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Color: Tourmalines come in a huge variety of colors, including blue, green, red, pink, orange, and yellow. Some tourmaline gemstones are even multi-colored, like the “watermelon” tourmalines, which are cut to show off different shades of green and reddish pink within one stone! The Tourmaline Oval Solitaire Embrace   Our Sources: Did you know Maine is an excellent source for tourmalines of nearly every color? We love sourcing Maine tourmalines from our friends at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. We also source Fair Trade tourmalines from California and Nigeria through Columbia Gem House. Ethical sourcing is a challenging, nuanced endeavor and we strive to be completely transparent about our decisions. It is important to know not only where your materials were mined, but also when to understand whether or not your purchase is funding a group or government that does not align with your values. Afghanistan is another place with a rich supply of beautiful tourmalines. Columbia Gem House offers Afghan tourmalines that were mined and removed from the country prior to the U.S. War in Afghanistan. These stones were all cut in CGH’s own cutting facility, which adheres to their Fair Trade Principles. While we do not source newly-mined gemstones from Afghanistan, we have used tourmalines from this older supply. Learn more about the complexities of responsible sourcing in Afghanistan in Christina T. Miller’s Living Room Session with Zulaikha Aziz. The Fairmined Maine Tourmaline Notched Solitaire   More on Tourmalines:  Tourmalines are rated 7-7.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, making them durable enough for your everyday jewelry. We recommend cleaning your tourmaline jewelry with mild soap and a soft brush; avoid using an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaner, as these could damage your gemstone.  Tourmalines are one of October’s birthstones and are also associated with the eighth anniversary. Because of their complex molecular structure, tourmalines have unusual electrical properties. When heated or compressed, they gain a polarized electrical charge making them magnetic. Different colors of tourmaline are believed to have various metaphysical properties, which include healing, reducing anxiety, promoting empathy and wisdom, increasing confidence, and protecting the wearer from harm. Custom Seafoam Tourmaline Ring Our Commitment to Ethical Sourcing: W.R. Metalarts strives to know the full story of the materials we use in our jewelry. We are committed to supporting artisanal miners and mining communities, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, and avoiding environmentally destructive practices. We are dedicated to deepening our understanding and working to address the historical and ongoing harm of the jewelry industry to indigenous communities and communities of color all around the world. We do not claim to have all of the answers; we are constantly evaluating our practices as we gain a more nuanced understanding of our complex industry. Transparency is critical so that you, our clients and collaborators, can trust that we’ve done all we can to create the most beautiful jewelry - not just the end result, but beautiful at every step of the journey. The way that we back up these values is to do our homework, putting our suppliers through rigorous vetting processes. We don’t take our vendors at face value when they say a stone is “conflict-free” or “sustainable;” we push them to give us the whole story about the journey of a stone and if they are not able to back up their claims of “ethics'' with sources or credentials, we won’t work with them. We source directly from local cutters and miners, when possible, which is one way to ensure ethical, responsible, and sustainable business practices. It takes time and diligence to find suppliers that we trust, but once we find them, we forge incredible relationships built on our shared values of transparency, accountability, and doing good.  Customized Square Cut Notched Mokume Ring Thank you for supporting responsible sourcing! Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!   The Pink Princess Cut Ring

  Color: Montana sapphires come in a wide range of colors, including blues, teals, yellows, whites, and pinks.  In general, sapphires are found in nearly every color - except red because we call those rubies! Sapphires and rubies both belong to the corundum family of gemstones; the only difference is their color. Custom Montana Sapphire Mountain Ring   Our Sources: We love working with Montana sapphires because they are some of the most traceable gems in the world!  Our clients can be confident that the sapphires in their jewelry were mined, cut, and polished with the highest standards of human and environmental ethics in the mining industry. We are fortunate to have personal relationships with several miners from whom we source most of our Montana sapphires. We also source them from Fair Trade certified suppliers Columbia Gemhouse and Americut Gems. The Fairmined Montana Sapphire Hexagon Carved Solitaire   Stone Cutting: We know the full story of each new Montana sapphire we source. This includes how and where they are each cut and polished. One of the amazing miners with whom we work cuts and polishes the rough gemstones himself. The other sends his rough stones to a small family-run cutting operation in Sri Lanka. Columbia Gem House and Americut Gems both have their own cutting facilities in China and New Jersey, respectively. This ensures a high standard for both workers' rights and environmental protection.  Custom Birthstone Ring with three Montana Sapphires   More on Sapphires: Sapphires are the traditional birthstone for September. They are extremely durable - rated a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale - making them an ideal choice for everyday jewelry!  Sapphires have been treasured throughout history, holding cultural and symbolic significance all around the world. Sapphires can symbolize wisdom and creativity. These gemstones have long been associated with spirituality or religion and also with royalty. Some people believed that sapphires contained protective powers that would shield the wearer from danger. Others thought the stone had healing powers that could improve the wearer’s overall health and strength, facilitate healing, cure disease, and even act as an antidote for poisons.   The Rainbow Band features fifteen ethically sourced US-mined gemstones, including nine Montana sapphires   Our Commitment to Ethical Sourcing: W.R. Metalarts strives to know the full story of the materials we use in our jewelry. We are committed to supporting artisanal miners and mining communities, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, and avoiding environmentally destructive practices. We are dedicated to deepening our understanding and working to address the historical and ongoing harm of the jewelry industry on indigenous communities and communities of color all around the world. We do not claim to have all of the answers; we are constantly evaluating our practices as we gain a more nuanced understanding of our complex industry. Transparency is critical so that you, our clients and collaborators, can trust that we’ve done all we can to create the most beautiful jewelry - not just the end result, but beautiful at every step of the journey. The way that we back up these values is to do our homework, putting our suppliers through rigorous vetting processes. We don’t take our vendors at face value when they say a stone is “conflict-free” or “sustainable;” we push them to give us the whole story about the journey of a stone and if they are not able to back up their claims of “ethics'' with sources or credentials, we won’t work with them. We source directly from local cutters and miners, when possible, which is one way to ensure ethical, responsible, and sustainable business practices. It takes time and diligence to find suppliers that we trust, but once we find them, we forge incredible relationships built on our shared values of transparency, accountability, and doing good.       Thank you for supporting responsible sourcing!  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

