When we think of Fast Fashion, we think of clothing. However, its methods and its flaws have also reached the jewelry sector. Fast fashion brands almost all have their own jewelry section, not to mention the dedicated brands that have been created. And if everything exists in this universe, from the mega company to the smallest artisan, finding a totally clean costume jewelry is still very complicated.
Jewelry has become a cheap accessory
Gone are the days when people only had one or two pieces of jewelry, valuable and often family heirlooms, that they only wore on special occasions. Not to mention the famous short story "La Parure" by Maupassant (where the wife of a simple employee goes into debt for life to buy back a set of jewelry that was lent to her and that she lost).
From “fake jewelry” to costume jewelry
In the 17th century, wealthy families regularly had copies of their jewelry made from less precious metals and glass paste. In the 19th century, with the rise of the bourgeoisie, "gold plating" was created. Then, Coco Chanel created the first "fake jewelry" in the 1930s, with semi-precious stones, fake pearls, rhinestones and ribbons.
But it was the Second World War, a period when precious metals became scarce, then the Trente Glorieuses, which led to the rise of costume jewelry, no longer as a copy of precious jewelry, but as a creation in itself.
In the 60s and 70s, when women's wardrobes were revolutionized by ready-to-wear, mini-skirts and flower power, jewelry became ethnic or pop, colorful and original, with geometric shapes, in metal, amber, bakelite or plastic.
Jewelry is no longer seen as a social marker, but as an everyday and accessible object, and also an expression of one's personality.
The turn of the 21st century: fast jewelry
You only need to walk around a shopping centre to be tempted. From Claire's to Moa, Lovissa to H&M, and sometimes to Accessorize, you are faced with an overabundance of tempting and colourful items that are highly Instagrammable. From rings to earrings, sometimes offered in packs of 10 or 20, bought on impulse at unbeatable prices, some of which will not last the week, or will give your skin an unappealing verdigris colour!
China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 caused the same movement for jewelry as for fashion. Many costume jewelry brands now manufacture in China or Bangladesh, with India keeping luxury costume jewelry with semi-precious stones. If the design office is in France or any other Western country, production is outsourced. The law of lowest cost prevails.
Costume jewelry has become a cheap object, manufactured in abundance, in a very short time, with the same deplorable working conditions and the same cheap labor as for clothing. It is now a simple fashion accessory, with constantly renewable collections, interchangeable... and disposable.
Jewelry that is not very durable or even dangerous
While there is now a plethora of information on manufacturing conditions, origin and traceability in jewelry and fine jewelry, it must be emphasized that it is much more complex to find information on the manufacturing of costume jewelry and its impact.
The websites of major retailers and more high-end brands often have no information on any CSR policy , and very often you can't even find the materials used there – or on the jewelry packs in stores.
And as a result, it is especially when incidents come to light that we see the other side of the story.
Deceptive, sometimes toxic jewelry
Costume jewelry is subject to specific regulations, given the toxicity of lead, nickel and cadmium. Lead is classified by the WHO as one of the 10 chemicals of serious concern to public health. Cadmium can cause problems with the liver and respiratory system, and is considered carcinogenic. Despite this, we regularly find costume jewelry that does not comply with European standards.
The DGCCRF investigation
In 2016, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control looked into the costume jewelry sector, particularly its way of communicating, the validity of the information provided and, above all, the effects of this jewelry on consumers' health. A total of 758 manufacturers, specialized brands, wholesalers, manufacturing workshops and artisan resellers on the markets were scrutinized. In a second phase, the DGSE services more specifically checked 144 products: nature of the components (stones, metals, pearls, colored glass, etc.) and dangerousness. In the end, more than 30% of the products were found to be non-compliant. The most serious being the presence of heavy metals and/or allergenic substances in a third of them. The concentrations of lead, cadmium and/or nickel were higher than those recommended by regulatory standards. So much so that these jewels were declared "dangerous" to health. For 11 of the samples, anomalies appeared between the indicated composition and the actual composition: "stone" for reconstituted stone, "gold plated" for a layer of gold less than 3 microns, "crystal" for glass, "pearl" for imitation pearls, etc.
The study of 60 million consumers
In 2018, the magazine analyzed 12 pairs of earrings and eight bracelets sold in stores such as Asos, Balaboosté, Claire's, Forever 21, H&M and Primark. The investigation showed the presence of lead, cadmium and nickel, but fortunately in quantities below the regulations.
