[images from Moonrise Jewelry]
For someone with 7 ear piercings, I really don’t wear a lot of earrings. The problem’s that I keep losing one of a pair….
So I think I’m gonna put some earrings from Moonrise Jewelry on my birthday wishlist. Moonstone Jewelry’s an eco- and fair-trade friendly company that offers fair trade semi-precious gemstones.
Yes, some of the pieces are pricy — $300 or so — but others are really affordable, at $18! The low end’s the stuff I want: Santiago earrings or Sage earrings, both made with sterling silver and $19 and $18 a pair, respectively….
Anyone shopped from these people before?
I’d be extremely leery of $18 earrings. You can’t make them in the U.S. for that kind of price. Even Mexico will have a hard time beating the labor cost for that. (And, as their about shows, the cutting is done in China – I have a personal problem with *anything* manufactured in China unless they change their environmental standards)
Disclaimer: I’m biased. My wife is a local jewellry designer.
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — August 6, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Groby — a good number of Ten Thousand Villages earrings — all fair trade — cost under $18. Your leeriness is underinformed.
Comment by Siel — August 7, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
I live about 30 miles from the Moonrise studio on the eastern shore and I recently discovered them. A friend had one of their pieces on that I liked so I went to check them out. Fantastic stuff, very personal, excellent customer service and really interesting to learn about their fair trade and eco friendly jewelry. They did indeed have earrings for $18! There were a lot of beautiful earrings to choose from. Oh Mom, I know what I want for Christmas now…
Comment by Michelle — October 12, 2007 @ 11:50 am
I am the co-founder of Moonrise Jewelry, and want to address Groby’s unfounded concern. Yes, you can absolutely make earrings in the US that retail for $18 (and less). These are a simple pair of Sterling Silver earrings; we’re not talking diamonds and solid gold here. Anyone familiar with jewelry design and construction will know that $18 is reasonable price for a product like this that’s handmade using simple wire wrapping techniques. If you read the Fair Trade and Ethical Sourcing page of our website (MoonriseJewelry.com), you’ll see that our Fair Trade Gemstones are handled according to strict environmental and social protocols, from the mine to the final cutting. The cutting factory where our Fair Trade Gems are shaped and polished is a model workplace, praised by the Chinese government, with highly-skilled employees. Workers are paid three times the minimum wage and also enjoy paid vacation, annual bonuses, overtime pay, medical insurance, housing, and a food allowance. No child, forced, or excessive labor is used and safe and comfortable working conditions are maintained at all times. This is certainly not the norm in the jewelry industry, and we have gone to great lengths to develop reliable sources that share our ethical concerns. We are paying quite a premium for our Fair Trade Gems, but it’s worth it to work with an ethical vendor who is paving the way for more widespread change throughout the jewelry supply chain.
Comment by Meredith — October 25, 2007 @ 1:41 pm