Not just green...GREEN green!

As a company that considers itself to be the leader in green & eco-friendly jewelry, we here at Real Jewels thought it important to take the time to let you know about the other organizations we have partnered up with to show you how seriously we take our commitment to providing a truly green product to the marketplace!

1) NO DIRTY GOLD

We don't mean gold that needs a bath!  Did you know that gold mining is actually one of the dirtiest businesses in the world?  The production of one gold ring generates 20 TONS of mine waste!  We exclusively use recycled 14 karat gold to create our pieces and are proud to have signed the NO DIRTY GOLD pledge which states, "I support the No Dirty Gold campaign to end destructive gold mining practices. I call on retailers and manufacturers of gold jewelry, electronics, and other goods to work to ensure that the gold in their products was not produced at the expense of local communities, workers, and the environment. I demand that the global mining industry provide retailers and consumers an alternative to dirty gold."

2) GREEN AMERICA

This not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982 has a mission to harness economic power - the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace - to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.  Their vision is a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.  We're on board with that!

3) JEWELERS VIGILANCE COMMITTEE

As a member of this not-for-profit trade association, founded in 1917, we are one of many companies working to maintain the jewelry industry's highest ethical standards.  JVC is considered to be the industry's guardian of ethics and integrity, and is a resource for both trade and consumers.  When our guardian angel is on vacation, we know the JVC is still around looking out for us!

4) RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY COUNCIL 

The name ALMOST says it all!  We are so proud to be one of over 300 member companies across the jewelry supply chain who are committed to promoting responsible ethical, human rights, and social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry from mine to retail.  Our commitment aims to reinforce consumer and stakeholder confidence in jewelry products. 

We hope this helps you to learn a little bit more about what we are doing on a daily basis to bring creations that are beautiful on both the inside and out to you! 

And, as always, we'd love to hear from you!  Please contact us with questions or comments any time HERE. 

Until next time...

STAY REAL,

The Real Jewels Team 

Sendin' Out an SOS!

Calling all our philanthropic fashionistas!

Although the oil spill seems to be under control, so much work still remains to be done to reverse damage done to the Gulf communities! 

 The Waterkeepers Alliance is doing an amazing job and we here at Real Jewels want to keep supporting them the best way we know how – with 100% of the profits from our eco-friendly SOS (Save Our Shores) pendant!

The SOS pendant makes a great back-to-school gift for your nature-loving high schooler or your college kid who made sure her dorm room was set to separate plastic and glass this semester!

The SOS pendant features the iconic pelican and is made of 100% recycled sterling silver.  And, at $85 and with 100% of profits going to Save Our Gulf, this is one fashion statement anyone can get behind.

Also, we’d love to give a big thank you to TreeHugger.com for giving us some props on their site!  Check out their fab article HERE. 

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Philanthropy's Afloat at Real Jewels

Ahoy matey! 

Real Jewels has been out at sea, dreaming up a way to help fashion and the planet in unison.  And now, we are so very proud to introduce our SOS (Save Our Shores) Collection, our personal effort to save the Gulf Coast’s communities and environment from the long-term devastating impacts of the BP oil spill.

Real Jewels will be donating 100% of the profit of sales from our new SOS green jewelry collection to the Save Our Gulf, an initiative by Waterkeeper Alliance whose vast knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches, and inner-coastal waters make them invaluable first responders.

The SOS Collection features the iconic symbol of the Gulf disaster – the pelican - transformed into gorgeous (and 100% recycled) sterling silver charm.  You can float away with this lovely creature on a sterling silver necklace $85!

Because you’re reading our blog, we’re guessing you know that showing respect for the environment isn’t merely a trendy tactic for Real Jewels.  Doing good by the environment and by the people who craft our pieces is kind of the Real Jewels M.O.  Since the company’s start in 2009, Real Jewels has been making pieces exclusively out of 100% recycled precious metals, alleviating the need for irresponsible and dirty mining practices.  Each Real Jewels piece is also embellished with a signature fair trade, natural green Peridot Tag, your assurance that the piece your are wearing has been made in a responsible manner.

So, what are you waiting for?  Surf over to http://www.real-jewels.com and help Save the Gulf!  Wearing a piece from the SOS Collection shows that you care, and, because the entire collection is made in a responsible, sustainable manner in New York City, you can feel good about doing your part to help save the environment in more ways than one!

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

 

Your Daily Dose of Inspiration

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you, but do so with all your heart."

 -Marcus Aurelius 

No matter what religion you follow (or if you're even religious at all), we think there's one thing we all can agree on -- we all need a little daily inspiration!

Lucky for you, we have created the Real Jewels Real Spirit green jewelry collection....a little something you can slip on to help you through whatever obstacles and challenges life throws your way!

These eco jewelry pieces act as touchstones, talismans of sorts...giving us strength and constantly reminding us what's really important in life...like...

