Making Your Jewelry Business “Top Brass” in Your Ethics
Julie Starr • November 18, 2021
Consumers are becoming more aware of their buying choices, and as we become more aware of the ethical practices in our daily lives, we have to work to make our business embody the same ethics. In the jewelry world, we encounter a lot of people looking for fair and moral practices, not just buyers, but jewelry makers as well. So if you are running a jewelry business, here are some key things to consider if you are looking to make your business more ethical and eco-friendly.
Your Raw Materials
One of the most important ethical factors within the industry is the material. Whether you are using jump rings to make rings or you are using pearls, gemstones, precious metals, and other materials, it is important to look at some of the following components:
- The operations . It’s crucial to ascertain the legalities of the mind the materials are coming from.
- The labor . This would consist of the safety of the mines, who is involved in the trading, and who is employed to do the mining.
- The environmental impact . Because mining is changing the landscape in a literal sense, is this being done appropriately? This would also mean you have to consider if the waste material is being dealt with safely.
Ensuring You Are Purchasing Ethical Materials
It is important to research the companies that you are sorting your materials from. You can ask them about their ethical practices, but you also need to look at some of the following components:
- Traceability . Is the company able to tell you where all the materials came from? This is so important as we can then look at the footprint.
- The responsibility of the supplier . Does your supplier assume responsibility for every purchase they make or is this outsourced to another company?
- The supply chain practices . If you are looking to minimize your carbon footprint , you’ve got to find suppliers that are consciously reducing their carbon footprint through their suppliers.
Improving Your Business Operations
It’s not just about the materials and the suppliers, you need to ensure that you are developing your business to adopt a more ethical approach. These can consist of a few key areas:
- Your operational procedures . There are some very simple things you can do to improve your business operations. If you are posting products to customers as part of a direct-to-consumer business, you’ve got to consider how you are using your fuel. You can save your energy by driving to the post office only once a week. This will also have a positive impact on your work-life balance.
- Creating an ethical business policy . This could help you to remain accountable. If you start to create a more environmentally-friendly policy that you can share with your customers, this could bring them back to you. It’s also something that you can incorporate into your business plan.
Ultimately, operating with an eco-friendly mindset is important but every industry operates differently. If you are running a jewelry business you must take ownership and remain accountable.
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.