Eco-Roundup: Jewelry

By Suzanne Singer
May 18, 2010

Most accessories fall out of fashion faster than you can say "It bag," but jewelry has a sizable shelf life. It's therefore a natural fit for the eco-friendly art of repurposing. In this final installment of our look at green accessory makers, The Inside Source talks with three jewelry designers who are taking old gold and silver pieces and recycling them to create baubles that are easy on the eyes—and the conscience.

Gayle C. Baker Designs

Since one of Gayle Baker's core beliefs is to “produce goods with little or no damage to the earth," all of her jewelry is made from reclaimed gold and sterling. Baker’s latest collection, “Paradiso,” is inspired by California, where she has been designing for the past ten years. "When I was a little girl and my family would travel to California, I would spend my time in the car staring up through the window at the amazing palm trees that lined the streets," she explains. "With their tall straight trunks and shimmering fronds, they came to represent sunshine, fun, the beach... paradise." The shiny, happy collection pays homage this corner of the great outdoors. "It’s my hope that [by wearing the jewelry] you can carry a little bit of the sand, sea, and sunshine with you," she says. No surprise then that Baker gravitated to tropically inspired items on eBay.

Top row, Gayle Baker and two designs from her Paradiso collection. Bottom row, Baker's eBay picks, left to right: Hawaiian Oil Painting (buy it now price, $3800) “This painting perfectly embodies the tropical feeling that I was trying to achieve in the Paradiso collection.” Black and White California Print (buy it now price, $24.95) “What a stunning vintage photo of a palm tree, I've always been in love with palms. I'm very pleased that I was able to create a collection with a palm theme.” Old Palm Springs Art Print (starting bid, $49.99) “California always had a strong pull for me and in particular Palm Springs is one of my favorite places. It's paradise.”

Mociun

NYC-based eco jewelry line Mociun incorporates recylced diamonds into pieces, in addition to reusing gold and silver. If the diamonds are not antique, designer Caitlin Mociun makes sure that they are fair trade. About her eBay choices, Mociun says, “I picked different examples of turquoise used with gold. I am always looking for different ways the stones are set or what they are combined with for inspiration, as well as different ring shapes, stone shapes, etc. And I have always loved turquoise. I think it looks amazing with gold and diamonds. It's something that they did in Victorian jewelry but you don't see it much now. Its unusual looking but really elegant.”

Top row, Caitlin Mociun and designs from her latest collection. Bottom row, Mocuin's eBay picks, left to right: Victorian Turquoise and Garnet Brooch (buy it now price, $2,500) Victorian Turquoise, Pearl and 14K Gold Ring (buy it now price, $189.99) Victorian 14K Turquoise Ring (buy it now price, $202.49)

Rebekah Green

Eco consciousness developed early in the aptly-named jewelry designer Rebekah Green. In grade school, after she saw one of her classmates litter, she got so upset she forced the child to pick it up and properly dispose of the waste. In later years, Green held a slew of environmentally friendly jobs, delivering organic food and building homes with all natural techniques, before becoming a host and producer of a weekly TV segment called “The Green Spot.” She then started her own podcast called “The Green Scene with Rebekah Green." In 2009, she launched her eco jewelry line with pieces made in the US from recycled 14K and 18K gold and fair trade gemstones. Green's feminine collection is built around an assortment of six earring types, all “hand-cast, hand-set and hand-polished." Five percent of her proceeds go to Global Green USA, Charity: Water and Heifer International.

Top row, Rebekah Green and two designs from her latest collection. Bottom row, Green's eBay picks, left to right: New Eco Friendly Fair Trade Necklace (buy it now price, $74) “I've chosen this piece because it uses fair trade stones, makes the best use of a refined, elegant and cohesive color palate—I love the transparent blue stones with the pearl as well as the sand-toned beading and the shape of the swirl feels organic and balances well with the size of stones used.” Eco Friendly Beer Bottle Glass Hoop Earrings (buy it now price, $40) "These are great earrings because they are chunky and cool—great for making a big statement when you're feeling particularly bold and outgoing. I love that they come directly from glass bottles without being re-melted for an excessive use of energy. The glass has been polished and shaped in exactly the right way to make the style look dynamic, fresh and clean.” Recycled Glass Earrings (buy it now price, $12.99) “I love these earrings because the recycled glass paired beautifully with the 14K gold. I love me some gold jewelry! I love the butterflies, they remind me of some of my children's earrings in my own line and the price is excellent for this economy—tons of style for less than $15!”

**Images of designers and their products provided by featured designers.**

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