W.R. Metalarts Metalsmith soldering a piece of metal on a work top in her studio.

Integrity and Transparency

To us, ethical sourcing means that every person that touched your ring was treated with dignity, and paid a fair wage.

It's no secret that the jewelry industry has a dark history of human rights, environmental, and labor abuses. We feel we have a professional duty to understand where our materials are coming from, to educate our clients about design choices that uphold these values, and to push our industry to have more integrity and transparency by voting with our dollars (and yours by extension!).

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A Rose gold ring with olive branches which encircle marquise diamond leaves and a princess cut diamond, and Moroccan lattice-inspired setting to create an engagement ring that is both rustic and whimsical. Handcrafted by W.R. Metalarts, a US jeweler.

Beyond "Conflict Free"

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.

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Ethical Sourcing

How we ensure our sourcing matches our values...

To mitigate these concerns, we work primarily with certified Fairmined gold, known origin gemstones and stones and metals upcycled from our clients’ heirloom jewelry. Because we believe brands have an ethical responsibility to advance the global mining industry, we proactively forge personal relationships with miners, stonecutters, and refiners. You can trust your new jewelry was made with integrity, intension, and transparent practices. When possible, we try to source stones mined in the United States. Did you know that Vermont has blood red and deep orange garnets? Montana has large deposits of amethyst and sapphire? Maine has beautiful green and pink/peach tourmaline, amethyst, aquamarine, and morganite? To make our pieces extra special, we love to source stones from regions that have meaning to our clients!

Custom Design FAQs

Lab Grown Stones

We believe that lab grown diamonds are an excellent and cost effective alternative, when we can not source a recycled stone of the desired specifications. We are careful to vet our lab-grown stone suppliers, as many of the old conflict-fueling/blood diamond creating companies have entered the lab grown market. We do not buy from companies with a history of labor abuses such as DeBeers (recently rebranded as "Lightbox").

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ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our Commitment to Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing.

Ethical and transparent sourcing is at the core of everything we do at W.R. Metalarts! We feel we have a professional duty to understand where our materials are coming from, to educate our clients about design choices that uphold these values, and to push our industry to have more integrity and transparency by voting with our dollars (and yours by extension!).

A pair of hands holding a ring in their left hand and an instrument gripping a stone above the ring setting in their right hand

Rings for Everyone

Sizing Inclusivity

We can make our rings in ANY size at no additional cost! We want you to have the perfect ring and we offer every ring size. We make rings in size 1 to 17 (or higher if needed), and half and quarter sizes too! Unsure about your size? Order one of our ring sizers!

Our Fairmined Collections

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.

All the rings in the Gold for Good collection are made with 100% Fairmined gold. This gold is certifiably sourced from small-scale mining organizations that are actively embracing responsible business, social, and environmental practices.

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A blonde haired and brown haired woman each holding up their left hands. On their hands are various rings handcrafted by W.R. Metalarts from the Gold for Good collection which are made with 100% Fairminded gold. This gold is certifiably sourced.

Celebrating All Experiences and Identities

At W.R. Metalarts we understand that the wedding industry can be extremely discriminatory and patriarchal.

This is something we are hoping to change. We are always striving to make a positive social impact not only in our customer's lives, but also on the industry as a whole.

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WE ARE W.R. METALARTS

WE ARE W.R. METALARTS

Ethically Handcrafted With Love. Made To Tell Your Story.

The Founder & Maker

Will

Will is a metalsmith and jeweler located in Brattleboro, Vermont. He blends ancient techniques of mokume gane, lost wax carving and casting, and precious metal fabrication with his training in modern technologies such as 3-D CAD/CAM computer rendered design. Will graduated from Earlham College in 2011 with a degree in fine art metalsmithing. Will spent four years in fine art foundry management at New England Sculpture Service, in Boston, and Wegner Metalarts in Fredericksburg, Virgina. Will is an alumnus of the Mass MoCA Assets for Artists program, and the Greater Boston Arts and Business Council's Artist Toolbox.

PROJECT & MARKETING MANAGER

Jessica

Jessica has a combined degree in Environmental Studies and Humanities and is passionate about ethical sourcing and sustainability. A true extrovert she is just as excited about your project as you are! She has experience in hospitality, and a love for nature, activism, and art. She ensures that our clients have the most special, ethically-driven, ring buying experience in the world.

Metalsmith

Vanessa

Vanessa met Will in college where she was the teaching assistant in his first metals class. They became fast friends and have collaborated on many projects together over the past ten years. She has a masters in metalsmithing and is exceptionally skilled in wax-carving and casting. Bringing new life to family heirlooms is a passion of hers and she loves recasting old rings into new W.R. Metalarts pieces. She also does beautiful work in ceramics and woodworking when not creating stunning jewelry.

Metalsmith

Martin

Martin attended Earlham with Will and Vanessa and Will was actually his T.A. in their metalsmithing class together! Martin is extensively trained in Turkish coppersmithing and has participated in many prestigious craft shows over the years such as the Smithsonian show and the American Craft Council Baltimore retail show, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art show.

Studio Manager

Kristen

Kristen manages the Vermont studio, helping with photography, blog writing, social media, shipping, and managing our stone inventory. Every one of our orders is lovingly packaged by her before being sent out to you! In her free time she loves crafting, reading, hiking, and spending time with her dog, Little Bear.

Designer

George

George is the newest member of the W.R. Metalarts team. He has a passion for creativity and extensive experience in CAD and the arts. When he's not working, George loves to spend time outside gardening, exploring, and birdwatching.

  • Ethical & Sustainable

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    Low Carbon Footprint

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    Lifetime Workmanship Guarantee

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    Positive Mining Practices

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    Made in USA