Posts Tagged ‘fair trade silver earrings’
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
We only have to walk in to a high street chain store to find a large selection of economically priced jewellery. This jewellery is largely silver plated with silver or gold strung with plastic or glass beads. It is essentially mass produced to satisfy the demands of the west world for cheap, affordable costume jewellery in this modern day ‘throw away’ society.
Jewellery has not always been as accessible or affordable as it is today though. For example, way back in Victorian times, a whole range of solid silver and gold earrings, bracelets and necklaces were made with skills reflected by that era of fine craftsmanship in general. Watches, clocks, jewellery and even pottery were made with such accuracy, care and attention back in those days. Focussing on the jewellery though, the Victorians used a delightful array of semi precious stones and if you go to an antique shop today, you will most definitely see jewellery of that era elegantly designed and inlaid with gems such as lapis lazuli, moonstone, opal, malachite, blue chalcedony, zircon blue, turquoise, black jet, pink quartz and garnet amongst many others.
For those wanting quality handmade silver jewellery made in the same care and attention at affordable prices, I would recommend exploring the world of fair trade jewellery. Although fair trade jewellery is not as readily accessible in chain stores, there are many online fair trade outlets where you can browse at your leisure at the different colours and designs available.
To explore why fair trade jewellery is special, I would really like to draw specific attention to a range of fair trade silver jewellery designed and produced in India. It is made by a community practising Jainism, an ancient religion based on Buddhist ideals. As most people know, Buddhists live their life in serenity, peace and calm.
I find their solid silver jewellery quite fascinating since each piece has been imprinted with their traditional jewellery making skills as well as their cultural vision of what constitutes beautiful jewellery.
Their range of designs are subtle with soft curves and shapes such as teardrops, hearts, ovals, flowers and spheres. Some have delicate threads of silver shaped in swirls to give a really elegant finish.
Every item is made from .925 solid silver with each piece inlaid with gemstones reminiscent of days gone by. For example there are stud earrings made with tigers eye, blue chalcedony and lapis lazuli. Hook earrings with gemstone droplets of moonstone rainbow, zircon blue and malachite. Bracelets with oval stones or malachite or even labradorite as well as pendants with coral and turquoise or zircon blue.
Whether you prefer watery colours of zircon and moonstone or the more earthy tones of tigers eye or malachite, there really is something for everyone.
So the story of this particular range of fair trade jewellery is quite fascinating though all kinds of fair trade giftware is available nowadays, not just jewellery.
If we take time to delve a little deeper in to the world of fair trade, we will find that each piece has a historical context by way of the people of a specific community that made it, their cultural beliefs and backgrounds and to me that is exactly what makes fair trade jewellery so very special.
Tags: christmas gifts, fair trade earrings, fair trade gifts, fair trade jewellery, fair trade jewellery uk, fair trade silver earrings, fair trade silver jewellery, Indian jewellery, lapis lazuli, lapis lazuli jewelllery, malachite jewellery, moonstone, moonstone jewellery, moonstone rainbow, pendants, silver earrings with turquoise, silver pendants with turquoise, solid silver jewellery, Turquoise jewellery, UK
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
The Fair Trade label is becoming increasingly common in the Western world. But while shoppers seem keen to pay a little over the odds for fair trade products, some observers question how effective it really is in helping developing third world farmers.
In my view, the more the Western market is flooded and the more Fair Trade sold, then over time, the third world will surely reap the benefits in the end?
Surely, the more fair trade clothes and jewellery we buy, the more the third world produce and sell, and then the more we buy, the more the third world earn and so on…..and this can only be a positive cyclic relationship perpetuating greater wealth over time for impoverished societies?
The craftsmanship on fair trade gifts and jewellery is truly outstanding. Quite clearly the skills of the indigenous communities who produce such gems are passed from generation to generation so skills like wood carving, hand painting, hand screen printing and jewellery crafting do not fade. We are lucky to have accessibility to the products of great artisans so we can appreciate their unique beauty in contrast to mass produced generic products that are not, in sharp contrast, skilfully handcrafted and have no soul or originality.
Hand embroidered fair trade bags
There is an organis ation in India called Touch of India who specialise in hand making fair trade bags all of which are hand embroidered. Touch of India carries out most of its work with Muslim minorities and aims to preserve old traditional embroidery techniques such as Kantha embroidery, Zardozi and Aari work. It uses a wide range of beads and fabrics in the most beautiful colours and are true works of art. All their products are exchanged for a fair wage.
