Editor’s Note
This article explores how the jewelry industry is innovating for sustainability, from sourcing to packaging. As highlighted by Boucheron’s new minimalist case design, reducing environmental impact is becoming a creative priority.
Treasures of imagination are being deployed by jewelers to align with sustainability.
Recently, Boucheron, part of the Kering group and particularly avant-garde when it comes to combating climate change, launched new minimalist packaging. It has just unveiled “No pack is the new pack,” a new kind of case. To reduce the environmental footprint of the jewelry box, every stage of its lifecycle has been optimized, from the choice of raw materials to their end-of-life. From the initial twelve box formats, the house has kept only seven. Of the eleven materials in the old case, none have been retained. It is now composed solely of two natural and recyclable materials: aluminum and wool felt.
A true pioneer of eco-responsibility, Caroline Scheufele, co-president of Chopard and artistic director of the jewelry and high jewelry collections, places Fairmined certified gold at the heart of her creations. This label certifies the provenance of gold produced by small-scale artisanal mines and meets the main global standards for responsible practices. At the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d’Or, certified Fairmined, is indeed signed by Chopard. It is even set with diamonds from a supplier endorsed by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). This initiative guarantees responsible provenance across the entire supply chain. The Coodmilla Cooperative of La Llanada, the first mine supported by Chopard in Colombia, supports 1,860 people. It was certified Fairmined in 2015. Three more should follow in Bolivia and Peru.
Jewelry faces problems with the traceability of colored stones. Unlike diamonds, which are increasingly traceable from mine to cut, a colored gemstone travels a long and sometimes opaque path before setting the creations of renowned houses. Major luxury groups transparently acknowledge the difficulties encountered. This is why Kering and Cartier established the Responsible Jewellery Council in October 2021, which aims to guarantee the provenance of these gemstones in the near future.
While luxury giants certainly hold the cards to regulate the mining sector, they are not the only ones: small players also offer relevant alternatives, like Mélanie Zacharias. After managing the heritage collections at Chaumet, the designer now offers custom-made jewelry pieces created from Auvergne sapphires. These stones made in France have the advantage of coming from an alluvial deposit, not from underground mining requiring the drilling of galleries in hard rock. The gems selected by the young woman are traceable and come from the Rivière de France deposit, a river in Puy-de-Dôme unique in Europe that carries sapphires of probable volcanic origin.
Among the other top performers in terms of sustainable development is Maison Boucheron. The jeweler multiplies actions to preserve the Earth’s riches and even prides itself on using materials light-years away from those usually found in the windows of the prestigious houses on Place Vendôme. Starting with Cofalit. This recycled material resembling onyx comes from… asbestos-containing industrial waste. Reimagined by the talented artistic director Claire Choisne, it is paired with diamonds in the Jack Ultime collection.
Among the solutions that minimize environmental impact, upcycled creations are in high demand. Some independent jewelers, like the brand Héloïse et Abélard, source jewelry, stones, and materials from the second-hand market to remount them in a more contemporary style. From upcycled jewelry to antique jewelry, it’s just a small step. And buying a ring designed in the 1930s has an almost negligible ecological impact since the jewel already exists. A strong trend manifested by the development of sites dedicated to vintage adornments, like 58 Facettes, Castafiore Paris, or Galerie Pénélope. Not to forget the pioneer in this field and pure player of the second hand: Collector Square.
This recent enthusiasm for creations that have spanned decades is also evident among jewelers through the sale, in selected boutiques and for a defined period, of a selection of vintage pieces authenticated internally from the archives. Thus, Van Cleef & Arpels invites its loyal clients each year to discover about fifty creations from its heritage, from the 1920s to the 1980s.