Color: Peridot comes in many shades of green, including chartreuse, deep grass, bright apple, and lighter lime greens.  Our Sources: We source our peridots from Mesa Verde, Arizona. Apache miners extract the mineral from Peridot Mesa in the San Carlos Reservation.  Stone Cutting: Our peridot supplier cuts peridot in their own Fair Trade cutting facility.    Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!   More on Peridot: Peridot is the traditional birthstone for August. Peridot comes from the mineral olivine and their vibrant green colors come from the iron in the stone. They are fairly durable, rated 6.5-7 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. As with all jewelry, we recommend storing peridot jewelry in a protective box by itself to prevent scratches or other damage. Avoid exposing your peridot to impact and ultrasonic cleaning. Instead, use a soft toothbrush and gentle dish soap to clean your peridot jewelry. Store peridot jewelry with care to avoid scratches.     The Rainbow Band features fifteen ethically sourced US-mined gemstones, including a light green Mesa Verde Peridot from Arizona     More on Our Commitment to Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing: W.R. Metalarts strives to know the full story of the materials we use in our jewelry. We are committed to supporting artisanal miners and mining communities, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, and avoiding environmentally destructive practices. We are dedicated to deepening our understanding and working to address the historical and ongoing harm of the jewelry industry on indigenous communities and communities of color all around the world. We do not claim to have all of the answers; we are constantly evaluating our practices as we gain a more nuanced understanding of our complex industry. Transparency is critical so that you, our clients and collaborators, can trust that we’ve done all we can to create the most beautiful jewelry - not just the end result, but beautiful at every step of the journey. The way that we back up these values is to do our homework, putting our suppliers through rigorous vetting processes. We don’t take our vendors at face value when they say a stone is “conflict-free” or “sustainable;” we push them to give us the whole story about the journey of a stone and if they are not able to back up their claims of “ethics'' with sources or credentials, we won’t work with them. We source directly from local cutters and miners, when possible, which is one way to ensure ethical, responsible, and sustainable sourcing, practices, and conditions. It takes time and diligence to find suppliers that we trust, but once we find them, we forge incredible relationships built on our shared values of transparency, accountability, and doing good.        Thank you for supporting responsible and sustainable sourcing!  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!    

  Color: All rubies are red, yet each stone varies in shade and saturation. Stones range from deep, purplish reds to vibrant, bright reds to more pink or orange-tinted reds.     Stone Sources: Rubies can be found in several countries across Southeast Asia and Africa. Due to significant ethical issues associated with the ruby trade around the world, such as funding ethnic cleansing in Myanmar and human rights violations in Mozambique’s ruby mines, W.R. Metalarts is extremely cautious when it comes to sourcing rubies. We will not buy any rubies labeled “mixed origin,” meaning suppliers don’t know exactly where they were mined.Is it possible to source ethical rubies?Yes! If you have your heart set on a ruby, W.R. Metalarts can source one you can be proud of! The Nyala Ruby® is mined in the Chimwadzulu mine in Malawi. These Fairtrade Level 1 stones are 100% traceable back to this one mine, which adheres to strict Fair Trade Gems® standards for workers and the environment, and are cut in-house by our supplier. We can also source lab-grown rubies, which are chemically and visually identical to mined rubies, and are the most budget-friendly!     More on Rubies: Rubies are July’s birthstone and have traditionally been associated with 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries. Rubies belong to the corundum family of gemstones; they are identical to sapphires, except in color. Extremely hard and durable, rubies rate 9 out of 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Throughout history, people around the world have treasured the ruby. Some cultures associated it with power, wealth, safety, or good health. Others saw it as a symbol of love and passion. Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!        More on Our Commitment to Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing: W.R. Metalarts strives to know the full story of the materials we use in our jewelry. We are committed to supporting artisanal miners and mining communities, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, and avoiding environmentally destructive practices. We are dedicated to deepening our understanding and working to address the historical and ongoing harm of the jewelry industry on indigenous communities and communities of color all around the world. We do not claim to have all of the answers; we are constantly evaluating our practices as we gain a more nuanced understanding of our complex industry. Transparency is critical so that you, our clients and collaborators, can trust that we’ve done all we can to create the most beautiful jewelry - not just the end result, but beautiful at every step of the journey. The way that we back up these values is to do our homework, putting our suppliers through rigorous vetting processes. We don’t take our vendors at face value when they say a stone is “conflict-free” or “sustainable;” we push them to give us the whole story about the journey of a stone and if they are not able to back up their claims of “ethics'' with sources or credentials, we won’t work with them. We source directly from local cutters and miners, when possible, which is one way to ensure ethical, responsible, and sustainable sourcing, practices, and conditions. It takes time and diligence to find suppliers that we trust, but once we find them, we forge incredible relationships built on our shared values of transparency, accountability, and doing good.  Thank you for supporting responsible and sustainable sourcing!  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!      

Recycled Gold vs. Newly Mined Gold You might have seen lots of jewelers (including us!) sharing that their work is made in 100% recycled metal. But what does this really mean? We hear it all the time: "reduce, reuse, recycle" so shouldn't recycled gold be the best option? Isn't it best to use existing gold that has already been mined rather than harm the planet to extract more? Read on to find out how a lot of "recycled" gold isn't really the gold standard in ethical sourcing... Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!   But recycled is baseline a good thing...right? Recycled gold may sound like it’s the most responsible option available; however, it really is the bare minimum for jewelers who care about the human and environmental impact of their trade.  The truth is that, because gold is so valuable - it has always been recycled! No one is going to throw away gold like they might with aluminum, paper, or other recyclable materials because it is infinitely reusable! Gold’s worth is not diminished by time or use. So it has always been recycled and much of the gold in circulation in the market today has been used many times before being used in your jewelry. And even if 100% of jewelers committed to only using recycled gold, the global demand for gold would stay the same! Most of the gold you could purchase is more than likely to be recycled gold even if it is not marketed as such. Only 2% of all gold ever mined is unaccounted for in the world and according to the USGS, "about 244,000 metric tons of gold has been discovered to date," which includes, "187,000 metric tons historically produced plus current underground reserves of 57,000 metric tons." To put that in perspective "all of the gold discovered thus far would fit in a cube that is 28 meters wide on every side." So, that leaves us wondering...if recycled gold is mostly the default standard of gold, then why is it presented like it is a conscious ethical choice companies are making? When we first started out as a business we thought recycled was the best way to go. Only after joining other metalsmithing communities, like Ethical Metalsmiths, did we begin to unpack the truth behind gold sourcing. By only using recycled gold, jewelers (like ourselves) tend to separate themselves from “dirty,” problematic mining processes. But recycled gold was mined at some point and, with clever marketing loopholes, that “recycled” gold may actually have been mined quite recently! What can I do about it? How do I make an ethical choice in my jewelry purchase? Choosing recycled gold definitely isn't a bad thing - it just might not be the strong ethical stance you have been told it is. There are plenty of great options out there to make sure your jewelry aligns with your values. You can use heirloom gold to create new pieces and remove yourself from the gold supply chain altogether or you can choose something like Fairmined gold for your work of art. Fairmined gold is certifiably sourced from small-scale mining organizations that are actively embracing responsible business, social, and environmental practices. It is newly-mined gold that directly supports local mining communities. The mining organizations and workers benefit from a guaranteed fair price plus a premium for the gold they provide, and the buyer benefits from full traceability and assurance that their precious metal is responsibly mined. With Fairmined gold, the entire journey of the metal is documented and certified: from the moment the gold is extracted from the ground to when it ends its journey in your piece! This guarantees the positive impact that your purchase makes on the communities that sourced your metal. Fairmined gold purchases also contribute to the preservation of natural resources and the positive development of miners and their families - creating ripple effects of impact that influence more and more miners to get certified and more brands in the market to support and provide Fairmined gold. Up to this point, we have been choosing to only use recycled gold in our work. We are now introducing our own Fairmined initiative because we want to do more to support the small-scale miners directly. By utilizing the purchasing power of the jewelry industry to improve the mining industry, we will have a greater positive impact on mining communities and our planet than ‘opting out’ of the issue. Ethical, transparent sourcing is at the core of our business, so we’re working to level up from the status quo. Investing in Fairmined Gold is deeply aligned with our values, which is why we’re thrilled to announce our Fairmined Collections!  How is Fairmined gold certified?  Fairmined Gold is certified through a rigorous third-party investigation and audit system run through The Alliance for Responsible Mining. This system ensures that the mining organizations meet the highest standards for responsible mining when sourcing their gold. Who started the Fairmined gold initiative?  The Alliance for Responsible Mining developed the Fairmined Standard, which prioritizes positive social impacts and responsible environmental practices in small-scale gold mining.  Who does Fairmined gold support? By choosing Fairmined gold, you support small-scale mining organizations instead of large corporations (who control most of the recycled gold market). Your choice of Fairmined directly contributes to the workers sourcing your gold getting a fair price for their hard work as well as an additional premium to invest in the improvement of their operations, support of their communities, and stewardship of the environment. Artisanal and small-scale mining is responsible for 20% of the world’s gold extraction, yet employs 90% of the workers involved in gold-extraction - nearly 20 million miners working in 80 countries around the world that often face hazardous working conditions including significant mercury exposure to themselves and their communities in addition to not being fairly compensated for their work. Is W.R. Metalarts Fairmined certified? Yes we are! We still sell recycled gold as not all of our pieces can be made in Fairmined gold at this time, and we always like to provide our clients with every option for their projects. Now that we are licensed to offer Fairmined gold we are so excited to offer it as an option for your projects!  Why is Fairmined gold more expensive?  Fairmined Gold is slightly more expensive than recycled gold as it takes more time, energy, and coordination to source. It also guarantees fair wages to the workers who sourced it whereas other gold was sourced by miners paid criminally low wages. Paying a premium for Fairmined Gold ensures that we are knowledgeable and proud of the full story of our materials! We want to invest in the communities that are providing the raw materials we need to create unique fine jewelry that will be treasured for generations. We are committed to transforming the jewelry industry, including the precious metals sectors. Businesses have a responsibility to use their purchasing power to incentivize responsible and sustainable mining practices. Financially supporting this movement will bring about significant, long-term structural change. Your purchase matters and you can make a direct and measurable impact on small-scale mining communities world-wide by choosing Fairmined for your piece! Sources and Resources: What is Fairmined? The Alliance for Responsible Mining promotes responsible gold sourcing  Is recycled gold an ethical choice? - ARM  Ethical Gold: Fairmined vs. Recycled Gold  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

