5 Things to Look For in Sustainable Pearl Jewellery

If you’re interested in adding pieces to your jewellery collection that offer unique beauty and are designed to withstand years of everyday wear, you should definitely look into buying a pearl necklace or a pair of pearl earrings.

Pearl jewellery has a timeless elegance that simply can’t be replicated by other jewellery types, loved by designers and celebrities alike (Rihanna even reportedly gave birth in pearls and sunglasses). But that’s not to say that all pearls are equal.

As with many items sold for fashion use today, there’s a right way and a wrong way to source pearls. Looking specifically for sustainable pearl jewellery means you’re doing your bit to support ethical and environmentally responsible practices in the pearl farming industry, rather than putting your money into the wrong people’s pockets.

But how do you know when pearl jewellery is sustainable? Here are five things you should look for when you’re shopping for pearls online.

Ethically Sourced

Your first port of call should be to check if the brand discloses where and how their pearls are farmed. You want to look for statements like “ethically sourced”, but these should be backed up with more detailed information about the sourcing (otherwise, the brand could just be saying what you want to hear).

Eco-Friendly Farming Practices

A sustainable pearl jewellery brand should source its pearls from low-impact pearl farms that support ocean health. If you can’t find this information on the brand’s website, contact customer service and ask for more information about how their pearls are farmed.

Clear Grading Guides

While it’s not a direct sign of sustainability, a company that grades its pearls with a clear accompanying guide is a big green flag. It shows you that the brand is closely involved in the sourcing and selection of the pearls that it sells, rather than batch-buying for a low price and being vague about quality. With brands like Freya Pearls, you know exactly what you’re buying.

Use of Recycled Metals

Not all pearl jewellery companies will offer gold or silver settings made from recycled materials, but if you find one that does, this ticks another sustainability checkbox.

Any form of recycled material use in jewellery is a mark of sustainability, demonstrating that the brand is making an effort to minimise its own environmental impact.

Timeless Design

We’ve all heard the saying, “buy cheap, buy twice”, and this definitely applies to pearls.

There’s no disputing the fact that jewellery that lasts longer and stays in style creates less waste in the long run. With that in mind, a big part of a pearl jewellery brand’s sustainability is offering products that are designed to last for years of everyday wear—and that should apply to the pearls themselves and the material they’re set in

Takeaway

Buying sustainable pearl jewellery shouldn’t feel difficult. If you’re just not sure about a specific brand’s sustainability, move on to one that does give you this clarity.

Sustainable pearls have the obvious benefit of being environmentally friendly, but they’re also better quality and should last longer—so investing in high-quality, ethically sourced pearls is a win all around.