Sterling silver, silver, copper, brass and gold allow energy of the wearer of the maker to pass through in a more positive way. If what your looking to wear is just pretty or “I need it to go with a dress”, how it’s made and what it’s made from doesn’t matter.
If cost is the main reason to buy a piece of jewelry, than this conversation is not for you. If cost is not the main reason, than you might want to consider another thought to put on list when considering buying jewelry. Mass produced items are made in less than desirable conditions for the actual maker. By buying that item, one continues that behavior and condones the environments in which the maker creates and probably lives. So one now has a piece in-hand, knowing that the person who made it was under great stress. The material used is bought for pennies on the dollar with little going back to the maker all for the pockets of the corporation.
When higher quality of living and work environments are allowed for the maker, and higher quality of materials used with a reasonable profit margin, buying a piece of jewelry or anything for that matter can have a more positive effect.
Positive energy can be passed on to the buyer because the maker is doing what they actually love and want to do, not just a twelve plus hour a day job to pay the bills. We Artisans still have those hours if not longer, but it’s what we want to do. Jewelry made by Artisans are made with love, each piece is a part of them going out in the world to be enjoyed and if lucky, cherished by the buyer or whomever the piece was intended for.
For those of us Artisans who actually donate a portion of our sales to charity , we can with the support of buyers, help improve and enable the makers in less than desirable conditions get out of those circumstances and allow them to be empowered to live and do what they really want to do instead of have to do.
We all want to live empowered to be the people we want to be.
Just something to think about next time you’re out shopping.
Kindness,
Anna