    Color: Colors range widely within the blue to blue-green spectrum, including pale blues, frosty blues, seafoam greens, and deeper greenish-blues Our Sources: We source Aquamarines from Maine, New Hampshire, Colorado, Malawi, Madagascar, and other countries around the world. The Fairmined New Hampshire Aquamarine Emerald-Cut Carved Solitaire   Stone Cutting: We generally source pre-cut gemstones. For stones sourced outside of the US, we look for suppliers who employ stone cutters in the same region where the stones are mined.   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     More on Aquamarines:  Aquamarines are March’s birthstone! They are rated 7.5-8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, making them hard and durable enough to wear everyday. Aquamarines are a part of the Beryl gemstone family, which includes Emeralds, Goshenites, Morganites, and Heliodors. The Aquamarine Pendant More on Our Commitment to Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing: W.R. Metalarts strives to know the full story of the materials we use in our jewelry. We are committed to supporting artisanal miners and mining communities, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, and avoiding environmentally destructive practices. We are dedicated to deepening our understanding and working to address the historical and ongoing harm of the jewelry industry on indigenous communities and communities of color all around the world. We do not claim to have all of the answers; we are constantly evaluating our practices as we gain a more nuanced understanding of our complex industry. Transparency is critical so that you, our clients and collaborators, can trust that we’ve done all we can to create the most beautiful jewelry - not just the end result, but beautiful at every step of the journey. The way that we back up these values is to do our homework, putting our suppliers through rigorous vetting processes. We don’t take our vendors at face value when they say a stone is “conflict-free” or “sustainable;” we push them to give us the whole story about the journey of a stone and if they are not able to back up their claims of “ethics'' with sources or credentials, we won’t work with them. We source directly from local cutters and miners, when possible, which is one way to ensure ethical, responsible, and sustainable sourcing, practices and conditions. It takes time and diligence to find suppliers that we trust, but once we find them, we forge incredible relationships built on our shared values of transparency and doing good. Through direct relationships, ongoing assessment, and accountability we continue to strengthen and develop these practices and the demands for them.  The Mokume Gane Square-Cut Maine Aquamarine Solitaire   Thank you for supporting responsible and sustainable sourcing!  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!      

