OUR ETHICS
We are moving towards being a wholly sustainable jewellery company. We are committed to responsible sourcing and ethical practises. Our priority is to offer our customers the peace of mind that traceability provides.
All of our jewellery is designed and made in England.
Our production process is a seamless blend of traditional and cutting-edge techniques. Combining lost wax casting with modern technology, each piece is also hand finished in our Bristol workshop.
FAIRTRADE/FAIRMIND GOLD
We at Diana Porter are committed to making jewellery from Fairtrade gold and are committed to responsible sourcing and ethical practices. Based on the simple idea that the products we sell are connected to the livelihoods of others, and since 2015, we have been producing our gold pieces using Fairtrade gold.
However, some necklaces and earrings in our collections are made with chains and ‘findings’ such as lobster clasps and earring scroll backs and these elements are yet to be manufactured in Fairtrade or Recycled metals. These specialist findings and chains are not something that we can produce here by hand and still guarantee the same aesthetic and quality. So, where the main feature of your jewellery will be made in Fairtrade gold, the chain or posts, for now, may not.
Since 2021 there has been a small selection of gold chain made from Fairmind’ gold, we use these chains when they’re available.
The movement towards ethical metals is largely driven by small handmade business like ourselves and our customers, and we are proud to be effecting change at this level. As soon as sustainable options become available, we will be able to create pieces that are fully traceable.
RECYCLED METAL
Our silver pieces are made from recycled silver wherever possible. Like gold, some silver components are not available in recycled silver yet but we continue to search for the most ethical options.
If a component is not available in Fairtrade gold but it is available in recycled, then we will choose this option. 100% recycled gold is an environmentally friendly alternative for the precious metal and jewellery industries. Made from scrap gold from the jewellery, giftware, medical and electronic industries. Any scrap produced by our workshop is also recycled and reused as much as possible.
Our platinum pieces are made from recycled platinum.
FAIRMIND GOLD PLATE
We have been using Fairmind Gold in our gold etched pieces since 2021. We still have stock from before 2021 that would have been plated in standard gold that we’re phasing out. You can specify that you’d like your piece to be plated in Fairmind gold.
OUR PRODUCTION CHAIN
Design, prototyping, assembly as well as finishing occurs in house at our Bristol workshop. Certain bespoke projects, depending on the design required, will be crafted entirely by hand by our team of skilled jewellers.
Our operation is small but effective, and we try to keep our business as locally confined as possible to reduce carbon footprint whilst supporting the local economy. We have long standing relationships with all our suppliers and some of which we’ve worked with for over 15 years.
Certain aspects of production are carried out outside of our premises.
METAL CASTING
We work with a variety of casting houses, one of which was established in 1953. Depending on the design required, we work with a supplier that is best suited to the project, all of whom are in the UK.
ETCHING AND ENGRAVING
All of our hand etching and engraving is done in our Bristol workshop.
If a customer requires laser engraving, we collaborate with a company in Birmingham and the piece is hand finished in house.
STONE SETTING
For the mounting and setting of stones, we complete some in our Bristol workshop but for most of it we collaborate with an expert stone setter who has years of expertise and cutting edge equipment.
GEMSTONES, ETHICAL SOURCING AND CERTIFICATION
Since the Kimberly Process was launched in 2002, we have been committed to supplying conflict free stones. All diamonds sold by Diana Porter are conflict free diamonds.
We source Canadamark diamonds that are among the most responsibly sourced diamonds in the world.
At present, we can source a variety of traceable diamonds and gemstones on request. Each of our diamond searches is bespoke and we can source a range of diamond shapes, sizes, colours and clarities with fully traceable credentials, dependent on your requirements.
CANADA MARK FULLY TRACEABLE DIAMONDS
At the moment Canada is the only country in the world with a well-developed diamond tracing system in place. We can supply fully traceable Canadian diamonds for you to consider.
There is greater demand now for traceability, and the industry is responding albeit slowly. We are seeing positive changes happening within the industry, but these changes can’t happen overnight.
It will require time and entire nations working together to create a universal standardised system that will one day allow for every diamond produced to be fully traced from mine to jewel.
LAB-GROWN DIAMONDS
Aside from the above options, we can also supply lab-grown diamonds as options for you to consider if you wish to look into alternatives to natural mined diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds that possess the same physical, atomical and visual elements as mined diamonds, retaining all the same properties and beauty at a fraction of the value. Like naturally grown diamonds, lab-grown diamonds will also come in a variety of colour and clarity grading.
SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
We are committed to supporting the communities where we live and work, through charity collections and donations. We routinely work with charities and have a partnership with Women’s Aid, with every purchase from our 25th anniversary Sibyls, we donate 20 percent of the sales to Women's Aid.
PACKAGING
Diana Porter is committed to reducing its environmental impact. We are working hard to make sure all our materials are plastic-free, recycled, or otherwise sustainable. We are working with suppliers with the aim of being 100% recyclable soon. We encourage you to use our packaging to store your jewellery and keep it protected. However, if you do choose to dispose of it, see below for details.
Our silver jewellery boxes are made from an eco-friendly cardboard. These boxes are made from an FSC® Certified blend of organic and recycled materials. The FSC® mark guarantees that all materials come from an FSC® forest and supply chain that is managed responsibly. They are 100% recyclable and can be recycled curbside.
The boxes contain a sustainable foam insert, made from trees, using tall oil a by-product extracted from trees from paper production making them 100% free from crude oil and plastic, which means that the sustainable foam has a much lower carbon footprint. The insert cannot be recycled but disposed of as household rubbish.
Giftbags:
We have new recyclable gift bags with silver foil, made from eco-friendly cardboard, and can be recycled curbside.
Mailers:
For postal orders, we use recyclable paper padded envelopes. Produced in the UK, so production is traceable & more environmentally friendly. They are 100% recyclable and can be recycled curbside.
Gift Wrap:
For gift wrapping we use eco-friendly tissue paper, made using soy-based inks FSC® certified paper, and biodegradable materials making it 100% compostable or recyclable.