Nothing finishes off an outfit quite like the perfect piece of jewellery. Ethical jewellery brands are giving UK conscious consumers the choice to have glittering earrings and sparkly bracelets without it having to cost the Earth.
Historically, jewellery has not always been the most ethical of industries. The sector is notorious for human rights violations, ethical issues and environmental missteps. From mining for gems and precious metals in delicate ecosystems to the vast amount of plastic used in the costume jewellery sector, jewellery has had a hefty environmental toll.
The rise of the fast jewellery sector, similar in its foundations to the fast fashion industry, has only exacerbated the issues associated with the jewellery industry.
UK sustainable jewellery brands offer a different approach. They create jewellery in a considered way, taking care throughout material sourcing and production to minimise their impact on the environment.
UK ethical jewellery brands create robust policies to ensure that workers are paid fair wages and have safe conditions across the supply chain. Practices such as forced labour and child labour are strictly prohibited.
For more on the practices of sustainable and ethical jewellery, see our article What is slow jewellery.
Ethical jewellery brands UK
Our website is reader supported. We sometimes earn a small affiliate commission for purchases made through links in our posts, at no extra cost to you. Read more about our policy.
So, which brands are making beautiful jewellery styles and giving consumers sustainable choices at the same time?
1. People Tree
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £10 – £65
Made in: Kenya & India
Sustainability creds: Fair Trade, ethical supply chains, traced supply chains, support disadvantaged communities
Heavyweights in the sustainable fashion sector, People Tree are also the makers of high quality ethical jewellery. The brand’s styles are simple and elegant while still within a price range that many people can afford. People Tree styles incorporate copper, silver and brass to create timeless designs.
People Tree is a well known ethical brand. The label holds a long list of ethical certifications and advocates for fair and safe workplaces. It has traced its supply chains and works with artisans to create its jewellery styles.
2. Rays and Riches
Based: Italy Ships to: Worldwide
Price: €17 – 172
Made in: Italy
Sustainability creds: Recycled and ethically sourced gold and silver, repurposed gemstones, sustainable packaging, chemical free, handmade at home
Every piece from this ethical and sustainable jewellery brand is handmade with love by brand founder and designer Manuela Lucia. Making jewellery circular is core to the brand. Gemstones are genuine stones from preloved jewellery while Manuela uses recycled 14 karat gold and 100% sterling silver.
The gorgeous earrings and rings represent Manuela’s love for the earth and have an elegant and natural beauty.
What’s more, Good Maker Tales have kindly been offered a 20% discount site wide with the code GOODMAKERTALES
3. Nue Hoops
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £65 – £120
Sustainability creds: Use of recycled materials, sustainable packaging, modular jewellery styles, use of lab grown gems
Bringing a flair for creativity to the ethical jewellery sector, Nue Hoops embraces trendy and contemporary design with an underlying essence of timeless charm. From stacking star earrings to shiny dagger charms, the ethical label is bringing a sense of individuality to the market.
Nue Hoops’ use of recycled materials shows a conscious move away from the unsustainable practices associated with virgin precious metals. Offering stacking and modular jewellery pieces gives the opportunity to restyle jewellery, reducing the need for purchasing multiple styles.
4. Daisy London
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £19 – £366
Made in: Thailand
Sustainability creds: Use of recycled materials, plastic cleanup program, sustainable packaging, carbon positive
A sustainable jewellery brand featuring pieces designed for everyday wear, styles from Daisy London are simple and versatile. The label’s classic designs incorporate gold and silver, as well as the use of pearls and gems to create sweet and contemporary designs.
Daisy London has achieved the impressive carbon-positive status. As well as the label’s commitment to sustainable materials and limiting its carbon footprint, the brand helps to reduce plastic pollution. For every purchase, ten plastic bottles are removed from the ocean.
5. Loveness Lee
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £75 – £595
Made in: UK
Sustainability creds: Recycled materials, handmade production model, lab grown gems
Taking inspiration from the shapes and textures found in nature, pieces from Loveness Lee are true works of art. An advocate of trusting the creative process, each piece that the label’s skilled artisans create is truly unique and made with care.
Styles from Loveness Lee are made in small batches in the label’s London workshop. The brand is conscious about its material choices. It incorporates recycled silver and lab grown gems in its ranges to help limit its overall impact.
6. Edge of Ember
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £68 – £995
Sustainability creds: Use of lab grown diamonds, recycled materials, sustainable packaging, producers certified by the Responsible Jewellery Standards
London-based organisation Edge of Ember, designs jewellery that is classic and timeless. Its elegant pieces incorporate materials such as high quality gold and silver, as well as stunning lab grown diamonds, freshwater pearls and natural ruby.