Hand made fair trade candles
In Kolkata, India, the conglomerate E.M.A., carry on the tradition of candle making by hand. Paraffin was is melted in an oven and poured into a mould or ‘die’. Each candle is left to cool for six to seven hours before being taken out of the die and polished. It can be then hand painted or hand screen printed. Most of the scents used are from flowers, fruits and spices and come from Bangalore. Each candle is a work of art and has been exchanged using fair trade principles.
Hand screen printed jute shopping bags
Earth Bags in Kolkata, India, produce bags made from jute since it is a fast-growing vegetable fibre in their country. It is also 100% biodegradable and recyclable. Some of the bags are natural jute while others have been hand dyed in sumptuous pinks , greens and purples embellished with coloured sequins and hand printed with metallic gold or pink screen prints. Earth Bags gives employment to women and self-help groups in Kolkata and strives to help the environment by encouraging more people to use eco-friendly bags.
Fair trade jewellery
Produced in Delhi, India, each piece of jewellery is created from Indian solid silver. Each item is crafted and inlaid with semi precious gemstones ranging from the beautifully rich deep blue lapis lazuli, to the milky moonstone and the opulent malachite. The range of jewellery covers intricately crafted pendants inlaid with coral and turquoise to hand crafted earrings some with finely shaped spirals of silver.
All the products Indigo Ocean have to offer have been exchanged for a fair wage to help to improve the communities standard of living and quality of life - not only for them - but for their next generation….
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
I feel confident the majority of us are aware of fair trade tea, coffee and bananas since supermarkets have posters everywhere emblazoned with the striking green and blue logo with a picture of the food product.
We can then choose whether or not to buy this range depending on our understanding of what fair trade is all about. Though I wonder how many of us realise the fair trade range goes way beyond such consumables. For example, there is a magnificent range of fair trade gifts available spanning across accessories like bags, scarves and purses. There are colourful, educational childrens toys. High quality hand made fair trade jewellery.Also homeware like brightly weaved or natural rugs, throws, cushions, candles and wooden plates and bowls. The list really is endless!
Not only is there something special for everyone but also everything is hand made by artisans using traditional skills passed from generation to generation. Since fair trade is literally created and not manufactured on a production line, I truly believe every piece is unique. Furthermore, we have the satisfaction of knowing no-one has been exploited since fair trade means a fair wage has been exchanged under ethical working conditions.
So what fair trade treasures are there beyond bananas?
5. Tealight Holders. If you are after something really quirky for someone with a sense of humour there are brilliant tealights ranging from hedgehogs to chickens and frogs. The ones I have seen are made by a family in Indonesia from scrap tin. Each tealight is painted in detail giving it a unique charm that could never be found in high street stores.
4. Moneyboxes. There are some really fun wooden animal moneyboxes around from giraffes to zebras and cows which would bring a smile to any child. They are well worth keeping your eyes open for.
3. Bags. With the demise of plastic bags, eco-friendly and fair trade bags are becoming increasingly common. From jute bags to recycled newspaper bags, these are worth exploring with some embellished with sequinned flowers dyed the most amazing colours.
2. Stationery. Fair trade stationery has found its way onto the market shelves at last. I’m so glad because everything is so beautifully made. There is a high quality range of colourful handcrafted cards, notebooks, albums, diaries and cards reflecting the authentic skills of embroidery and papermaking of fair trade craftspeople.
1. Jewellery. I love jewellery, what female doesn’t? Fair trade jewellery has become very diverse catering for the western world. There are wooden beads, glass beads, shells and seed beads. Long, short, wide and narrow. There are earrings, bracelets, necklaces, chains and pendants made from solid silver inlaid with semi precious gemstones like malachite, moonstone, zircon, lapis lazuli and turquoise. It surprises me they are not more expensive when you study the skill and workmanship. Definitely worth a look.
So next time you see the striking logo in a supermarket or on a bunch of bananas, I truly hope it serves to remind us of all the other treasures fair trade brings us and the people we are helping.
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Saturday, August 1st, 2009
Fair trade silver earring, apatite and moonstone : £10.99
PROPERTIES
Apatite is a calcium phosphate which interestingly can be found in approx 65% of the bones and teeth of humans and animals including fish and dinosaurs!
The colour of Apatite is normally green but can also be blue, yellow, reddish-brown, violet (one of the rarer but more popularly demanded colours), yellow-green (”asparagus stone”), colourless or multi-coloured. The colour formation is determined by the natural presence of rare earth elements since it is made up from three kinds of minerals. The colour will depend on the highest density of either fluorine, chlorine or the hydroxyl group so although all three are present in every specimen the colour depends on the percentage of mineral density which determines the colour itself.
