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SUSTAINABILITY

As a jewellery brand inspired by nature, we see it as our duty to ensure we ‘tread the earth lightly’, seeking to maintain its infinite beauty for future generations. With the challenges brought by the Anthropocene, we share with our generation, increasing concern about the disregard and mismanagement of our planet’s resources and commit to living and working by a higher standard of responsibility.

As the effects and consequences of the climate crisis become increasingly stark, we seek to be transparent in how the jewellery industry impacts the planet, and the steps we are taking to ensure that our brand is as sustainable and ethical as humanly possible. 

 

Over the years ‘sustainability’ has become much of a buzzword, used by many businesses and corporations to greenwash themselves to avoid true scrutiny and maintain a good public image. We believe that behaving sustainably and maintaining a healthy planet essentially comes down to stopping or slowing down the depletion of its resources and finding a balance with the natural world. 

 

Refusing to be a part of the greenwashing facade, we’d like to acknowledge that by our very nature as a commerce business that uses elements mined from the Earth, that there are some innate issues that as artists we simply can’t avoid. We recognise that the issues facing us are complex, and we do not have all the answers. At the same time, we continuously make an effort to ensure that achieving sustainability, however unattainable it may seem at times, is at the centre of everything we do. 

 

Upon the inception of Embirikos, it, therefore, felt intuitive to partner with Fairmined, a company dedicated to the transparency of the process of mining gold. This decision allows us to play a small part, as a company, in empowering the forces of change in the industry that we represent. It is a way of ensuring that the gold that is bought and sold under the Embirikos brand is mined and processed in ways that are environmentally and socially responsible, to give both us and our customers peace of mind. 

 

Our intentions by partnering with Fairmined and sharing the great work they do is hopefully not seen as some contrived pat on the back but is done to support a company we’d love to raise awareness about - for both its values and its business model. It is our hope that Fairmined redefines a problematic industry, while also supporting and informing our long-term strategy. 

 

There is much work to be done, and while a daunting task we do not feel powerless to incite change. We believe that we must do everything we can, with everything we’ve got - and we must act with urgency. Avoiding climate disaster ultimately comes down to mitigation, and this problem can be addressed through both personal and corporate accountability; by everyone playing their part.

 

This is part of the reason that Embirikos commits to using our platform as a force for good, to educate whoever will listen about not only the climate crisis but also the jewellery industry and as best we can provide answers and tips to avoid and reverse any more damage.  

 

Beyond using Fairmined gold, Embirikos also offsets all packaging and air miles by planting a tree for every item purchased. We do this through Tree Nation, which plants different tree species around the world. Each tree we plant will remove at least 200kg of CO2 from the atmosphere, with each parcel predicted to emit 181kg of CO2. 

 

At least once a year, Embirikos plans to do a competition that will give 100% of profits to an environmental or humanitarian charity. This is in conjunction with also donating 5% of annual revenue to SeaLegacy, a charity dedicated to conserving and documenting the oceans.

 

 If you have any feedback, questions, or tips about our sustainability commitments please email Ariana@embirikos.com

ARIANA EMBIRIKOS' COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

MATERIAL SELECTION

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Fairmined Gold

As part of Ariana Embirikos' philosophy, it is of the utmost importance to apply awareness and responsibility to all aspects of life. It is in this spirit that we are proud to announce our transition into using Fairmined Gold and Silver and responsibly sourced materials when possible. 

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Fairmined is an assurance label that certifies gold from small scale and artisanal mining organizations. 

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Gold is mined all over the world either in highly mechanized industrial mines or by

artisanal and small-scale miners. Artisanal mining is often performed in rural

communities, using simple tools or technologies. It is hard manual work. With the right support and incentives, small community mining organizations offer the greatest opportunity for positive social and environmental impact.

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Get to know more about Fairmined here. 

Colored Stones

Having nurtured a deep love for stones since early childhood, Ariana selects each stone herself. Every stone is examined carefully for quality and for that special feeling when a stone just "speaks".

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Ariana works with a wide variety of materials; some are collected in nature while other colored gemstones are sourced from trustworthy companies capable of assuring quality and responsible sourcing. Our goal is to work as directly with the mines as possible. Since most colored stone mining operations are small, we support companies who work closely enough with mines to be regularly visiting or implementing their their own due diligence on ethical working conditions and processing.

 

While it is difficult to trace the exact provenance of a colored stone, we try to at least make sure we know which country a stone is from, and if it has been treated or enhanced. 

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Diamonds

All of our diamonds including the rough, are Kimberly process certified and hand picked by Ariana. 

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