MINNIRELLA MAGAZINE
Sustainable Jewellery for Everyday Wear
Sustainable Jewellery for Everyday Wear
Looking for sustainable jewellery at an affordable price? Today I’m delving into the subject of ethically-sourced jewels and how to enjoy luxury gold jewellery for less.
Jewellery has been a huge part of my style for as long as I can remember. Throughout the years, I’ve curated a stunning collection of new and antique jewellery. Every piece tells a story and that’s what I love about jewels. Wedding jewellery reminds the wearer of the time they got engaged or married, which are very special memories. Jewellery items are also perfect for preserving memories, commemorating treasured moments and of course, to make yourself feel better. The process of choosing and obtaining sustainable jewellery is very personal to the wearer. We all have our own style preferences and the way in which each person styles their jewellery is an artistic way to express one’s personality. Not only that, jewellery is also a fantastic gift to present to somebody.
This is why I love independent jewellery brands like Wolf and Zephyr, among others. Their story is unique to them and their brand is based on ethics and passion. Any item you purchase has already been instilled with meaning and purpose and that continues further when it finds its way to you! I prefer to purchase quality jewellery instead of one-off fashion pieces.
This beautiful necklace has an air element pendant to represent my zodiac sign - I am an Aquarius!
While I have bought costume jewellery pieces from high street stores in the past, I generally prefer to purchase items that I love and that will last! Admittedly, investing in quality jewellery can be expensive but there are more affordable and sustainable options on the market. In recent years there has been a rise in eco-friendly jewellery brands opening up, offering quality made sustainable pieces at an affordable price. What’s even better is that many of these sustainable brands also give back to the environment in some way with each purchase. Some ethical companies plant trees on behalf of their customers and others donate money to charity. All in all, it’s a much more worthwhile purchase.
This week I teamed up with www.wolfandzephyr.com an eco-friendly, sustainable jewellery brand. They design beautiful and unique jewellery for everyday wear. I love hearing how independent brands got started and Wolf & Zephyr’s story was very interesting indeed. Wolf & Zephyr offers a gorgeous range of styling and wearable jewels. Their jewellery is made from 14ct gold, sterling silver, gold vermeil and ethically-sourced gem stones that are picked by the brand’s founder and designer herself. The founder, Tori Shay, is passionate about creating stylish and high quality jewellery that isn’t harmful to our planet.
Wolf & Zephyr was founded by Tori Shay, who is also the designer of the brand. Tori could never find jewellery that she liked that was high quality and long lasting. So she decided to design her own and that’s how the brand was born – ethical jewellery made with love! Every element of the design process has been ethically thought out so that the product is eco-friendly from start to finish. Even the packaging is environmentally-friendly.
Gold vermeil is a cheaper alternative to solid gold but better than standard gold plating. Gold vermeil is a thick gold plating over a sterling silver base. The problem with many gold plated items is that the layer of gold is only very thin and the base can be any metal, which is why cheap, gold plated rings often turn fingers green. Gold vermeil is much more hard wearing and long lasting. While it does not last as long as solid gold, it’s certainly the next best option.
However, caring for gold vermeil is different to the way you’d wear, store and care for gold. If exposed to perfumes, lotions, chlorine or water, gold vermeil can oxidise and permanently discolour. It’s recommended that you keep your gold vermeil jewellery in an airtight container when you’re not wearing it and always remember to remove your vermeil jewels while sleeping, showering, swimming and when applying body lotion, makeup or perfume.
To clean jewellery made from gold vermeil, never use chemical cleaners. Instead, it’s best to stick to a 100% cotton cloth or microfiber cloth and gently buff over the jewellery. Over time, your vermeil jewels will tarnish and the gold coating will begin to fade. You can choose to have your items recoated with another layer of gold. Alternatively, you can keep the unique finish as the gold vermeil coating matures.