- Fair trade silver earring with apatite : £7.49
The name Apatite is a derivative of the Greek word “apatao,” meaning “to deceive,” as Apatite can be notoriously difficult to distinguish for example from other gemstones such as tourmaline, peridot and topaz.
The properties of Apatite give it a softness and brittle structure and could explain why it is not so found as a common gemstone in jewellery. For example, the most appropriate use of Apatite for jewellery seems to be earrings and necklaces or pendants rather than rings and bracelets and this may be explained by its vulnerability to damage.
Indigo Ocean has a beautiful range of modestly priced fair trade silver jewellery handmade in India. Our broad range of fair trade jewellery are inlaid with various combinations of semi precious gemstones. We have fair trade silver stud earrings, fair trade hook earrings, silver pendants and silver bracelets. We have a great selection of fair trade silver jewellery with stones such as apatite, blue chalcedony, malachite, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye, moonstone, moonstone rainbow, black star, labradorite and rose quartz. All of our fair trade silver jewellery is exchanged for a fair wage. We have included in this article a selection of fair trade silver earrings inlaid with the blue-green Apatite so you can see the beauty of the designs available.
- Fair trade silver earring with apatite : £8.59
ORIGIN
Apatite is mined in Brazil, Madagascar (where blue apatite is most commonly mined), Mexico, Mozambique, Norway (blue-green), Sri Lanka, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Spain (where the yellow-green variety is found, aptly named the ‘Asparagus stone’), Brazil, and the United States (note, Apatite’s most famous crystals hail from the aptly-named Mount Apatite in Maine.
FOLKLORE
In folklore through the ages, Apatite is believed to stimulate thoughts and ideas through increasing intellect, imagination, and intuitive awareness. Wearing Apatite in some kind of jewellery form is believed to help to dilute hostility and prejudice bringing the wearer harmony on all levels promoting an ‘inner peace’.
Tags: apatite folklore, apatite history, apatite properties, birthstones apatite december, fair trade buckinghamshire, fair trade earrings apatite, fair trade jewellery, fair trade jewellery uk, fair trade products, fair trade silver apatite earrings, fair trade silver earrings, fair trade silver jewellery, fair trade uk
Posted in Birth stone properties, Fair trade Jewellery update, Gemstones and their properties | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Fair trade earring black star and moonstone : £12.75
PROPERTIES
Black Star Diopside is a Calcium Magnesium Silicate and is an intense black gemstone.
- Fair trade earrings, black star & labradorite : £7.49
Indigo Ocean has a very elegant and moderately priced range of fair trade jewellery hand made in India from solid silver. Our vast range of fair trade jewellery pieces are inlaid with various combinations of semi precious gemstones.
We have fair trade silver stud earrings, fair trade hook earrings, silver pendants and silver bracelets. We have a great selection of fair trade silver jewellery with stones such as blue chalcedony, malachite, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye, black star, moonstone, moonstone rainbow and rose quartz. All of our fair trade silver jewellery is exchanged for a fair wage. Below is a selection of fair trade earrings inlaid with black star.
Fair trade earrings, black star and labradorite : £15.49
ORIGIN
Black Star is mined predominantly in India.
Fair trade earrings, black star : £10.59
HISTORY
Black Star Diopside derives from the Greek word ‘di’ meaning two, and ‘opsis’, meaning vision. Another name that has appeared over the years for Black Star Diopside is the Black Star of India.
Fair trade earring stud black star : £12.75
FOLKLORE
Traditionally Black Star Diopside is believed to help heal trauma by bringing cleansing to tears and thus diluting the trauma and consequently Black Star is sometimes referred to as the ‘crying stone’. It can help alleviate aggression and stubbornness and is said to be related to love, commitment, and the inner heart. It is also said to bring creativity if worn in jewellery or carried by the wearer.
Black Star Diopside is also believed to help with physical ailments concerned wit the heart, lungs and circulatory system as well as aiding with psychological disorders and weaknesses.
BIRTH STONE
Diopside is associated with the birthstone month of March.
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Fair trade jewellery, malachite and rose quartz earrings : £8.59
PROPERTIES OF ROSE QUARTZ
Clear Quartz is pure or nearly pure Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), made of Silicon and Oxygen which is the Earth’s most common elements. If any impurities are present, these are normally a result of trace elements of Aluminum, Lithium, Potassium or Sodium.
- Fair trade earrings with rose quartz : £4.99
The pale pink colour of rose quartz can range from transparent to translucent. Transparent rose quartz is very rare and the colour is very subtle unless in a large piece of mineral where the colour is more concentrated due to the greater mass. On the other hand, the more translucent rose quartz is much more readily available and is used extensively for making beads, cabochons and carvings, pendants, earrings and necklaces.