FAMILY

Keep the Tree of Life pendant close to your heart when loved ones can't be by your side

PEACE

Our Peace Sign pendant will remind you and those around you to take a breath before irrationally acting on things both big and small

HAMSA

We don't know about you, but we can never have enough protection and guidance through the journey of life!

HEART

Wearing our Heart pendant can act as a simple reminder of love and the fact that we all have the ability to give...

Each piece of eco friendly jewelry comes on a unique quotation card (a different quotation for each motif), is made from 100% recycled post consumer product, and printed with soy based ink.

These cards fit neatly into our signature origami inspired envelope which makes them the perfect present!

And what better gift is there than one of clarity and tranquility?

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Make an Eco Statement!

Been scratching your head trying to figure out what to get your daughter for her Sweet 16?

Spending late nights brainstorming what to buy your grad?

Tired of surfing the web to get an idea for a wedding attendant gift?

Fingers sore from paging through magazines for something that would delight Mom this Mother's Day?

Have no fear, Real Jewels eco friendly jewelry is here...and we've brought our best-selling recycled sterling silver and gold initial pendants with us!

Our small single initial pendants in sterling silver ($75) are in stock at all times, but we encourage you to be creative!

Here are some descriptions of special orders we've just made...

- A beautiful large Real Me sterling silver initial pendant for a customer with two children -- the first initial of each child's name flanks the middle initial which is the first initial of the family's last name! ($125)

- A necklace for a Mother's birthday with three of the smaller sterling silver initial pendants ($75 each) to represent each of her three children!

But, we can create whatever kind of green gift you'd like! Special dates can also be made into disks to represent a wedding anniversary, birth of a child, graduation from high school or college, or anything that might be significant to the wearer!

Please allow 2 weeks for all special orders and remember that small single initial pendants in sterling silver ($75) are in stock at all times and should ship 24 hours after you place your order!

The only thing better than a gift that's beautiful is a gift that's beautiful, thoughtful, and responsible!

Challenge your imagination and create your perfect Real Jewels green gift today at http://www.real-jewels.com!

Stay real,
The Real Jewels team

Cool Moms Picked Us!

Mother Earth, Meet Mother...

Below article from http://www.coolmompicks.com:

Most people imagine Mother Earth being all Birkenstocky and granola eating, but me? I think Mother Earth has got it going on. And if she wore earrings, she might very well be wearing the Real Light collection from Real Jewels, a company with a conscience that designs jewelry to have minimal impact on the environment, while having maximum impact on the wearer.

The light, airy designs are made from recycled sterling silver, and gold to protect Mother Earth's precious resources, and the 18-karat gold plating is completely nickel-free. Even the gemstones in the Real Gems collection are all fair-trade, including conflict-free diamonds. 

There's a big range of prices -- some pieces are under $40, some over $400, so chances are you can find something that you love at a price you can deal with. With Earth Day coming up on April 22nd, besides Mother Earth, I can think of at least one other mother who might love a pair of dangle-y new earrings. I'll give you a hint, Honey: It rhymes with "shme."--Betsy 

Check out the recycled gold and silver Real Light collection, the fair-trade precious stoneReal Gems collection, and other lines of eco-friendly, totally gorgeous jewelry at Real Jewels.

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team 

Extra! Extra!

Check out some sweet press for Real Jewels!

Big thanks to Uptownlife.net and Fashion Insomniacs for recognizing Real Jewels as a trendy brand with a conscience!  

We appreciate it!

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

FASHION WEEK GOES GREEN (with some help from us!)

Exciting news, Real Jewels fans!  On Monday, February 15^th, we had our first press event during New York City’s world famous FASHION WEEK!

It was an amazing debut and we thank everyone who came out to be dazzled by our eco-jewelry.

Check out the pics below!

In the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about NO DIRTY GOLD and the fact that we’ve taken the NO DIRTY GOLD pledge, but, really, what does that mean?

Well, in short, we pledged to work towards sourcing precious metals that would not make them complicit in the destructive impacts of mining.

This commitment means working to ensure that our suppliers of precious metals use RESPONSIBLE practices including:

-respecting basic human rights as outlined in international conventions and laws;

-obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of affected communities;

-respecting workers’ rights and labor standards, including safe working conditions;

-not operating in areas of armed of militarized conflict;

-not forcing communities off their lands;

-not dumping mine waste into oceans, rivers, lakes, or streams;

-not operating in protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or other areas of high conservation or ecological value;

-not contaminating water, soil, or air with sulfuric acid drainage or other toxic chemicals;

-covering all costs of closing down and cleaning up mine sites;

-allowing independent verification of practices. 

In addition, we also committed to auditing our current sources, to inform our suppliers of this Golden Rules sourcing commitment, and to increase recycled content in our products.

