The Journey to Responsible Luxury: An Interview with Victoria Waugh, Founder of Considered Jewellery

In today’s world, where the demand for transparency and ethical responsibility in the fashion and jewellery industries is growing, some brands are setting a new standard for sustainability. One such brand is Considered Jewellery, co-founded by Victoria Waugh, who brings a unique perspective from her work with the Fairtrade Foundation. Victoria has crafted her brand around values of traceability, integrity, and environmental responsibility. In this interview, Victoria shares her inspirations, challenges, and insights into the importance of knowing exactly where and how every piece of jewellery is made.

Nicolle: What inspired you to create Considered Jewellery, and how did your personal journey in the industry shape the brand's vision for transparency and sustainability?

Victoria: My love for jewellery began whilst I was working for the charity, Fairtrade Foundation.  As well as working with coffee and banana growers, the organisation works with gold miners: supporting them to work responsibly and earn a fair price for the gold they produce.  Through my work, I visited mines in South America and saw the damaging impact unregulated mining can have on people and the planet. 

The mine sites used cyanide and mercury to extract metal from the earth.  We heard stories of water sources that had been contaminated by these chemicals and people in the local communities becoming seriously ill.  Much of the gold produced by these artisanal miners was earmarked for the jewellery industry.  I knew that when my business partner Bea and I created our own brand it was vital that we had full visibility of our supply chain and that the precious materials used in our pieces came from suppliers that were empowered to work responsibly.  

Nicolle: You mention that 61% of UK consumers don’t ask about the sustainability or origins of their jewellery. What steps do you think brands should take to encourage more mindful purchasing behaviours?

Victoria: We think brands should play a role in educating their customers about the consequences of their purchasing decisions and empower them to make better choices. Terms like ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’ are used endlessly nowadays and without a clear definition or evidence to back up any claims. 

It’s our job as a brand to help customers cut through all the jargon by providing simple, open and honest information about what we do well and where we still need to improve.  We should encourage our customers to ask questions, tell us what’s important to them and share in the story of our jewellery creation.

Nicolle: Your debut collection features Fairmined gold vermeil and is entirely crafted in the UK. Can you explain the significance of using Fairmined certified gold and what this means for the ethical impact of your jewellery?

Victoria: Fairmined certification works in a similar way to Fairtrade.  It’s a set of requirements that help small-scale miners work responsibly.  That means ensuring any hazardous chemicals are managed safely, workers are treated fairly and the environment is protected.  The miners are guaranteed a set price for their gold, which reflects their hard work, along with an additional premium payment to invest in the local community.  All the gold in our Signature collection comes from Fairmined-certified sites in Columbia and can be traced back to the source.  As a new brand, we’ve only used a small amount of this gold to date, but we have plans to grow this collection over time.

Nicolle. Transparency is a key pillar of Considered Jewellery. Could you walk us through the process of how you ensure that every element of your supply chain is traceable, and how this sets your brand apart in the jewellery market?

Victoria: It is essential to know where our materials come from if we are to ensure they are produced responsibly. So, we track all the different elements of our pieces back to the beginning of the supply chain.  This could be through official documents, certification or direct contact with the suppliers involved in the process.  It’s a time-consuming piece of work, but vital.  The full supply chain is then showcased on our website so our customers can learn about the story behind their pieces.

If we can’t trace the origin of a material, then we won’t use it.  This decision-making process sometimes means we can’t make the designs we would like to.  But that’s okay.  We’re not going to compromise our values. Sticking to our moral compass has led us to some wonderful suppliers that we might otherwise have overlooked.  For example, later this year we’ll launch a limited collection of pendants featuring beautiful Keshi pearls. 

We could have sourced these from an agent in the UK, but none we spoke to could guarantee the origin. Instead, we spent time researching other options and eventually set up a direct relationship with a pearl farm off the coast of Tahiti in the South Pacific.  This family-run enterprise is dedicated to running a completely sustainable business, which aims to proactively regenerate the reef where the pearls are farmed.

Nicolle: The jewellery industry has often faced criticism for greenwashing. How do you ensure that your brand remains authentic and truly transparent in its sustainability claims?

Victoria: We made a commitment from day one to be fully transparent in all we do.  It would be easy just to shout about the positive aspects of our business, but we believe authenticity comes from honesty.  So, we also talk about where we need to improve and set targets to help us on that journey.  A good example of this is recycled silver.  It’s a term used by many jewellers when talking about environmentally friendly materials, but it might not be as good as it sounds. 

In our day-to-day lives, recycling generally means saving something from landfill.  For example, turning a used plastic bottle into fabric for a jacket.  In the jewellery world precious metals like silver and gold are never destined for landfill due to their inherent value, they are always melted down and used again. Jewellery labelled as recycled may just be made from scrap metal generated during the normal making process. 

It might not have been worn by anyone and may only have been mined a few weeks ago.  At Considered Jewellery we refer to this as reclaimed or reprocessed metal, rather than recycled.  It’s not a bad choice, just not as good as it could be.  We’re saving the term recycled for our next collection when the silver will come from recycled x-ray waste rescued from the NHS.

Nicolle: Looking ahead, how do you envision the future of Considered Jewellery in terms of expanding collections and continuing your mission to educate consumers on responsible jewellery sourcing?

Victoria: Collaboration with suppliers will be a key focus for our collections going forward.  Our designs will remain inspired by the origin of our materials and the stories of the people who help make them. Our next partnership is with social enterprise, Ammo.  A fabulous woman-led initiative based in Cambodia that upcycles brass into jewellery using traditional hand-making techniques.  They’ve created a stunning range for us, which we can’t wait to share with you in the coming weeks.  We hope all our pieces will tell a story of empowerment and positive environmental impact so our customers can wear their Considered jewellery with pride. 

Victoria Waugh’s commitment to Considered Jewellery is not just about crafting beautiful pieces but also about reshaping the jewellery industry’s approach to ethical sourcing and consumer education. Through her dedication to transparency and responsibility, she’s not only creating jewellery with a story but inspiring a movement toward conscious consumerism. As Considered Jewellery continues to grow, it stands as a testament to the positive impact that mindful design and integrity can have on both people and the planet. For those who choose to wear Considered Jewellery, they are wearing more than just adornments; they are embracing a story of respect, responsibility, and positive change.

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Nicolle Knapova is a little bit of everything. She is a freelance translator, content creator and Social Media Executive for The C Word Mag. She loves indie music and is always browsing through Spotify to find the next amazing artist to obsess over. Her love for storytelling means she’s always writing something and she’s not afraid of any genre. Her biggest dream is to be a published author. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.