Ethical options

As founder of Janine de Dorigny, I believe it is paramount to respect everything on our planet, from human/animal to our environment. There are many marketing schemes used to lure buyers into believing that their option is the more ethical one. Many times it is simply a marketing scheme. 

We live in a highly competitive consumer based society where price point and quantity is king. It is my belief that this model is simply not sustainable and we are destroying our resources in the process. 

As designer and founder I promise to uphold progress, I cannot promise perfection, but I will try. 

Ethical diamonds: It is my belief that the only way to ensure ethical labor practices from diamond mining, is to use lab grown stones. Lab grown stones however come with their own set of problems: it is unclear as to how much nonrenewable sources of energy is used to create a lab grown diamond. It is also not intended for investment value. It is unclear what a lab grown diamond will be worth in the future.

Semi-precious stones: At this point I cannot guarantee where or by whom these stones are mined. What I can control and ensure is that the rough stone is cut in fair and ethical conditions.

Precious metals: I am a proud member of Fairmined which is an assurance label with very strict guidelines for responsible artisanal and small scale mining organizations. This is the best way to ensure that the metal we source has had a very low impact on the environment and no one has been unfairly treated in the process. This comes with a premium, but at least it's metal you can be proud of.

Upcycling and repurposing old jewellery is also a great way to limit your carbon footprint and everything is made and worked upon in our Toronto studio.

Simply supporting local is also a great alternative.