Foundations for Sustainable Jewelry Practices
Take this opportunity to gain awareness and build knowledge on your responsible jewelry journey. Foundations for Sustainable Jewelry Practices was created by Christina T. Miller Consulting to introduce you to the questions at hand and share resources in support of educating the jewelry industry in better ways of working.
There is a lot of language - spoken, written, hashtagged - that gets used in pursuit of these goals, often without a deeper understanding of what these terms actually mean. We all know that we live in an interconnected world, but as jewelers we often only get an overview of how our bench practice impacts the world around us. What does recycled gold mean from an industry perspective when there is no consensus across the board? If you are surprised to learn that the term recycled doesn’t have a standard definition, and want to learn more so that you can better understand the choices you make in your business, you now have an amazing opportunity.
Whether you are a seasoned bench jeweler, sales representative, jewelry buyer, or brand new student, learning the terminology and thinking critically about what these words and practices actually mean is the first step in making a commitment to your responsible jewelry goals. Each of us that takes the time to learn more about these ideas and concerns will be embarking on a path to creating a more ethical and supportive jewelry community. If you are here, you are interested, and now there are tools to help guide you.
About the Course
This online course is a short, but jam-packed introduction to responsible sourcing for jewelers. In it, you will learn a brief history of and understand the impacts that jewelry has on people and planet.
Course content is broken down into 4 Lessons - Including a welcome/intro and classes covering:
Industry - Where the jewelry industry stands, where change is needed, and why.
Terminology - The language we use to discuss issues in the jewelry industry.
Materials - Basic overview of how our jewelry materials are produced.
Action - Invitation to take action and steps you can take right now.
You will also have access to the transcripts and audio files of the course content which makes information review easy. There are plenty of extra resources and links for further information and research. In addition you will be a part of a student cohort where you will find like minded jewelers interested in these same topics, with access to an online student forum where questions and conversations can be asked in a supportive setting. At the end of your course you will be able to participate in “Office hours” as an interactive webinar along with your cohort.
We believe that this education is an important and necessary pillar when building a responsible jewelry practice, just as important as learning to solder, or designing a ring. Which is why we are affiliate partners in this effort to expand awareness. Plus, if you register through our link we receive a portion of the proceeds, which in turn supports BKMW educational programming. We think this is a pretty great way for everyone to join together, and we are excited for your next chapter.