Ban on the sale of the Wish brand
At the end of 2021, the delisting of the American online sales platform Wish was requested by the French fraud prevention services. After analysis of the 140 products sold on Wish, 90% of electrical appliances were deemed dangerous, as were 62% of costume jewelry due to the presence of heavy metals, and 45% of toys.
Polluting raw materials
But even when these products are compliant, safe for the consumer, this does not necessarily mean that they are sustainable. Even jewelry from small designers, manufactured in compliance, uses materials extracted or produced in a polluting way for some.
Brass and zinc, the most common metals
Brass has been used since prehistoric times for ornamental objects. Today, it has a special place in the manufacture of quality costume jewelry, because it offers many advantages. Also called "yellow copper", this alloy gets its yellow color from zinc and its strength from copper. In addition to its strength and color, it is resistant to corrosion and salt water. Finally, it does not cause any contact allergies. However, it is brass that sometimes leaves these greenish deposits on the fingers. Indeed, brass corrodes in the presence of humidity, chloride, ammonia and certain acids. When copper reacts to form copper sulfide, and if it is very exposed to slightly acidic water (rainwater, chlorinated showers, perspiration, etc.), it oxidizes in the air to form a patina of green-blue copper sulfate. Cheap brands prefer zinc, which is much cheaper.
Copper, the cause of an environmental and human disaster
Although the copper and zinc required for brass are far from the energy costs and CO2 emissions associated with the production of gold, silver or platinum – which are breaking all records – the fact remains that these two metals are not without consequences.
Copper, whose extraction has exploded in recent years – more in connection with the need for semiconductors for electronics than for jewelry – has caused an environmental disaster, particularly in Chile. Indeed, the economy of this country depends heavily on its copper exports. However, the copper content of the ore, which was 1.34% in 1990, gradually fell to 0.61% in 2018. This phenomenon, which explains why it is necessary to extract more and more and deeper to obtain the necessary quantity, is only increasing with the energy transition. Mining waste is accumulating. Arsenic and sulfuric acid, which are used for the extraction of copper, are dumped into the fields, water and air. They kill plants, livestock and even humans. This mining industry, which is very important for Chile, causing water pollution and the drying up of rivers, leads to the displacement of the population. Hence the appearance of ghost towns which have been multiplying in a worrying way over the last 20 years.
Plastic, not fantastic
Costume jewelry is often made of colored plastic. We will not go back over the enormous environmental impact of plastic, both in its production as a derivative of petroleum, and by its pollution at the end of its life. These small-format jewels, which end up in the trash, are not currently recyclable. A huge economic and environmental waste.
The only sustainable jewelry: recycling and upcycling
Beware of false sustainability
Indeed, we can see many small jewelry brands displaying statements that are close to "greenwashing". One of the most common is the statement "handmade" which in no way qualifies the traceability and non-polluting origin of the raw material, nor even the production in decent conditions. In addition, "handmade", in China or India, in no way guarantees a decent salary and good working conditions. Moreover, apart from industrially produced junk items, the majority of jewelry is "handmade".
Recycling of raw materials
However, more and more retailers and brands have made efforts by making commitments on their supply chains by joining initiatives such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition , Greenpeace Detox Campaign or by adopting FSC packaging. Furthermore, as with gold and silver, we see a growing interest among young brands for recycled materials: wood, zinc or bioplastics.
Upcycling, a unique jewel
Here again, it is generally artisanal brands that offer it. We can see upcycled jewelry from jewelry or branded objects, like at Gigiparis , a collective of antique dealers and designers, who offer jewelry from buttons from major brands (Chanel, Saint Laurent) found. The same at Les Trouvailles de Romy , HLife Création or Herez Paris . Between recycling and upcycling, we then create from what already exists without chemical processes. And we obtain a unique piece of jewelry.
But we are also seeing an explosion in the range of jewelry made from "waste." In addition to earrings made from upcycled Nespresso capsules, we can mention the pretty earrings from the Cohbo brand, created in Le Havre from marine waste recovered from the beach and peeling graffiti paint that has fallen on blockhouses. Fanny Inserra, a young designer from Lille, imagines models created from scraps of plexiglass from a local company, and from second-hand and salvaged pieces. There are many examples.
Costume jewelry has followed the same path as fashion with the emergence of Fast Jewelry, products quickly produced, at low prices, quickly consumed and quickly thrown away. But as in fashion, a new trend is emerging, with young brands having a more sustainable and responsible vision and interesting initiatives.