There are many different metals to consider when designing or shopping for your special piece of jewelry.  Whether color, durability, sourcing, or cost is most important to you, we’ve put together a little guide to help you choose the best metal for you or the significant people in your life!  A note on lingo: Karat (abbreviated as k) indicates the purity of the gold. Pure gold without any other metals mixed in is 24 karat (k) gold. Pure 24k gold is way too soft to use in everyday jewelry so metalsmiths use gold alloys that combine pure gold with other metals! Not only does this increase durability, but it also affects the color of the metal. 14k gold means the alloy is 14/24 parts (or 58.33%) gold and 41.67% other metals. 18k gold means the alloy is 18/24 parts (75%) gold and 25% other metals. None of our jewelry is plated so you can expect your rings to look the same on your 50th anniversary as they did on your wedding day! White Metals There are several beautiful options when it comes to white metals! We design our jewelry to be worn every day for decades or more! For this reason, we do not make or recommend silver rings, which are likely to bend, scratch, and tarnish over time. If white or silver-toned jewelry is your jam, here are our favorite choices:  14k White Gold   $  14k white gold is 58.33% gold alloyed with copper, nickel, and zinc Most affordable of the white metals we use Brightest white color of all the metals because of its nickel content  14k white gold is harder than the other golds, which makes it more durable and scratch-resistant compared to yellow or rose gold, but it may also make delicate prongs more brittle Not the best choice for someone with nickel allergies or metal sensitivities  Certified Fairmined 14k white gold is available! 14k White Gold Classic Band - Matte Finish 18k White Gold 18k white gold is 75% gold alloyed with nickel, copper, and zinc Bright, warm white color  18k white gold is softer than the other white metals 18k gold is more valuable - and more expensive - than 14k gold Certified Fairmined 18k white gold is available! Palladium White Gold   $ $ 14k or 18k palladium white gold is an alloy of gold with palladium, silver, copper, and zinc Grayish-white gray color, with a warmer tone than platinum  This alloy is nickel-free, making it a great choice for someone with a nickel allergy!  Palladium white gold is a little pricier than standard white gold but less expensive than platinum! 14k Palladium White Gold Classic Band - Matte Finish Platinum   $ $ $ Platinum is the purest precious metal available, made of 90-95% pure platinum Cooler, lighter gray color Very strong and durable! Platinum is also a little heavier than gold Hypoallergenic - this is the best choice for people who are sensitive to other metals  Platinum is more expensive than 14k or 18k gold Platinum Flat Band - Matte Finish & Platinum Diamond Pavé Band - Polished Finish   The Textured Band in 14k White Gold and Platinum Yellow Metals We love the classic look of yellow gold!  When paired with diamonds or other white stones, the contrast of the warm tone gives the gemstone an extra sparkly pop! You have several options when it comes to yellow metals:   14k Yellow Gold   $ 14k yellow gold is 58.33% gold alloyed with copper, silver, and zinc  Bright golden color  Very strong and durable!  Nickel-free alloy is great for those with nickel sensitivities Most affordable yellow metal option Certified Fairmined 14k yellow gold is available! 14k Yellow Gold Classic Bands - Matte Finish 18k Yellow Gold   $ $  18k yellow gold is 75% gold alloyed with silver, copper, and zinc  Bright, vivid golden color; 18k has a deeper luster than 14k yellow gold 18k is softer than 14k gold, which makes it somewhat less durable; intricate details may soften or fade over time Nickel-free alloy may work for those with metal sensitivities 18k gold is more valuable - and more expensive - than 14k gold! Certified Fairmined 18k yellow gold is available! 18k Yellow Gold Classic Bands - Matte Finish 18k Royal Yellow Gold   $ $  18k royal yellow gold is 75% gold alloyed with silver, copper, and zinc  This alloy combination creates a yellow-green tint, giving the appearance of 22k yellow gold with the strength and price of 18k gold  Not yet available as Certified Fairmined gold Custom 18k Royal Yellow Gold Diamond Ring Other Metals to Consider W.R. Metalarts is able to source metals beyond platinum and white and yellow gold, including pure palladium and 14k peach or 14k green gold!  By far, the most common alternative to the more traditional metals is rose gold:  14k Rose Gold   $       14k rose gold is 58.33% gold alloyed with copper and a small amount of silver and zinc  Deep rose pink color; richer color than 18k rose gold because of the alloy’s copper content Strong and durable!  Nickel-free  Certified Fairmined 18k rose gold is available! 14k Rose Gold Flat Band - Matte Finish & 14k Rose Gold Classic Band - Polished Finish 18k Rose Gold   $ $       18k rose gold is 75% gold alloyed with copper and a small amount of silver and zinc  Pale pink color; lighter color than 14k rose gold because of its greater gold to copper ratio in the alloy Nickel-free Just as with the other colors of gold, 18k rose gold is a little softer than 14k rose gold Custom 18k Rose Gold Emerald Cut Peach Morganite Solitaire   Mokume Gane If you love the look of multiple metals together, Mokume Gane might be the perfect option for you! Mokume is a traditional Japanese metalworking technique that layers different types of metal together to create one-of-a-kind patterns. To learn more about Mokume, check out this blog post!  Bimetal Mokume  $ $ $ 14k Palladium White Gold, Sterling Silver Bimetal Mokume Gane 14k Rose Gold, Sterling Silver Bimetal Mokume Gane 18k Royal Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver Bimetal Mokume Gane Trimetal Mokume  $ $ $ 14k Rose Gold, 14k Palladium White Gold, Sterling Silver Trimetal Mokume Gane 18k Royal Yellow Gold, 14k Palladium White Gold, Sterling Silver Trimetal Mokume Gane Which metal is your favorite?  We hope this blog has helped you to decide which metals you’d like to use in your own project!  If you love more than one metal, we can get creative about incorporating multiple materials into one piece!  Custom Trimetal Twist Ring with 14k Rose, 14k White, and 14k Yellow Gold Customized Mokume Gane Raindrop Band with 14k Gold Rails If you’re still not sure, we would love to chat with you about what’s most important to you to help you choose the best materials for you! Get in touch with us to start designing the jewelry of your dreams by clicking the chat button on the button right corner of your screen!  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

The W.R. Metalarts Fairmined Initiative Ethical and transparent sourcing is at the core of everything we do at W.R. Metalarts! Over the past year, we have been deepening our relationships with gemstone and precious metals suppliers that share these values and are dedicated to knowing the full story of our raw materials. In celebration of our commitment to ethical sourcing, we’re so excited to announce our newest catalog additions - Earth to Hand Solitaires: A Fairmined Collection! This collection represents the pinnacle of ethical sourcing using only gemstones mined in the United States set in beautiful Fairmined gold.  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!   What is Fairmined gold?  Fairmined gold is certifiably sourced from small-scale mining organizations that are actively embracing responsible business, social, and environmental practices. It is newly-mined gold that directly supports local mining communities. The mining organizations and workers benefit from a guaranteed fair price plus a premium for the gold they provide, and the buyer benefits from full traceability and assurance that their precious metal is responsibly mined! With Fairmined gold, the entire journey of the metal is documented and certified: from the moment the gold is extracted from the ground to when it ends its journey in your piece! This guarantees the positive impact that your purchase makes on the communities that sourced your metal. Fairmined gold purchases also contribute to the preservation of natural resources and the positive development of miners and their families - creating ripple effects of impact that influence more and more miners to get certified and more brands in the market to support and provide Fairmined gold! How is Fairmined gold certified?  Fairmined Gold is certified through a rigorous third-party investigation and audit system run through The Alliance for Responsible Mining. This system ensures that the mining organizations meet the highest standards for responsible mining when sourcing their gold. Who started the Fairmined gold initiative?  The Alliance for Responsible Mining developed the Fairmined Standard, which prioritizes positive social impacts and responsible environmental practices in small-scale gold mining.  Why should I choose Fairmined gold over recycled gold?  Recycled gold may sound like it’s the most responsible option available; however, it really is the bare minimum for jewelers who care about the human and environmental impact of their trade. Because gold is so valuable - it has always been recycled! No one is going to throw away gold like they might with aluminum, paper, or other recyclable materials because it is infinitely reusable! Gold’s worth is not diminished by time or use.  In fact, most of the gold you could purchase is more than likely to be recycled gold even if it is not marketed as such. Only 2% of all gold ever mined is unaccounted for in the world. And even if 100% of jewelers committed to only using recycled gold, the global demand for gold would stay the same! By only using recycled gold, jewelers (like ourselves) tend to separate themselves from “dirty,” problematic mining processes. But recycled gold was mined at some point and, with clever marketing loopholes, that “recycled” gold may actually have been mined quite recently! Up to this point, we have been choosing to only use recycled gold in our work. We are now introducing our own Fairmined initiative because we want to do more to support the small-scale miners directly. By utilizing the purchasing power of the jewelry industry to improve the mining industry, we will have a greater positive impact on mining communities and our planet than ‘opting out’ of the issue. Ethical, transparent sourcing is at the core of our business, so we’re working to level up from the status quo. Investing in Fairmined Gold is deeply aligned with our values, which is why we’re thrilled to announce our Fairmined Collections!  Who does Fairmined gold support? By choosing Fairmined gold, you support small-scale mining organizations instead of large corporations (who control most of the recycled gold market). Your choice of Fairmined directly contributes to the workers sourcing your gold getting a fair price for their hard work as well as an additional premium to invest in the improvement of their operations, support of their communities, and stewardship of the environment. Artisanal and small-scale mining is responsible for 20% of the world’s gold extraction, yet employs 90% of the workers involved in gold-extraction - nearly 20 million miners working in 80 countries around the world that often face hazardous working conditions including significant mercury exposure to themselves and their communities in addition to not being fairly compensated for their work. Is W.R. Metalarts Fairmined certified? Yes we are! We still sell recycled gold as not all of our pieces can be made in Fairmined gold at this time, and we always like to provide our clients with every option for their projects. Now that we are licensed to offer Fairmined gold we are so excited to offer it as an option for your projects!  Why is Fairmined gold more expensive?  Fairmined Gold is slightly more expensive than recycled gold as it takes more time, energy, and coordination to source. It also guarantees fair wages to the workers who sourced it whereas other gold was sourced by miners paid criminally low wages. Paying a premium for Fairmined Gold ensures that we are knowledgeable and proud of the full story of our materials! We want to invest in the communities that are providing the raw materials we need to create unique fine jewelry that will be treasured for generations. We are committed to transforming the jewelry industry, including the precious metals sectors. Businesses have a responsibility to use their purchasing power to incentivize responsible and sustainable mining practices. Financially supporting this movement will bring about significant, long-term structural change. Your purchase matters and you can make a direct and measurable impact on small-scale mining communities world-wide by choosing Fairmined for your piece! Sources and Resources: What is Fairmined? The Alliance for Responsible Mining promotes responsible gold sourcing  Is recycled gold an ethical choice? - ARM  Ethical Gold: Fairmined vs. Recycled Gold  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

