What We Do, When We Do What We Do

LET’S TALK SHOP.

Do you know how and where the goods that you purchase are manufactured? Do you know how hard it is to regulate these processes and to make sure what you are buying is responsibly and sustainably made? We do, but we found out the hard way: knee deep in the costume jewelry industry. 60 hour work weeks deep with some trips to our overseas manufacturer’s under our belts. We learned a lot. This industry is incredibly damaging to the planet and our sense of responsibility regarding what something should cost and how it should be made. When the math shook out it equalled a “no thank you” for us. 

That leads us to where we are now and how we are committed to sourcing and creating responsibly and sustainably. For starters, our jewelry is timeless and personal. These are pieces that tell your story and mean something deeply meaningful. Fast fashion we are not.

THE IDEA HERE IS THAT LESS IS MORE.

As of now, we only work with local chain manufacturers, right here in RI. Our stones are supplied by a woman-owned gem cutter in India. We source hand cut, one-of-a-kind to us gemstones for our collection. Our stone setter is a small shop based out of NYC. We only manufacture in very small batches, so that we can offer a more diverse collection and cut down on waste. All of our (minimal) gold waste is recycled. Everything is accounted for and we maintain a close to zero waste shop.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

We’ve seen first hand the manufacturing process from behind the scenes. When we talk of waste and unsustainable practices, we are talking about entire cities who’s purpose is to build fast fashion, low-quality jewelry for a predominantly western market. Our estimate is that about half of this jewelry is never even sold and lands directly in a landfill. The pieces that are purchased at market are not far behind, as their production quality often leads to them deteriorate and break down after a few wears.

BUY LESS. SHOP LOCAL.

The best answer to this predicament is not to become a minimalist hermit who never shops or participates in the economy (although, we do have minimalist hermit fantasies from time to time). The answer that Brave Daughters provides is to buy fewer, more special, timeless pieces that have personal meaning to you. We do our best to make sure our sources are maintaining practices in alignment with our values, so that you can invest confidently in jewelry that tells your story.