Sophie Divett Jewellery strives to be as sustainable and ethical as possible when working in the studio, and in the creation of each of our pieces.

Sustainability and ethics are of huge importance at SDJ. Our collections draw inspiration from Aotearoa’s beautiful natural landscapes, plants, and wildlife, and so there’s no question that we’d want to honour, protect, and give back to the environments that provide us so much. We are also opposed to activities which benefit conflict, violence, and human rights abuse.

Our values influence every piece that we produce and decision that we make. As a result, we use only recycled metals, ethically sourced gemstones, and recycled diamonds in our jewellery.  Our packaging is compostable, and our ring boxes are made from renewably sourced trees.

We appreciate that these ideas do not have a clear-cut, one-size-fits-all, solution and that there are many variables to consider.  This is why our entire team is committed to undertaking ongoing education and research into the ethics and impact of jewellery-making. We are committed to adjusting our practices based on the best and most current information on hand, in relation to where our business is at.

We aim to be as transparent as possible regarding our ethics and practises. If, after reading the below information, you require any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Precious Metals

We work with metals that are sustainably sourced and conflict-free.

Most of the precious metal that our foundry uses is recycled – comprising of waste from jewellers and industry, along with local mines within Australasia.

Alluvial gold from South Island is used in rare instances where recycled metal is in short supply. New Zealand is a major source of gold and is sourced from miners whose operation complies with Department of Conservation protocols.

Diamonds

All diamonds used by Sophie Divett Jewellery are ethically sourced and conflict-free.

Our natural white diamonds are recycled which, at present, we believe to be the most environmentally responsible white diamonds available.

We also use lab-grown diamonds, and moissanites, as man-made alternatives to white diamonds.

Here are some words from our supplier of recycled diamonds: 

"A recycled diamond is a naturally occurring diamond, cut & polished from mined rough, previously set in jewellery then removed, and re-introduced into the supply chain for resale. Approximately 4.5 billion carats of diamonds have been extracted from the ground since large scale mining efforts began in South Africa in the 1870s. This means many millions of diamonds are part of the world’s existing, above ground supply of diamonds. In order to reduce the industry’s reliance on environmentally damaging mining practices, Hoover & Strong is proud to participate in the acquisition and reintroduction of these many millions of diamonds back into the jewellery supply chain."

Coloured Gemstones

Sophie handpicks every stone that she uses from her trusted gem suppliers, who specialise in selling ethically sourced, natural, gemstones. We are very particular about where our gems come from and will never use any stone that we wouldn’t feel good about wearing ourselves.

You may have noticed from our collections that we particularly love to use sapphires, most of which come from Australia, and are as beautiful as they are ethical and durable.

Workshop

Many industry-standard substances that are used in the process of jewellery making are highly toxic, both to people and the planet. Our studio replaces these with friendlier alternatives wherever possible.

Packaging

SDJ uses minimal, eco-friendly packaging and makes sure that all materials are either recycled and/or recyclable. We use paper-based packaging, natural wool, organic linen, and compostable bags for all our packaging.

Presentation Boxes

Our presentation boxes that we use for all our gold pieces are hand-crafted in Wellington from sustainably sourced walnut trees. Proceeds from each box sold goes toward forest regeneration initiatives.

Trees That Count

Sophie Divett Jewellery is a proud supporter of Trees That Count .

We’re working with Trees That Count to help mitigate parts of our carbon footprint over the next 50 years and help protect Aotearoa’s threatened biodiversity. 

Sophie Divett Jewellery is committed to donating a portion of every sale to the funding and planting of native trees via Trees That Count, as well as donating one new tree for every gold ring purchased.