Diamond sourcing at W.R. Metalarts   Curious about where diamonds come from? Wondering which kind of diamond is right for your jewelry? Don't worry, we've got plenty of ethical choices lined up so you can pick the perfect fit for your project. Let's dive into the different ways diamonds make their way to you - that way you can choose the one that fits best with your values.   Ethically Sourced Natural Diamonds Option 1: Transparently sourced, artisanally mined diamonds At W.R. Metalarts, our preference is to source natural diamonds from ethical small-scale artisanal diamond initiatives. Some such initiatives include Root Diamond and Ethos Diamonds.  It is important to us to buy diamonds outright from these sources, instead of waiting until the stone is purchased by one of our clients to relay payment to the initiative (which is common in the industry). We think of transparently sourced artisanal diamonds as the pinnacle of ethical diamonds, because they actually create a positive direct impact for miners rather than a negative or neutral impact.  Option 2: Heirloom, reclaimed, or recycled diamonds  Whether you call them heirloom diamonds, reclaimed diamonds, or recycled diamonds, all of these terms just mean that the stone has come out of previously-made jewelry. One great thing about this option is that they hold the value of a newly sourced natural diamond but they are not newly mined. We use post-consumer certified recycled stones for recycled options, or family stones brought to us by clients. This option is a nice choice if you want to make sure that the diamond you are using for your project has not recently been sourced in an exploitative way.  The downside to this option is that we are unable to guarantee that recycled stones have been ethically sourced initially. These diamonds could have been unethically sourced or could've been sourced in a way that was damaging to the environment or exploitative to the people who worked to bring it to you. Using reclaimed stones does not actually create a positive impact.  We try to combat participating in the continued exploitation of workers in the diamond recycling market by utilizing our internal recycling program at the studio. We will trade clients heirloom stones for a credit towards their project and from this we have built up a beautiful library of recycled stones that are looking for new homes in your beautiful project! Option 3: Known-origin newly mined diamonds If you are looking for a newly mined natural diamond, especially a smaller stone - then Canadian mined diamonds could be a good choice for you. We source our newly mined diamonds (including salt & pepper diamonds) from Canada because this is the best option we have found in terms of ethical and sustainable sourcing, even though there is still a long way to go.  Though Canadian diamonds are largely traceable with excellent quality, it is true that Canadian mines have created some of the worst mining and land rights issues, so there is potential for Canadian-mined diamonds to contribute to negative impact. One issue that stands with these stones is that there are more "Canadian-mined" stones in the diamond market than have actually been mined in Canada. As a business we push our suppliers to validate their sourcing claims and encourage others to do the same. A note on “conflict-free” diamonds It is important to know that the “conflict-free” diamond certification only applies to rough diamonds, not the beautifully cut diamonds that make their way into finished jewelry. We don't believe that conflict-free certifications go far enough to ensure the ethics of our diamonds so we go beyond sourcing stones that are "conflict free." This certification only means that a company has had to prove that profits have not gone to fund civil war activities in certain conflict regions---it does not ensure safe working conditions, fair wages, or safe and sustainable environmental practices. Another growing concern are the labor abuses that take place in large stone cutting factories worldwide, which conflict free certifications do not regulate.   Lab-grown Diamonds Lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to natural diamonds, but they are more affordable and can even be of higher quality than natural diamonds. We typically source our lab-grown diamonds from Stuller, who has a GIA facility in-house to help with verification and testing.  The downside to lab-grown diamonds is that the source is usually unknown, especially now that most US-based lab-grown diamond factories have closed. This means that we can’t always verify where the diamond came from or what conditions are like in the factory. Also, lab-grown diamonds also tend to be shipped all over the world before reaching the client, which has negative environmental implications.  Overall, we view lab-grown diamonds as less ethical or transparent than artisanally mined natural diamonds with known-origin. If you want to learn more about lab-grown diamonds, check out our 'All about Lab-Grown Stones' Blog Other Special Diamonds For colorful diamonds, black diamonds, and other specialized stones, we source through certified conflict-free sources - unfortunately we haven't found a more ethical option for these stones yet. If you have specific sourcing preferences for your project just let us know and we can make sure it is a top priority for your project!   Get in touch with us today to bring your dream project to life with the perfect diamond by clicking the chat button on the bottom right of your screen! Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