Sounds like a big commitment, huh?

Absolutely!  But we owe it to the Earth, to the people making the jewelry, and to you, the responsible customers who have chosen to wear green jewelry! 

And…just to give you that extra little bit of assurance that your jewelry has been made in a responsible manner, Real Jewels eco jewelry comes with our signature Peridot tag.   No one else has one!  I mean, after all, we did receive an A rating for our responsible practices so why not brag with a tag? 

When you see our Peridot tag, you know your jewelry has been created in a responsible manner. Fair trade, recycled precious metals, now that’s Green Jewelry! So when you are looking for sterling silver jewelry or gold jewelry and you want it to be green, think Real Jewels! 

‘Cause really, why would anyone want to hurt another human being or Mother Earth for the sake of jewelry? 

Need more reason to shop REAL?  Well, our mailers are made from 100% recycled post consumer product...so are our gift boxes and envelopes!  And oh yeah, we use soy-based inks as well!

Listen, we know our product is good...but we want EVERYONE to know it's good!

Spread the word on GREEN -- tell your friends about Real Jewels via our Tell A Friend feature at REAL-JEWELS.COM and you'll get 10% off your first Real Jewels online order!  With free shipping on top of that, how can you say no?

REAL JEWELS. BEAUTIFUL. SUSTAINABLE . REAL.

 

Stay real,

 

The Real Jewels Team

Responsible + Chic = Real Jewels

So, you wanna accessorize responsibly, but you don't wanna look like your jewelry was crafted from old aluminum cans...?

Have no fear!  Here at Real Jewels, we know there is a common misconception of what "green jewelry" is...and we're happy to report that it's not twigs and leaves glued together!

In fact, eco jewelry can and should be chic.  No matter what your style, you can be a responsible consumer and fashionista!  It's up to you to demand sustainable jewelry of a certain standard (and, thankfully, we hold ourselves to these same high standards as well).

Every time you put on a pair of earrings or clasp a necklace, you probably don't think about where it came from or who made it, but it's our job to do just that!

Because of this, we can guarantee that any piece you choose from any of our collections (like, say, maybe the Real Light Domed Pear Earring in 100% recycled sterling silver shown below) was created under sustainable business practices and fair labor standards.  

As nice as it would be to believe that jewels are in unlimited supply, nature's resources are running out and by creating sustainable pieces, we hope to eventually assist in reversing this.

We always say, why choose between fabulous fashion and your conscience?

Stick with Real Jewels and you can have both!

Beautiful.  Sustainable.  Real.

Stay Real,

The Real Jewels Team

A Thoughtful Gift (For Loved Ones & The Planet!)

Since it’s the season of giving, we’re going to do just that and keep our free ground shipping in effect for the rest of 2009…that’s one great reason to shop Real Jewels!

But, don’t forget the most important reason to shop Real Jewels – our commitment to the planet!

To help minimize the environmental impact that irresponsible mining and refining practices can have on our planet, we exclusively use recycled sterling silver and 14 karat gold in the manufacturing of our fine jewelry. We use precious and semi precious stones that are fair- traded. Our diamonds are kimberly processed certified and conflict–free.



We believe that “responsibly made” should be synonymous with trendy and fashionable, and that now is the time to embrace sustainability and promote awareness for future generations to come. We create jewelry that is joyful, thoughtful and always respectful of the environment and the people who make it.

What better way to show the ones you love that you care for not only them, but also for the Earth and the rest of its people this holiday season?

“If there is any responsibility in the cycle of life it must be that one generation owes to the next that strength by which it can come to face ultimate concerns in its own way.” -Erik H. Erickson

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

A little bit about us...

“We create the world in which we live; if that world becomes unfit for human life; it is because we tire of our responsibility.”
-Cyril Connolly

Now that the blog is up and running, we here at Real Jewels think it only fair to tell you a little bit about our company!

While one of our goals is to, of course, create unique pieces for you to enjoy, what you may not realize is that our jewels are just as beautiful “on the inside” as they are on the outside.

All of our jewelry is “responsibly made” exclusively from recycled precious metals and fair trade sustainable gems. In addition, you can have the assurance that the person who made your necklace, bracelet, or earrings was paid fairly and crafted your jewelry in a healthy, safe work environment here in the USA. We do not outsource any of our manufacturing to large, offshore factories. Instead, we manufacture our jewelry in small, family-run shops.

And, we don’t just talk about our moral, eco-friendly way of doing things…we also participate in the following organizations:

No Dirty Gold: http://www.nodirtygold.com

Green America: http://www.coopamerica.org

Madison Dialogue: http://www.madisondialogue.org

Now that you know some more about us…we’d love to get to know more about YOU! E-mail us at RealJewelsBlogger@gmail.com and let us know what you’d like to read on this very blog!

Until next time…

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team