Ethical Jewellery Made Responsibly
What is sustainable and ethical jewelry?
Sustainable and ethical jewelry means choosing practices and materials that are eco-friendly, traceable, and made to last. In recent years, the jewelry market has been flooded with low-quality, poorly-crafted pieces that harm the environment and end up discarded within a season. I built Maria Glezelli as the opposite of that: a zero-carbon-footprint brand, and one of a small number of sustainable jewelry brands making everything by hand, to order, from certified recycled silver.
Ethically Sourced Recycled Silver
Every piece I make begins with recycled silver. The sterling silver wire is produced in Italy by a certified manufacturer, from silver grains made of recycled silver sourced in Europe. Every stage is monitored through a robust quality-assurance system, and all the silver I use is fully traceable from source to finished piece. Since silver is non-ferrous, it never loses its chemical or physical properties when recycled, so it can be reused an infinite number of times, minimising the need for new mining. This is what makes each piece genuine recycled silver jewelry, as beautiful and durable as anything made from newly mined metal.
Responsible Plating
My plating is entrusted to a small family-run workshop in Athens. The platers take every reasonable care to protect the environment from aggressive chemicals, and each process is carefully monitored. When a piece needs re-plating over the years, that work may take place in Tuscany, close to my studio, so your jewellery can be cared for and restored rather than replaced.
Packaging
My boxes are made in Italy with FSC-certified cardboard and paper. FSC certification means the paper has been harvested and produced responsibly, so even the packaging your jewellery arrives in is eco-friendly and sustainable.
A Piece Made to Last
For me, sustainability is not a branding feature. It is the whole way I work, slowly, by hand, using recycled silver and traditional techniques rather than machines and mass production. As one of a growing number of ethical jewelry brands, I believe a piece of jewellery should be treasured for a lifetime, and shouldn't be replaced with the next trend.
If you'd like to see the result, explore my collections, all hand-knitted in my Florence studio. You can also read more about why I choose slow, handmade jewellery and what recycled jewelry really means for the planet.