We were super lucky to experience the renowned Tucson Gem show for the first time in-person this year and we are so excited to share what we learned with you! Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!   What is the Tucson Gem Show? (and why did we go this year…)  The Tucson Gem Show is not actually one show, but a vast array of shows that span the city for over three weeks! Suppliers from around the world converge to celebrate and sell a multitude of gems, minerals, and fossils. We were most excited to attend the Ethical Gem Fair - a four day event sponsored by our friends at the Ethical Gem Suppliers  collaborative. We’ve spent the past several years working closely with many of these like-minded folx on Ethical Metalsmith Zoom meetings, Webinars or through their online stores and we were honored to connect in person! Not only was it thrilling to be around so many passionate gemstone enthusiasts, we were also energized by seeing and feeling so many beautiful gemstones in real life!  The Ethical Gem Fair brings together gemstone suppliers focused on responsible sourcing, with jewelry designers from large and small businesses who are all committed to environmental and social ethics at every point along the supply chain. While we’ve already been working with many of these suppliers - such as Columbia Gem House, Moyo Gems, VirtuGem, and others - it was amazing to actually meet these partners, find new ethical gemstone sources, and see so many beautiful stones in real life! Each of these suppliers were excited to answer questions and share each gemstone’s origin story. The ability of these suppliers to trace the complete story of a stone, from where it was mined, to who mined it, who cut it, and whose hands it passed through all the way to the gem show was incredible. Many of these suppliers buy rough gemstones directly from the miners and work to support local artisans who cut and polish the stones near the mines. They support the local mining communities with projects and programs chosen by the people that live there and we are so excited to work with more direct suppliers like Moyo Gems and VirtuGem in the future! What is Ethical Jewelry?  ‘Ethical jewelry’ has become a bit of a buzzword that has, unfortunately, become a fixture of many greenwashing campaigns in the jewelry industry. Because this term is at the core of our values rather than merely a marketing strategy at W.R. Metalarts, we are going to define what Ethical Jewelry means to us. We believe in informed transparency about all of our materials’ sources. We are committed to supporting artisanal miners and mining communities, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, and avoiding environmentally destructive practices. We are committed to deepening our understanding and working to address the historical and ongoing harm of the jewelry industry on indigenous communities and communities of color all around the world. We do not claim to have all of the answers; we are constantly evaluating our practices as we gain a more nuanced understanding of our complex industry. We believe transparency is critical so that you, our clients, can trust that we’ve done all we can to create the most beautiful jewelry - not just the end result, but beautiful at every step of the journey.  The way that we back up these values to ensure that you, our client and collaborator, have as much information available to you as possible is to put our suppliers through thorough vetting processes. We don’t take our suppliers at face value when they say a stone is “ethical” or “sustainable” we push a supplier to give us the whole story about the journey of a stone and if they are not able to back up their claims of “ethics'' with sources or credentials, we won’t work with them. It’s difficult to find suppliers who we trust completely but once we find them, we forge incredible relationships built on our shared values of transparency and doing good. Knowing the story of a gemstone - what we learned! Attending the Gem Shows in Tucson allowed us to make new connections, deepen existing relationships, expand our knowledge, and level up our capacity to offer stunning ethically and sustainably sourced gemstones to all of our clients. We teamed up with some of our like-minded designer friends to tackle critical conversations with suppliers within and beyond the Ethical Gem Fair. Some suppliers were honest about not knowing the origin of their stones. Many suppliers make claims about the origins of their stones, but are vague when pushed to back up these claims, trusting word-of-mouth or their long-standing relationship with one individual towards the end of the supply chain. By asking questions about the origins of traditionally-mined gemstones, we aim to push the industry to consider the human and environmental impact of our trade, proving there is a market for ethically sourced gemstones. We also found a few new suppliers that were able to answer the tough sourcing questions, including one Montana-based miner who sells his own sapphires at the show every year! The best part... what we brought home!   We’re excited to work with our clients to find a special stone that fits your own story, whether that has to do with the geographical source of the stone, a specific color, or one that aligns to your values. Start your custom project with your dream gemstone today!  Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

Pedro Calderon de la Barca once said, “Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.” Now, this is a color we can get on board with! Green is the color of life and nature and we absolutely love to incorporate it into our pieces at W.R. Metalarts. Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     Here are some of our favorite green stones to work with... Peridot  Peridot can also be referred to as chrysolite. It is a stunning green gemstone that is considered to have the coloring of spring grass. It ranks at a 6.5-7 on the Mohs Hardness Scale making it a wonderful and durable stone to incorporate into your next jewelry piece such as a pendant!  Sapphire  As we’ve discussed in our other gemstone blogs, sapphires can be found in virtually every color… including (you guessed it) green! Green sapphires are extremely vibrant in hue and can range from a deep emerald to a light seafoam. Sapphires are extremely resilient (rated a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale) and absolutely stunning. We love working with Montana sapphires especially because we can ensure that they are sourced to the highest standards of ethics and sustainability in the mining industry. Sapphires symbolize wisdom and creativity making them a perfect stone for the creative in your life!      Tourmaline Tourmaline can also be found in a wide variety of colors. Green tourmaline, which is also known as Verdelite, is widely known for its supposed healing properties. It is thought to bring a flow of wholesome energy to the wearer! Excuse us while we wear tourmaline every day... Emerald When thinking of green stones, emerald is generally the first stone that comes to mind.  Emeralds are stunning, elegant stones that make the perfect accent or spotlight to any jewelry piece. They score a 7.5-8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale and are a variety of Beryl along with aquamarine. Emeralds often have inclusions when not created in a lab but that just makes them all the more unique!   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

Pearl Color: We work with white to cream colored pearls mostly but they come in beautiful pinks, greens, and blacks as well. Our Sources: We source our pearls from Columbia Gem House which is known for its practices in fair trade and sustainability. We also use recycled pearls from our internal recycling program!  Stone Cutting: This natural “gemstone” is uncut and sourced in its natural state.   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     More on Pearls: We absolutely love working with Pearls! Pearls are an organic gemstone that are created by oysters and mussels. They can be formed by either freshwater mussels - which produce more organic shapes in a beautiful cream color, or saltwater oysters which produce the traditional round iridescent white pearls. Pearls are believed to bring good fortune, luck, and prosperity to the wearer. More on Our Commitment to Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing: We go beyond sourcing stones that are "conflict free" because we view the certification as problematic in several ways. First of all, it excludes small family mining and refining businesses that are unable to afford the certification, but who are producing excellent products by putting their money into paying their employees and ensuring safe conditions rather than paying the costly fee for certification (if you are familiar with the challenges of "organic farming" certifications in the US, this is a similar phenomenon). Second, the "conflict-free" certification only means that company has had to prove that profits have not gone to fund civil war activities in certain conflict regions---it does not ensure safe working conditions, fair wages, or safe and sustainable environmental practices. Another growing concern are the labor abuses that take place in large stone cutting factories worldwide, which conflict free certifications do not regulate.  We find that sourcing directly from local cutters and miners is the best way to insure ethical, responsible and sustainable sourcing, practices and conditions.  Through direct relationships, ongoing assessment and accountability we continue to strengthen and develop these practices and the demands for them.   Thank you for supporting responsible and sustainable sourcing!  It is truly an honor!    Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!    

 The color yellow represents energy, joy, and happiness. It is a warming color that is sure to brighten anyone's day. With these amazing qualities, who wouldn’t want yellow stones in every jewelry piece?    Subscribe to our newsletter to know whenever we post another blog! Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     Here are some of our favorite yellow stones to work with… Yellow Sapphires As we’ve talked about in our other rainbow stone guide posts, sapphires come in virtually every color. Sapphires are amazing when it comes to both their resilience and beauty.  We love working with Montana sapphires especially because we can ensure that they are sourced to the highest standards of ethics and sustainability in the mining industry. Sapphires symbolize wisdom and creativity making them a perfect stone for the creative in your life!  Yellow Beryl   Yellow beryl is also known as heliodore. It is a member of the beryl family like aquamarine, emerald, and morganite. It is a more affordable alternative to yellow sapphires but is equally as stunning! Yellow beryl ranges from pale yellow to golden in hue and we often source these stunning stones from New Hampshire. Sunstones The Oregon sunstone is a stunning gemstone that comes in varieties of red, orange, and you guessed it... yellow! It is regarded as a stone of optimism and goodwill (and who doesn’t need more of that?).    Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!    

