Ethically sourced diamonds and gemstones
Australian, Fair-Trade, recycled and lab-created – we’ll find you the perfect gems [Retail Only]
Diamonds and gemstones from all over the world
— By order only —
Because we’ve been working in the ethical jewellery space since 2007, we’ve built up strong relationships with reputable diamond and gemstone suppliers all around the globe, and we can usually find what you’re looking for.
Importantly, we don’t carry inventory of larger gemstones or diamonds. That means we’ll always work towards finding exactly what you want rather than try and sell you something we have in stock.
Diamonds and diamond alternatives
All of our diamond and diamond alternative suppliers are carefully checked to confirm they observe best practice when it comes to mining, sustainability, traceability and safe and ethical work practices.
Mine-origin diamonds
When it comes to newly mined diamonds, at this time, we’ve decided to only offer diamonds from the Argyle or Ellendale mines in Western Australia. Sizes, shapes and quality are all subject to local availability.
In our experience, whilst Argyle diamonds carry a premium price, of the large mining operations they’re the most responsible we’ve encountered when it comes to rights of our indigenous peoples, the traceability of their stones, the avoidance of workforce exploitation (especially in the diamond cutting factories) and the quality of their cuts.
We also prefer Australian-originated products when possible because, well, what’s not to love about them!
If you’d like to learn more technical information about what’s important when choosing a diamond, click here.
Lab-created diamonds
Just as we are with the mine-origin diamonds we offer, we’re very selective when it comes to our lab-created diamonds suppliers.
We will only buy from those that can demonstrate the following:
- their stones are traceable to the point of manufacture;
- they can prove their stones are neither manufactured nor cut by an exploited workforce;
- they declare their energy sources and are (at least) moving towards renewables; and
- they demonstrate corporate social responsibility.
Lab-created diamonds are typically around half to two-thirds the price of their mined equivalents and (with careful vetting of suppliers) offer a very socially and environmentally sustainable alternative to mined diamonds.
You can learn more about lab-created diamonds here.
Vintage and post-consumer diamonds
Vintage and post-consumer diamonds are exactly what they sound like.
They’ve usually been recovered from unwanted and estate jewellery and, to our minds at least, represent one of the most environmentally responsible options available.
Many of our post-consumer diamonds come from vintage jewellery (from the 1920s and 30s) and so are usually old cuts perfect for retro-styled jewellery. That said, we can also get more contemporary cuts too.
More modern recycled diamonds usually come from a US refiner who buys old, broken or unwanted jewellery from the public. They repurpose the metal and the diamonds and offer both for resale.
Provided you’re prepared to be flexible when it comes to what’s available at the time, they can represent excellent value for money.
Diamond alternatives (Moissanite)
Because we only make high quality, hand made jewellery, we don’t offer diamond simulants such as Cubic Zirconia (CZ).
We do, however, offer moissanite – a popular and commonly used diamond alternative that sparkles amazingly well. (If bling is your thing, moissanite can be a good choice.)
Whilst moissanite does occur naturally, it tends to be grey-ish in form and quite rare. As a result, almost all the moissanite we use in jewellery is laboratory grown by one of the best in the business – Charles & Colvard.
You can read more about moissanite here.
Coloured gemstones and synthetics
Thanks to our long-established relationships with local and international suppliers and manufacturers, we have ready access to the popular gemstone varieties from Australia and around the world (Fair Trade or lab-created) sapphires, garnets, rubies, emeralds, aquamarine, tanzanite, tsavorite, spinel and many others.
Australian and Fair Trade gemstones
If you’re looking for ethically-sourced Australian or Fair Trade gemstones, that’s exactly what we can get for you. We’ve been working with most of our suppliers for years and they’re as good as they get.
Of course, restricting ourselves to Australian and Fair Trade could limit your options from time to time. But if being an ethical jewellery buyer really is important to you, it’s a small price to pay.
To learn more about what to look for when buying ethical gemstones, click here.
Lab-created gemstones
Lab-created gemstones are a popular and usually very affordable alternative to many of the very rare natural varieties.
Properly sourced, they also offer a sustainable and socially responsible alternative.
We can supply you with lab-created sapphires, rubies, emeralds, alexandrite and other types.
You can learn more about lab-grown gemstones here.
Recycled and post-consumer gemstones
As it is with our post-consumer diamonds, we often source gemstones from estate and unwanted jewellery via a US supplier – Perpetuum Jewels.
Perpetuum obtain their donor jewellery through verifiable, legal sources – often vintage jewellery from the early 1900s.
And as it is for diamonds, post-consumer gemstones can often represent excellent value for money if you’re prepared to be flexible and work with what’s available at the time.
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