Indigo Ocean has a very elegant and moderately priced range of fair trade jewellery hand made in India from solid silver. Our vast range of fair trade jewellery pieces are inlaid with various combinations of semi precious gemstones. We have fair trade silver stud earrings, fair trade hook earrings, silver pendants and silver bracelets. We have a great selection of fair trade silver jewellery with stones such as blue chalcedony, malachite, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye, moonstone, moonstone rainbow and rose quartz. All of our fair trade silver jewellery is exchanged for a fair wage. Below is a selection of fair trade earrings inlaid with rose quartz.
HISTORY
Although not much is known historically about Rose Quartz, beads were found in the area once known as Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) that date back to 7000 BC. Rose Quartz jewellery was known to be crafted by the Assyrians during the time span of 800-600 BC, and it is believed that the Assyrians along with the Romans were first to use this stone. The Romans used it for making seals as a sign of ownership and considered it a strong healing stone. Egyptians believed the pink stone prevented aging.
ORIGIN
Rose Quartz is predominantly mined in Brazil but can also be found in Madagascar, Germany, India and South Africa.
FOLKLORE
Historically Rose Quartz has long been a symbolic gemstone synonymous with love and beauty and in modern day terms it is now known as the “Stone of Gentle Love” or the “Stone of Unconditional Love”. I wonder if this is because of its gentle pink colour which is normally associated with matters of heart – ie: love…..??
Traditionally Rose Quartz has been given as presents to newborn babies with the belief this will aid their transition from the spirit world to the physical realm, gently integrating the two and helping with adjustment. This stone is also said to help mend broken hearts or aid in easing emotional trauma.
Wearing or carrying a heart-shaped Rose Quartz pendant or charm is believed to attract love.
BIRTHSTONE PROPERTY
Rose Quartz is the modern alternative or substitute for Garnet for those born in January.
Tags: fair trade earrings, fair trade jewellery, fair trade silver earrings, hook earrings, rose quartz earrings, rose quartz folklore, rose quartz gemstone, rose quartz history, rose quartz jewellery, rose quartz necklace, rose quartz properties
Posted in Birth stone properties, Fair trade Jewellery update, Gemstones and their properties | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
We have a wide selection of fair trade jewellery that is truly beautiful, elegant and equisite.
All our earrings, bracelets and pendants are hand crafted in India from solid silver and inlaid with semi precious gemstones.
Here 5 items that have proved to be top sellers in the past 6 months:
1) Fair trade earrings in a rectangular design inlaid with both turquoise and lapis
2) Fair trade pendant set in an oval with turquoise and coral gemostones
3) Fair trade pendant in sunburst design set with lapis lazuli
4) Fair trade bracelet set with red onyx gemstones
5) Fair trade jewellery box
Tags: animal pencils, childrens pencils, ethical christmas gifts, fair trade earrings, fair trade gifts, fair trade jewellery, fair trade silver earrings, fair trade silver jewellery, fish magnets, Indian jewellery, jewellery box, jewellery silver, lapis lazuli, lapis lazuli bracelet, lapis lazuli earrings, lapis lazuli jewelllery, malachite bracelet, malachite earrings, malachite jewellery, moonstone, moonstone earrings, moonstone jewellery, moonstone rainbow, pencil box, pendants, silver earrings, silver earrings with turquoise, silver jewellery, silver pendants, silver pendants with turquoise, solid silver jewellery, turquoise earrings, Turquoise jewellery
Posted in Fair trade Jewellery update | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
At long last, we have added a blogspot to our site to give visitors a chance to let us know what they think of our products and any other feedback they have. We believe its always good to get feedback, so please do let us know if you have any comments.
NEW PRODUCTS just in…………..
FAIR TRADE CANDLES: Im very pleased to introduce our new fair trade candle range to extend our existing shop category. The new fair trade candles are made from layered wax creating an amazing rainbow effect. They are available in square, cylinder or pyramid form so please take a look and let us know what you think.
FAIR TRADE BAGS: We have also sourced some new fair trade bags hand selected for their design, style and functionality.
We have a purple jute shopping bag with a gold screen printed design embellished with sequins as well as a natural jute screen printed with a leaf design.
Also, we have a beautiful new fair trade bag made from brown suede, hand embroidered - it really is a work of art.
We hope you take a moment to look at our new fair trade range as well as our existing fair trade jewellery, gifts and toys and look foward to hearing your comments!
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