Frank Sinatra once said that “orange is the happiest color,” and we couldn’t agree more! Orange gemstones are the perfect option for those who are looking for a piece that is unique and eye catching.     Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     Oregon Sunstone The Oregon sunstone is a stunning light orange gemstone. It is regarded as a stone of optimism and goodwill (and who doesn’t need more of that?). It is called the sunstone due to the varying colors that resemble a sunset. It comes in orange, gold, and light browns. The darker orange shades are due to the schiller effect. This occurs because select sources of this stone have traces of copper giving it this vibrant hue. Orange Sapphires These stones vary from light pastel orange to a vivid orange-red hue. Orange sapphires are an excellent choice for those looking to create a piece of jewelry that will stand the test of time. They are extremely resilient and are perfect for everyday wear. We source our sapphires from Montana from ethical and sustainable mines. Garnet When it comes to garnets, we are drawn to grossular garnets and spessartite garnets. Grossular garnets have an incredible wide range of color options including a deep orange. Spessartite garnets are generally a more vibrant color if you are looking for an orange that really pops! Citrine Citrine is a variety of crystal that offers a beautiful pastel orange coloring. Citrines are thought to absorb negative energy (yes please!) and are perfect for pendants and rings!   Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter to get updates whenever we have new blog posts!   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!    

Blue is all around us. It is the color of the sky and the sea and is one of our favorite colors to source gemstones in. We love exploring all the beautiful variations of this color with different stones! Here are some of our favorites to work with:   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     Sapphires When thinking about blue stones, sapphires are usually the first gemstone that will come to mind! They are extremely resilient (rated a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale) and absolutely stunning. Sapphires come in nearly every color imaginable, but blue sapphires are always the most popular. We love working with Montana sapphires especially because we can ensure that they are sourced to the highest standards of ethics and sustainability in the mining industry. Sapphires symbolize wisdom and creativity making them a perfect stone for the creative in your life! Aquamarine We always think that aquamarines evoke the sea. They range in color from almost clear to a light blue to a green-blue coloring. They are often free from inclusions resembling a pane of blue glass. They are a 7.5-8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale making them durable and a wonderful option for pendants or rings. We source our aquamarines from Maine and Colorado from sustainable and ethical sources and stone cutters. Aquamarines are stones of power and are said to radiate calming energies! Iolite If you love the look of sapphires but don't want to break the bank, Iolite is for you! It is a beautiful blue stone that’s natural coloring is a deep blue. It is slightly less durable than a sapphire, but with proper care, it can last generations. We love sourcing this beautiful stone from Wyoming and cannot wait to work with it more in the future. Topaz Topaz is often thought of as a reddish-orange stone, which it is; however, topaz can also be a stunning blue. Blue topaz is one of the most sought after varieties… for good reason! It looks beautiful in any cut and pairs beautifully with all varieties of metal. If you’re curious about what exactly differentiates white, yellow, and rose gold, check out our helpful blog post! Blue Spinel Some consider the blue of blue spinel rivals that of sapphires (we plead the 5th on that question). It is an affordable alternative to sapphires, but don’t discount it as a replacement. Blue spinel can more than hold its own!     Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

Before we dive into the difference between these beautiful golds, it is important to know about pure gold versus gold alloys. The only gold that is pure gold is 24 karat (K) gold. 24K gold does not have any other metals mixed into it compared to 22 karat, 18 karat, or 14 karat which are gold alloys.  While 24K gold is stunning, it is also not practical for everyday wear, or even in metalworking. Since 24K gold is not an alloy it is extremely soft. This means that it breaks, bends and scratches easily. At W.R. Metalarts, we use 14K-18K gold to ensure long lasting durability and elegance. Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!       White Gold  White gold is a mix between gold and a silver alloy such as palladium or nickel. Palladium, a personal favorite of ours at W.R. Metalarts, is much rarer and is perfect for those with sensitive skin. If you like the look of platinum, but it isn’t within your budget, white gold is a wonderful option. Compared to yellow and rose gold, white gold is slightly more durable and more scratch resistant. White gold has a unique warm gleam to it that many love to pair with the brilliance of diamonds and other precious gemstones. It is a great choice for someone who wants a warm white tone of metal instead of the strong cool tones of platinum and palladium. We also often get asked: Isn't white gold just rhodium plated yellow gold? Won't I have to replate it as the finish gets worn away? But have no fear! We work exclusively with white gold alloys that are not rhodium plated and are solid white gold. This way you never need to worry about replating your piece and you can be sure it will stay the same color as the day you bought it! Our standard 14k white gold is comprised of 58.55% gold, 17.5% copper, 8.95% zinc and 15% nickel. If you have sensitivities or allergies to any of these metals we would recommend solid platinum if you are looking for a silver color in your piece.     Yellow Gold If you’re someone who loves the look of classic gold, then yellow gold is for you! Since the alloys we work with are the perfect balance between luster and durability, it will stand the test of time while granting a classic, glowing look to your jewelry piece. Yellow gold looks amazing on everyone and is a classic choice for a reason!   Rose Gold Rose gold is a gold and copper alloy that has a pink tone to it. This rosey coloring gives a romantic and vintage feel to jewelry pieces making it a perfect option for engagement and anniversary presents. Don’t be fooled by the gentle appearance of this metal. Because it is a copper alloy it is incredibly strong and can withstand all of your amazing adventures. Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

If you’re looking for a gemstone that will certainly turn heads, then red is for you! The color red is associated with passion, love, and energy making it a wonderful option for an engagement ring.     Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     Ruby The facts: When thinking of red stones, what comes to mind for most people are rubies. Rubies are stunning gemstones (there’s a reason Dorothy had ruby red slippers!) that are an excellent option for an engagement ring! The pros: Aside from their jaw dropping hue, rubies make a wonderful engagement ring stone because of their strength. On the Mohs hardness scale, which ranges from 1 which is talc to 10 where diamonds fall, rubies are a 9. This durability level is an excellent characteristic for those wanting them for everyday wear. They are also some of the rarest gemstones in the world making them especially valuable in a ring that is going to become a family heirloom. The cons: High quality traditional rubies are harder to ethically source than other stones. We have found some great sources for rubies through one of our favorite gemstone suppliers Columbia Gem House but have found that we are more limited in shapes and sizes in our options for these stones. However we can source some beautiful Rubies from Wyoming! Rubies are also some of the rarest gemstones making them much more expensive than other stones of similar sizes, colors, and qualities.  Garnet The facts: Another red gemstone to consider is garnet. This gemstone comes in many different colors (even green!) but is most commonly found in pink, red, and deep burgundy. One of our favorite types of garnet is called ant hill garnet. Ant hill garnets get their name because they are often found around ant hills. While building their underground colonies the ants will bring the tiny gemstones to the surface where they can be easily collected. They are a beautiful deep red color and as Columbia Gem House says, “they are not just a garnet but part of the cultural history of the Navajo people” where they are sourced on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. The pros: Garnets are super durable and affordable. They are rated between a 7.5 and a 8.5 on the Mohs hardness scale which makes them perfect for everyday wear. We can also source all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors of this beautiful stone. The cons: While suited for everyday wear they are not as durable as sapphires or diamonds and could be damaged over a lifetime of wear. Also depending on where the garnet is sourced from they can quickly get expensive - for example we can sometimes source ultra-rare garnet from the northeast United States but this source of garnet is typically more expensive than others. Spinel The facts: Spinel (pronounced spin-elle) is another beautiful red stone option. Its color can range from a pink to deep merlot hue. We have worked with it on so many beautiful projects over the years! One of our favorite ways to work with spinel is for custom hand-cut stones for especially unique projects.  The pros: Spinel is a durable stone with a hardness rating of 8 that makes it suited for everyday wear. This beautiful gemstone is much more affordable than rubies and is often confused for them! But they are better than rubies in one key way - they are even more sparkly! The cons: We are not able to source this stone from the United States so it can be difficult to ensure that these stones meet our typical ethical sourcing standards. And similar to garnet, spinel is durable but not as durable as sapphires and diamonds. Mexican Fire Opal The facts: The Mexican Fire Opal truly lives up to its name. It has a vivid orange to red coloring. They resemble flames and are sure to ignite the senses. This stone varies from traditional opals in that it typically does not have numerous bodies of color, but instead is a more consistent shade. The pros: This stone can be sourced from the United States so we can ensure that it meets the highest standards of ethical and sustainable sourcing. We can also work with our reputable stone cutters to get the perfect shape and style for your project! The cons: As with all opals this is a softer stone. It is rated as a 6 on the Mohs hardness scale and that makes it a bit more subjective to wear over the years. If this is the stone for you then we can come up with settings and styles that protect this beautiful stone to make sure it can survive the test of time. No matter what gemstone you chose, at W.R. Metalarts, we work with a variety of materials and stones to bring your dream to life!   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!      