Edge of Ember has made a conscious effort to create eco-friendly jewellery for UK consumers. The label uses recycled precious metals to help limit its impact and incorporates lab grown diamonds, helping to reduce the reliance of the jewellery sector on the incredibly harmful natural diamond trade.
They also create some great affordable and ethical engagement rings.
7. Monica Vinader
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £20 – £1,495
Made in: India, Thailand, Italy, Portugal
Sustainability creds: Recycled materials, handmade production model, product traceability program, sustainable packaging
Jewellery styles including ethical engagement and wedding rings from Monica Vinader champion expert craftsmanship and quality materials. Carefully placed gems and delicately molded gold creates designs that are elegant without being over the top. The skill of the brand’s incredible makers takes centre stage.
Monica Vinader offers an impressive amount of transparency regarding the production of its pieces. The label has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Sustainable Development, and the Retail Jeweller Ethical Jeweller of the Year Award. The brand uses recycled materials to help limit its impact and reduces its carbon emissions wherever possible.
8. Pearls & Pomegranates
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £23 – £4,900
Sustainability creds: Fair trade and recycled materials, slow jewellery production, supports rainforest protection initiatives, donates to charitable causes, sustainable packaging
A marketplace for independent ethical jewellery makers, Pearls and Pomegranates hosts a range of exquisite jewellery pieces. Many styles are handmade and show the individual flair of the jeweller that created them. Unique designs are inspired by everything from the climate crisis to the inner workings of human psychology.
This platform for UK ethical jewellery brands takes a slow jewellery approach, working with ethical makers and avoiding mass production models. Sustainable materials are incorporated in many of the products and many pieces are produced on a made-to-order basis, further reducing the risk of waste.
9. Roxanne First
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £75 – £7,500
Sustainability creds: Tree planting programs, slow jewellery approach, Responsible Jewellery Council member
Making jewellery that is bright and bold, styles from Roxanne First are quirky, colourful and fun. The brand has beaded bracelets, snake hoop earrings, and necklaces featuring solid gold smiley faces. Roxanne First even offers personalised jewellery options so every consumer can find something that fits their own unique vibe.
Roxanne First are members of the Responsible Jewellery Council. It plants trees for orders it receives and is a female led business. The label creates pieces made to last, rejecting the quick buy quick throw away mindset of the fast jewellery sector.
10. Ethica Diamonds
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £200 – £8,250
Made in: UK
Sustainability creds: 1% for the Planet, Fairtrade gold, Living Wage Employer, supports charitable initiatives, sustainable packaging, use of recycled materials, made to order production
The ethical diamond specialists, Ethica Diamonds create stunning jewellery featuring lab grown gems. The label crafts elegant designs and has been included in Eluxe Magazine, HELLO! and Cornwall Living.
The ethical jewellery brand has taken a conscious approach to adopting sustainable practices. Its use of lab-grown diamonds represents an attitude of ethical business, which is further supported by the company’s use of Fairtrade precious metals.
11. Taylor & Hart
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide
Price: £510 – £12,36
Made in: Finished in the UK
Sustainability creds: Lab grown diamonds
Making the creation of an engagement ring a collaborative experience, Taylor & Hart design bespoke, personalised engagement rings and wedding rings alongside its other jewellery collections. Expert craftsmanship, quality materials and a consultation with a personal design consultant means customers can find the ring of their dreams.
The label uses lab grown diamonds in some of its designs and creates products made to be cherished for years to come.
For more engagement and wedding rings see our guide.
12. Wolf & Badger
Based: UK Ships to: Worldwide (stores in the UK & USA)
Price: £7 – £75,055
Sustainability creds: B Corp certified, ethical marketplace, sustainable and ethical product guarantees
A platform for some gorgeous ethical jewellery brands, Wolf & Badger has a variety of sustainable jewellery styles to suit any taste and budget. From the colourful to the quirky, the elegant to the edgy, Wolf & Badger’s large variety of styles are all created by labels that champion ethical and sustainable production.
A B Corp certified corporation, Wolf & Badger provides a great resource for ethical consumers. By compiling ethical brands in one place, it takes the hard work out of finding ethical companies and provides a mutual benefit for both consumers and sustainable makers.
Caring for people and the planet
While jewellery hasn’t always been the most ethical of businesses, these ethical jewellery brands are showing that this doesn’t have to be the future.
These clean, green and ethical brands are proving that true beauty starts with caring about people and the planet and striving to create a positive impact. Using innovative products and ethical practices, these brands are providing timeless elegance and contemporary pieces that don’t have to cost the Earth.
We have a separate guide with a round up of ethical engagement and wedding rings if you are looking for that special ring!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