Jewellery has been a huge part of my style for as long as I can remember. Throughout the years, I’ve curated a stunning collection of new and antique jewellery. Every piece tells a story and that’s what I love about jewels. Wedding jewellery reminds the wearer of the time they got engaged or married, which are very special memories. Jewellery items are also perfect for preserving memories, commemorating treasured moments and of course, to make yourself feel better. The process of choosing and obtaining sustainable jewellery is very personal to the wearer. We all have our own style preferences and the way in which each person styles their jewellery is an artistic way to express one’s personality. Not only that, jewellery is also a fantastic gift to present to somebody.
This is why I love independent jewellery brands like Wolf and Zephyr, among others. Their story is unique to them and their brand is based on ethics and passion. Any item you purchase has already been instilled with meaning and purpose and that continues further when it finds its way to you! I prefer to purchase quality jewellery instead of one-off fashion pieces.
This beautiful necklace has an air element pendant to represent my zodiac sign - I am an Aquarius!
While I have bought costume jewellery pieces from high street stores in the past, I generally prefer to purchase items that I love and that will last! Admittedly, investing in quality jewellery can be expensive but there are more affordable and sustainable options on the market. In recent years there has been a rise in eco-friendly jewellery brands opening up, offering quality made sustainable pieces at an affordable price. What’s even better is that many of these sustainable brands also give back to the environment in some way with each purchase. Some ethical companies plant trees on behalf of their customers and others donate money to charity. All in all, it’s a much more worthwhile purchase.
Ethically-sourced Gold and Silver
This week I teamed up with www.wolfandzephyr.com an eco-friendly, sustainable jewellery brand. They design beautiful and unique jewellery for everyday wear. I love hearing how independent brands got started and Wolf & Zephyr’s story was very interesting indeed. Wolf & Zephyr offers a gorgeous range of styling and wearable jewels. Their jewellery is made from 14ct gold, sterling silver, gold vermeil and ethically-sourced gem stones that are picked by the brand’s founder and designer herself. The founder, Tori Shay, is passionate about creating stylish and high quality jewellery that isn’t harmful to our planet.
About Wolf & Zephyr
Wolf & Zephyr was founded by Tori Shay, who is also the designer of the brand. Tori could never find jewellery that she liked that was high quality and long lasting. So she decided to design her own and that’s how the brand was born – ethical jewellery made with love! Every element of the design process has been ethically thought out so that the product is eco-friendly from start to finish. Even the packaging is environmentally-friendly.
We design with the Wolf & Zephyr customer in mind, aiming to create stunning jewellery that impacts the wearer’s everyday life, whether it empowers, heals or recharges through gemstones and ancient wisdom.
The pieces are designed to be experimented with, through layering and mixing and matching styles so the wearer is completely free to create their very own story.
How to Care for Gold Vermeil
Gold vermeil is a cheaper alternative to solid gold but better than standard gold plating. Gold vermeil is a thick gold plating over a sterling silver base. The problem with many gold plated items is that the layer of gold is only very thin and the base can be any metal, which is why cheap, gold plated rings often turn fingers green. Gold vermeil is much more hard wearing and long lasting. While it does not last as long as solid gold, it’s certainly the next best option.
However, caring for gold vermeil is different to the way you’d wear, store and care for gold. If exposed to perfumes, lotions, chlorine or water, gold vermeil can oxidise and permanently discolour. It’s recommended that you keep your gold vermeil jewellery in an airtight container when you’re not wearing it and always remember to remove your vermeil jewels while sleeping, showering, swimming and when applying body lotion, makeup or perfume.
To clean jewellery made from gold vermeil, never use chemical cleaners. Instead, it’s best to stick to a 100% cotton cloth or microfiber cloth and gently buff over the jewellery. Over time, your vermeil jewels will tarnish and the gold coating will begin to fade. You can choose to have your items recoated with another layer of gold. Alternatively, you can keep the unique finish as the gold vermeil coating matures.
Don't forget to use the code: onlinepersonalstylist to get 10% off next time you shop at Wolf & Zephyr!
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