DAWES DESIGN IS "GREENING" THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY

~Introducing Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Couture Collections for Environmentally Conscious Fashion Consumers ~ Santa Rosa , CA- (Posted straight from a press release)

Dawes Design has announced a rarity in the jewelry industry: an entire brand of high-end collections that are created in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Its founder, Jennifer Dawes, recently launched Sustainably Beautiful, 14 elegant and fashionable couture jewelry collections that use recycled gold, conflict-free diamonds, and responsibly mined gemstones.

While other areas of fashion have embraced the 'green movement' by incorporating organic or vegan fabrics, the jewelry industry is somewhat more complicated. Dawes is one of only a handful of jewelry designers in the country who is producing environmentally and socially responsible jewelry. R

"After the birth of my first child, I decided I wanted to add something to this world, not take away from it. Becoming a mother has been the most profoundly meaningful and spiritual experience I have ever come to know. I have completely refocused how I perceive the future and therefore had to change my company to reflect my commitment to preserve our planet," said Dawes.

With her Sustainably Beautiful lines, she creates beautifully innovative jewelry that is both contemporary, yet classic. Her clients range from couples looking for custom-made engagement and wedding rings to highly sophisticated design-aware women looking for jewelry that is created from environmentally and socially responsible sources.

The Sustainably Beautiful collections feature earrings, necklaces, and rings that are made with 14K or 18K yellow, rose, green or white recycled gold. Even though each collection is more unique than the next, they are made to interchange with one another. Her best selling- stackable rings-- can be mixed and matched, so clients can creatively explore their own taste in the "look" of their jewelry. They can also order custom-designed pieces by choosing from a variety of stones: rubies; (sapphires in all the colors of the rainbow; melee and, of course, diamonds.

Dawes is leading the way for other jewelry designers to do business in an industry that is short on (environmental practices or awareness) conflict-free resources- this only applies to the diamond trade. While Dawes says she offers an almost entirely green brand, stones are a challenge.

"The diamond industry has been grossly exploited. We desperately need a more transparent approach in the diamond industry that goes beyond the Kimberley Process (KP), which only guarantees that diamonds are not coming from conflict free areas, but we still don't know where they are coming from or what the mine conditions are. The only other options is to purchase Canadian diamonds which are at a premium and limited in supply. There is still a very long way to go," said Dawes.

Her collections are available at retailers, jewelers and galleries across the country and online at www.dawes-design.com. Prices range in cost from $600 to $9,000.

About Jennifer Dawes
Jennifer Dawes lives in rural Northern California where she has distilled her knowledge of metal-smithing into an exquisite line of jewelry. These versatile collections can be mixed together to create a contemporary playful look while keeping to a classical ideology. Each piece is handmade, fabricated and finished at Jennifer's studio in the coastal hills of Sonoma County , California .

More information can be found at www.dawes-design.com