Working to source all of our materials in the most ethical and sustainable way possible means we are constantly reassessing where we get our metals and gems.  It is no secret that any resource extraction done on a mass scale is nearly impossible to be done without negative impacts. Recently we have learned more about gold mining specifically, and it is becoming more and more apparent that the morals and ethics behind gold mining are easily avoided and bent. Especially in the market of “eco-friendly” gold. Currently, all of our metals are 100% recycled. But we have found that much of this metal is recently-mined, and refined multiple times at the beginning of the supply chain to meet the recycled criteria, and came at extreme cost to the environment and the people who extracted it. So we have begun the research and transition into a different approach to our sourcing. We know that now more than ever, it is important to source gold from reputable sources that use something called fair-mined gold.     Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!       What is fair-mined gold? Fair-mined gold has received certification that it was mined in an ethical and sustainable manner from small, reputable mining organizations. It is a revolutionary movement that is making a change for the greater good of the miners and the environment and ensures that the gold you purchase is making a positive impact on the world. Why should you as a consumer care? Unfortunately, when performed in an unethical manner, gold mining can be extremely destructive and dangerous . Gold Mining causes community displacement, leads to contaminated drinking water, environmental and ecosystem destruction, and more. Making the conscious decision to buy gold from a reputable source that uses fair-mined gold can quite literally help change the world. What positive impacts does fair-mined gold have? Fair-mined gold has positive economic, environmental, labor, and social benefits. It ensures and prioritizes the livelihood and well-being of miners as well as their families and communities. Fair-mined gold also helps to mitigate the negative environmental impact of gold mining, thus, reducing irreparable damage and social impacts. Additionally, fair-mined gold contributes to job creation and economic development. Where to find fair-mined gold? At W.R. Metalarts, we are making the transition to fair-mined gold because to us, it’s a no-brainer. And starting today any of our pieces can be made in fair-mined gold! Creating jewelry does not only mean crafting designs with love but ensuring that the jewelry we create is a reflection of who we are and what our values are. We use gems and gold that are sustainably and ethically sourced.  Because jewelry should be beautiful inside and out.  You can learn more about fair-mined gold here!   Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!     Be the change by intentionally opting for fair-mined gold for your project and be part of the movement to  change this ancient industry!

Lab-grown diamonds have long been touted as an eco-friendly alternative to mined stones, boasting identical sparkle and quality without the environmental toll. However, our perspective surrounding the ethicality of lab-grown diamonds has evolved through the years. While lab-grown diamonds are indeed chemically identical to natural diamonds and often offer superior quality and affordability, we no longer view them as our most ethical diamond sourcing option. In our quest for transparency and ethical standards, we now consider artisanally mined natural diamonds with known origins as the pinnacle of ethical sourcing. This is because sourcing artisanally mined diamonds from transparent initiatives can directly benefit small mining communities, creating a positive impact rather than a neutral or negative one, as is the case with lab-grown or recycled stones. Learn more about the ethics of diamonds here:  Where do diamonds come from?    We still acknowledge the merits of lab-grown diamonds, particularly their affordability and sometimes superior quality. However, recent developments have highlighted significant concerns. Sourcing lab-grown diamonds has become increasingly challenging, with many US-based factories closing, leading to ambiguity regarding their origins and production conditions. Also, the global shipping involved in distributing lab-grown diamonds raises environmental red flags, contradicting their eco-friendly image. While they may require less energy to produce initially, their supply chain logistics contribute to their carbon footprint.   In light of these considerations, we now view lab-grown diamonds not as the most ethical alternative, but rather as an option for those prioritizing affordability and quality, albeit with some transparency and environmental trade-offs. Our commitment to providing ethical and environmentally friendly options remains unwavering. We continue to work with trusted partners like Stuller, leveraging their GIA facility for verification and testing. Additionally, we actively seek out transparently sourced artisanal diamonds from entities like Root Diamond and Ethos Diamonds. These initiatives ensure that every diamond purchase positively impacts mining communities. For those exploring alternatives beyond lab-grown and natural diamonds, we invite you to explore our White Stones Blog for a comprehensive overview of other options available. Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!  

Pearls are an organic “gemstone” and though they are far more delicate than other gemstones, with proper care, they will keep their beautiful luster for generations. The thing that makes pearls so beautiful is called nacre, it forms the iridescent outer layer of pearls and can be damaged with improper care. Here is everything you need to know about taking care of your pearls to make sure they last a lifetime! Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!   Keep in mind: Pearls can be damaged by acidic or alkaline substances and extreme changes in humidity and temperature. Heat and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can dry out the pearls and lead them to crack. Avoid exposing them to cosmetics, lotions, the rule of thumb with pearls is that they should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. Never use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner on pearl jewelry. Be mindful not to wear pearl jewelry in a pool, bath, sauna or shower. Do not submerge your pearl in water, the water alone will not harm the pearl, however, the glue used to attach the pearl to a ring can be dissolved and wear away over time loosening the pearl.  Plastic can damage pearls so do not store them in plastic. Caring for your pearls daily: Pearls love to be worn! The water on your skin will actually keep them hydrated and shining. Just wipe your pearl with a soft non-abrasive cloth to keep it looking its best.  Be mindful of the possibility of scratching your pearl, they are only a 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and are easily scratched. Do not wear your pearls when exercising.  Never wear your pearl jewelry while cleaning, they should not be exposed to chemicals in any form. Never wear pearl rings while cooking, It's also a good idea to take off your pearls when you're cooking. Acids (like lemon), grease and heat can cause damage to your pearls. How to clean your pearls: Step 1: Gently wipe your pearls with a damp non-abrasive cloth to remove any grime. Step 2: If a deeper cleaning is needed you may use a small amount of pearl-friendly cleaner on the piece.    You can always send us your ring for us to clean for you too! We are happy to give it a touch up if needed. Enjoy 5% off your first order & be the first to know about new collections, exclusive offers & more!