Bejeweled: The World of Ethical Jewelry

Bejeweled: The World of Ethical Jewelry by Roderick, Kyle. Hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780847865888.

Jewelry, long associated with luxury, is also becoming a medium for social responsibility and ethical values. Kyle Roderick, an authority on ethical jewelry, profiles fifteen designers who are at the forefront of refashioning the medium for todays consumers. In the wake of Charles Leavitts insightful 2006 movie Blood Diamond, which told how conflict diamonds fund civil wars, the buying and wearing of ethically sourced and sustainably mined jewelry has become a priority in todays luxury market. Bejeweled is the first book to cover this timely subject. Profiling leading international designers who are at the forefront of the ethical jewelry movement, this beautifully photographed publication examines how an ancient art is powering a green revolution in chic jewelry for everyone. Included are renowned designers such as Pippa Small, an early user of fair-mined gold, who employs local artisans to fabricate her one-of-a-kind pieces; Dewey Nelson, a Native American Hopi who incorporates 1,000-year-old tribal motifs in his reclaimed-silver pieces; and Loren Nicole, whose jewelry features intricate hand-carved gemstones and 22-karat gold alloyed in the same formula used by ancient Roman goldsmiths. Illustrated with exquisite photographs of individual pieces, featured both alone and on celebrities, who are turning the red carpet "green" by wearing ethically sourced jewelry, Bejeweled is for all gemstone and design fans.