Tips for Starting an Ethical Jewelry Business

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Everyone loves a nice piece of jewelry. Whether it’s a beautiful necklace or a dazzling pair of earrings, you can complete any look with stylish accessories. You should have fun and enjoy picking out these pieces. The last thing you should have to worry about is where they come from and how ethical the production of certain jewelry is. Especially if you are setting up your own jewelry company, you need to make it a main priority to guarantee your business is running on the most ethical practices.

There are a lot of steps that go into creating these accessories. From mining to crafting to selling individuals pieces, you want to perfect your operation all around. This goes a long way with your overall image for your customers. People want to invest in and trust a company that has good strong morals. Show you’re giving back and protecting vulnerable areas with your practices. Here are a few ways you can work to make your jewelry business as ethical as possible.

Create great products in even better ways.

Just because you’re engaging with ethical practices doesn’t mean you can’t create amazing art. At the core, you’re still creating a jewelry business. You want to be sure you have great pieces that everyone will love. Follow the trends with necklaces by offering rose gold chokers and long pendants. Look for options to get creative and fill a niche need in the market.

Combine style and sophistication with healthy practices. Only use the highest-quality materials that are ethically sourced. By investing in better quality products that are also stylish, you are going to gain a much larger customer base.

Check your precious metal mining practices.

A lot of jewelry is made of ounces of gold or other precious metals. It’s no secret that these natural resources are becoming harder to find. This means many companies have taken to dangerous mining practices that may completely disrupt environments and ecosystems in different parts of the world. Thanks to some regulatory requirements and local protests, many mining companies and gold mining projects are working to reduce these issues.

Alamos Gold in Turkey is a leading example of this. After mistakes and misinformation about their mining practices, Alamos Gold got to work improving their operating mines to help the Republic of Turkey. Change can come, you just need to commit to engaging with better mining practices to start.

Take care of your employees.

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Your employees are the literal heart and soul of your enterprise. Without good people developing and selling your products, you wouldn’t have a successful business. How you take care of your team goes a long way for your overall reputation. Ethical companies will be sure to give their staff a livable wage with good benefits. This is a great place to start as you’re working to create a more ethical business.

Benefits can mean a lot of different things. From sign-on bonuses to a 401K plan to the potential for career growth to health insurance, there are a lot of things you’ll want to offer as a good employer. Help your team navigate their insurance needs. Whether it’s health, home, life, or car insurance, you can even help them get in touch with a third party if they need it. Treat it as your own social responsibility.

Trust Co Insurance Tales is a great option for first-time customers to get all their questions answered about their insurance needs. By covering all areas, they can help your team feel like they are taken care of and protected.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as you can.

Waste is a huge problem for many corporations. Carbon emissions and general trash are dramatically affecting the environment and causing problems with global warming. If you want to center yourself as an ethical company, you need to take steps to reduce these problems. One of the easiest ways to do this is with the classic reduce, reuse, recycle model.

In any industry, it’s crucial to reduce waste as much as possible. Make an effort to stop sending out orders with an obscene amount of packaging and try to use every ounce of gold or precious metal you have for your accessories. If you can reuse old pieces or materials, do it! And recycle whatever products you can. These small steps can help you be more ethical all around.

Start with an ethical mission statement.

Operating with ethical standards starts with a few simple steps. The first of which is to prioritize ethical methods. Have an active presence within your company to be sure you are engaging with local communities and giving back where you can. Take the steps to use recycled material, even if it costs a little bit more. And give your employees what they deserve. When you make it a part of your mission to create an ethical company, you’re already halfway there.

Doyle Fowler is one of OI's talented and experienced consultants, responsible for getting to the heart of our readers' needs and creating solutions that are meaningful to help you and your business. Doyle is also a regular contributing writer.

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