefer a high-quality Gemstone with all the attributes of an Earth mined Gemstone, yet made with very little harm to the environment or the people producing it?
Sources:
https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2011-09-09/gem-mining-ethical-issues-smart-shopping
http://www.jewelrywise.com/just-for-you/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-lab-created-stones
https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/jewellerys-sustainable-future-recycled-gold
https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/pandora-lab-made-diamonds-736665
Autors: Written in collaboration with Camelia Beresteanu.