Green Options

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Steampunk, a genre combining future living with the romance of the Victorian era, started to come to prominence in the 1980’s. Influenced by fantasy and science fiction writing, and inventions for time-travel by H. G. Wells, steampunk has started to trickle into the mainstream in recent years.

It has gone beyond being relegated to the novel and expanded into all other aspects of art and design, making it’s way into fashion as well. The style is most often characterized by the use of found and repurposed objects, open circuitry and exposed gear cogs. There is also a blog devoted to all things steampunk called The Steampunk Workshop.

The mentality of do-it-yourself, that is pervasive within steampunk, is what helps this aesthetic cross into green culture. The clothes, jewelry and moded phones and computers are all created with vintage or thrifted items to achieve the proper “look.”

The search for the perfect wedding ring (or special piece of jewelry for that matter!) can be a harried and overwhelming process, but the designers at Brilliant Earth have an eye for high style and elegant design that will leave the most fashionable eco-chick swooning.

Men - take note - not only are these gorgeous pieces, but they are also guilt-free: as in, the designers source conflict-free [...]

Looking for alternative ways to recycle your beer bottles? I have good news.

The colorful piece of glass, once destined for a dump, can actually be incorporated into handcrafted designer jewelry. San Francisco based designer, Stefanie Wolf has decided to give traditional jewelery an eco-friendly makeover. Frustrated by the limited availability of gemstones that are guaranteed as ethically sourced, she recently turned her attention to a completely renewable resource: recycled glass.

Cornstarch-Based Resin Never Looked So Hip

EverybodyGreen.com expands their celebrity-favorite “go! Green” line of eco-chic accessories with the addition of the highly anticipated new summer style: the SeedBead Necklace.

The necklaces are each three strands of beads made from cornstarch-based resin, and feature two 41 inch rows and one 36 inch row of 4mm “GreenBeads.” Each necklace sells for $18.00, and comes in a choice of five rich color combinations.

“We trust that our go! Green collection will demonstrate to consumers that it is fun and fashionable to choose green. It is imperative that people start to see every choice as an opportunity to help the environment, by choosing eco-friendly, fair trade, and sustainable,” comments Keith Berman, Director. “We are thankful that our green accessories have been so successful in raising awareness of eco-friendly alternatives and green practices.”

Cork is just one of those materials that I never give much thought to. It just keeps my wine fresh and makes a great organizational board. Lately, however, I have seen cork popping up more and more on Etsy and discovered that it is actually a great environmentally friendly product. Here is what I learned:

Cork is harvested from the outer layer of bark of the Cork Oak [...]

Wedding bells are in the air at Green Options, Deb over at our sister blog Feelgood Style is getting married next week, and recently wrote a fascinating article on greening your wedding.

I have a little longer left to plan fortunately and I’m feeling very inspired by an article I found at Portovert on making your own wedding rings, specifically making them from old silver coins. These DIY wedding bands could even be [...]

It’s no longer a hazy shade of winter for most of us. When spring rears her beautiful head, I get the urge to clean and shop. Shedding the long sleeves reminds me that I have wrists, and should put something pretty on them too.

Luckily, some clever crafters on Etsy are using widely discarded materials to make unique bangles!…

The media has a new indie jewelry favorite - Ashley Hilton. Featured in press outlets around the world in just the past 6 months, Ashley’s creations embody a seamless mix of eco-appreciation and modern style.

“I try to reflect both the human and natural environment in my work by using symbols and materials that have meaning to me and represent where I come from. From street signs to native trees, my jewelery has always been a pretty literal representation of my surroundings,” he says.

Along with the natural theme of his creations, Ashley uses small scale mined metals from his home base in New Zealand. “I found that most of the gold from my suppliers in New Zealand is mined or recycled here and in Australia. Both these countries have a relatively good track record with regards to mining practices but the idea of using a local resource and streamlining the path of the metal from the ground to the customer really appealed to me,” he says.

It was my pleasure to chat with Ashley recently about his education of the art of make jewelry, sustainable metal mining, creative inspirations and more. Read on for our full conversation and all its “hand made” details.

What first got you interested in making jewelry? When did you decide to turn it into a career?

I was at a loose end really. I’d spent a few years traveling and working overseas as a chef and knew that that lifestyle wasn’t for me anymore. I did a weekend jewelery course and loved it, It just made perfect sense to me so I bought some tools and started experimenting. Originally I never thought it would be a career. It was never really a conscious decision, it just grew and grew until in about 3 years It was all I did.

Have you even gotten flack for being a straight guy in the jewelry biz?

Back in high school, while other girls were shopping at the mall, I was waxing curbs and flippin’ ollies. So, it’s no surprise that today I’m drooling over 2ReVert’s recycled skateboard jewelry!

This husband and wife team from Nova Scotia craft amazing earrings, pendants,bracelets and rings from 100% post consumer decks. That begs the question: Where has your jewelry been?

Lark Books is a fantastic publishing company that brought us all kinds of art and craft books including the addictive “500 Series.” Every year they publish 60-70 new titles and invite artists to submit work to be included in future books.

They now have a wonderful opportunity for artists that work with recycled plastics! I hope to see some submissions from our readers! To read the call for submissions…

Cork is a great jewelry material. It is 100% recycled and recyclable, flexible, and water repellent.

Each piece is individually cut from a single block used for storage and display. Will fit men and women.

Sold by STUDIO 1 a.m. for $48

Designed & Made by Donna Piacenza