When it comes to luxury jewelry, green is the new gold; that goes for silver and gemstones too. Creating ethical jewelry is becoming a priority among many top luxury brands who still want to dazzle us with beautiful, sparkly creations, but also want to make it easier for jewelry consumers to shop responsibly. Is it really possible to do both? You bet!  We are seeing more designers who are committed to crafting jewelry that protects human rights as well as our natural resources. In fact, on a recent trip to the amazing first-floor jewelry emporium of ABC Carpet & Home , we noticed that most of the pieces in those gleaming cases bore labels with information of origin, including “recycled gold or silver”, “handmade,” “made in USA.” Here, we have listed a few luxury jewelry brands that we think are leading the ethical jewelry charge and the initiative to go green. — Stephanie Melia

Chopard Green Carpet Collection

Roll out the green carpet! Long time luxury brand, Chopard, has an entire collection dedicated to a sustainable way of creating jewelry. Chopard collaborated on their Green Carpet Collection with Eco-Age, a firm that works to make sure their clients are only sourcing from ethical suppliers in all aspects of the creation process. Between mining the collection’s dazzling diamonds from Responsible Jewelry Council–certified producers and ensuring safe working conditions for their employees, Chopard clearly cares about this cause and is one of the leading sustainable brands in the luxury sector, qualifying them to be a certified member of the RJC for several years. The nature motif beauties from Chopard’s collection, shown top and directly above, will have you saying “go green” in no time.

Dana Bronfman

Dana Bronfman, a jewelry designer based in New York City, is another leader in the ethical jewelry  movement. Not only is she big on recycling…especially when it comes to precious metals, but she recently became a Fairmined Licensee! What exactly does that mean? Basically, Dana has a stamp of approval to use conflict-free gold from small mines that protect both the environment and workers throughout the mining process. Dana is also a proud member of Ethical Metalsmiths, an activist group promoting the responsible mining of gold, diamonds and other materials used in jewelry making, and she donates a portion of her sales profit to Sierra Club, an organization against exploiting natural resources. Talk about a sustainable success!

Fabergé

The brand Fabergé is well known for its dazzling artistic designs, luxurious pieces and iconic heritage, but just three years ago it also became known as a leader in sustainable production when the brand was acquired by Gemfields. Gemfields is a leading supplier of ethically sourced colored gemstones with a “mine to market” policy that ensures the gemstones used in Faberge’s extraordinary pieces are able to be traced as responsibly supplied. Beyond mining, Fabergé utilizes rare jewelry-making techniques in order to give jobs to local artisans. If this sounds appealing, we suggest you check out the beloved Fabergé Emotion Collection, shown above, featuring unique, bold pieces, each with over 300 colorful (and ethically sourced!) gems.

Todd Reed

When it comes to creating ethical jewelry, the Boulder-based designer, Todd Reed, is years ahead of a growing environmentally enlightened pack. With a forward-thinking vision of using only raw, uncut diamonds and recycled metals, he launched his eponymous, eco-chic collection 24 years ago. His responsibly-sourced raw diamond creations have not only caught on with consumers and high-end retailers like Louis Anthony Jewelers, but his dazzling designs have won two straight “Best of Show” awards at the American Gem Trade Association’s annual Spectrum Awards (AGTA).