Eco Jewelry Designer
Green Diva is an eco conscious jewelry boutique featuring the work of handcraft designer Katherine DalPra. Our designs have been worn by celebrities like Emily Deschanel, seen on NBC Chicago and featured in magazines and blogs such as Natural Solutions Magazine, Eco-Beautiful Weddings and Style Me Pretty.
About the Designer
"It was 2005 and I was itching for a creative outlet when a friend introduced me to the art of custom handcraft jewelry. It didn't take long for me to get hooked. When I found myself designing new pieces every day, I began to wonder whether my hobby actually fit with my newly green lifestyle. As it turned out, not so much.
I was shocked to discover that there was a darker side to the jewelry industry. From sweatshop labor to contaminated rivers to violence and depleted forests, I’d uncovered a dirty little secret that would change my adventure with baubles forever.
Suddenly I found myself inspired by something greater than art. I made it my mission to design fabulous pieces that were sustainable and fairly made, so that women could get their fashion fix while making a difference for the planet too.”
Our Inspiration
Our designs are inspired primarily by the eco-friendly materials we have access to. Nature is the perfect muse and we let her work her magic. Finding genuine sustainable and Fair Trade jewels is the greatest challenge in creating eco jewelry because there are so few of them available. So when we do get our hands on ethical materials, they instantly become the creative pulse behind our designs.
Our Commitment
Honesty Promise
There are two problems with calling any piece of jewelry "eco." First, there is currently no third-party certified standard for what is considered eco-friendly in jewelry and what is not in the United States. Second, and as a direct consequence of there being no certification, anyone and everyone can label a line of jewelry as eco-friendly, even when it's not.
At Green Diva, we are 100% committed to being honest and transparent with you about the environmental and social properties of our jewelry. Rather than tell you our jewelry is eco-friendly, we'll show you...and you can be the judge.
Every single piece of jewelry in our online boutique has an ECO KEY, so that you can determine whether that piece meets your own environmental and social standards. We will list all primary elements used to create that piece and indicate how green or socially responsible it is using our ECO KEY classification system. This way, you know exactly what makes our jewelry ethical and don't have to take our word for it.
Eco Promise
You want to feel good about your jewelry and we do too. That's why we promise to incorporate as many sustainable and earth friendly materials as possible in our designs, such as recycled, renewable and reclaimed components. Materials may include:
- Recycled silver, gold or brass
- Recycled paper beads
- Renewable, natural elements (tagua nut, acai berry, kukui seeds)
- Reclaimed and vintage components
- Pearls from clean, sustainable farms
- Gems and pearls that are untreated or safely treated
Social Promise
Mistreating workers along the supply chain is simply unacceptable. Unfortunately the vast majority of jewelry is either produced in sweatshops or is handcrafted using materials that were manufactured using underpaid, overworked labor. And it's happening a lot closer to home than most of us realize. That's why we are committed to the following social standards:
- Components made in Fair Trade artisan co-ops
- Components made by small micro-businesses in the U.S.
- Gems traced to cutting workshops and beyond
- Pearls traced to inspected sustainable pearl farms
- Handcrafted in the U.S. (by Green Diva)
Quality Promise
Fashion jewelry is often confused with costume jewelry and, therefore, gets a bad rap for poor quality. We want you to know that your jewelry will not be crafted with low-quality, mass-production materials, such as plastic, glass or "crystal" beads, unless they are recycled, reclaimed or vintage and do not contribute to further manufacturing pollution and sweatshop labor.
We prefer quality metals, such as silver, gold and brass, over brittle base metals as well as genuine gems and pearls. We will use these as much as possible. Occasionally, we will incorporate vintage beads as an eco-friendly alternative.