Wishes for 2021 and Good Riddance to 2020
The content of this article is the opinion of the writer and was written for The Source
Dear Reader,
What are your wishes for the jewelry world for the year 2021?
Do you have any parting words for the year 2020?
We posed these questions to people in different corners of the world; their answers are below. Full disclosure for the sake of transparency: several are on the board of directors or advisory council of Ethical Metalsmiths.
My own wish for our industry in 2021 is that we continue to ask questions about metals, gemstones, extraction and fabrication, all along the jewelry supply chain. Where is the metal from? How did this gemstone get here? How do we know? Who benefits from the lack of transparency along the jewelry supply chain? My parting words to 2020 are not printable in this polite and respectable family-friendly publication. Feel free to imagine them, using your own choice words!
If there are topics you would like to see covered in The Source, please let us know! We hope you will consider joining Ethical Metalsmiths as a member, whether or not you are part of the jewelry industry. Meanwhile, here’s to peace, joy, good health and a much, much better new year.
With warmest regards to you and yours,
Christina Malle
Board Member and Volunteer Writer for Ethical Metalsmiths
Our editor-in-chief welcomes your ideas and comments: eic@ethical metalsmiths.org.
“Scram, 2020!” Design credit: Jen Gaily
Sharón Chandally Pedrini
Tel Aviv, Israel
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
That people continue to see the true significance behind making and wearing jewelry. It is much more than an accessory. The materials and energy that go into making a piece can have a big effect on the environment and the person who ends up wearing it.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone, showing me that I was able to make changes and adapt to a new set of circumstances.
And now....Peace out!
Adel Chefridi
New York State, USA, EM Advisory Council
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
Lots of creativity and imagination, grounded in our present world and shooting to the ideal of love and beauty.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
I hope we remember the lessons, life is so fragile. Everything can be taken away in a flash. I hope we keep our minds and hearts open to enjoy everything we take for granted.
Lucy Louise Derickson
Washington, D.C., USA, EM Board
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
I wish for the jewelry world to influence at least one major fast fashion retail store to commit to ending the sale of all jewelry that is not made with recycled or Fairmind metal, and discontinue selling single (or limited) use jewelry.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
No thank you, I'll take the 2021 please.
Mina Egwuatu
Abuja, Nigeria
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
My wish for the jewelry world in 2021 is more collaborations within the industry. Together, we can achieve so much for the greater good of all involved.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Although 2020 has certainly been a challenging year, I’m convinced it also marked the start of something new.
Great things lie before us in 2021 and beyond.
Meaghan Foran
Virginia, USA
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
I hope the jewelry world continues to morph into being an educational experience for consumers rather than an exclusive one, and I hope consumers continue to see the value of investing in local jewelers and craftspeople.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Thank you for teaching me that plans are useless and to appreciate the value of adaptability and optimism. With that said, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Danielle Keller Aviram
Berlin, Germany
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
I wish the jewelry world would understand the true power of making and selling jewelry items that represent meaningful life events for people. This is why we, as an industry need to be responsible for the ethics of these precious items.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
I hope that we learned from this challenging year that we need to take better care of each other and our surroundings since it's all connected.
Longo Mulaisho-Zinsner
Lusaka, Zambia and London, UK
The Jewelry and Gemstone Association of Zambia
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
Whilst 2020 has not been a great year in terms of the Coronavirus pandemic, it has brought jewellers together. I have never met so many jewellers before than I have in this short space of time. I have enjoyed making new contacts and friends and sharing different ideas and perspectives. We have discussed everything from representation of black jewellers in a traditionally white space, the role of women in a traditionally male space, the ethics, or lack thereof, in resource extraction, value addition in mined communities and exchanged jewellery making techniques, shared stories of our backgrounds and where we live and what we do for leisure. All of which have been enriching and supporting at a much needed time for the world, I sincerely hope this continues even as we ease back into "normality" with the months and years to come. In a strange way, 2020 has been a year of gratitude
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Close the door behind you!
Saskia Shutt
Brussels, Belgium
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
More public awareness about ASM for precious metals and gemstones. Encouraging and onboarding more jewellers to use ASM resources.
"Unity is Strength"
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Goodbye to a restricted pace of life, a year of learning, reflection and new direction... to continue as we mean to go on with responsibly mined resources and ethical and transparent work practices
Elizabeth Shaw
Brisbane Australia, EM Advisory
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
A reprieve for educational institutions under threat at the end of 2020, and continued improvements towards responsible and ethical sourcing and use of resources.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
I won’t forget you.
Ana Sierra
Bogotá, Colombia
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
The jewelry world has the power to propel thriving, sustainable growth along the production chain. It is our challenge as ethical metalsmiths to help make it happen!
In 2021, let's bring upstream the positive values we share downstream when designing, buying or treasuring a jewel.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
---
Cristina Villegas
Washington, DC, USA, EM Advisory Council
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
My first wish for 2021 is for the jewelry sector to demand more details and more action. For example, no more claims of ‘responsible sourcing’ without evidence. No more claims of ‘recycled’ gold, without a specification that it is ‘post-consumer recycled’ and proof therein (otherwise, it could just be illegal gold).
My second wish for 2021 is that everyone commits to getting better over time. In our journey towards a better world, there will be big and small steps. It does not require ‘perfection’ right away, but a clear individualized path to ‘better’. What does your ‘better’ look like? What are those big and small steps, or sustainability goals for your business?
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
One bright spot for 2020 for me was that our community seems to have gotten tighter. We all miss the in-person jewelry events, but how many more events could we attend because they were virtual? My travel budget decreased, as did my carbon footprint! I just wish that I could say the same thing about my waistline, ha!
Wendy Woldenberg
Seattle, Washington State, USA, EM Board Member
Do you have a wish for the jewelry world for 2021?
For 2021, I wish for jewelry lovers to bravely ask questions of the designers they buy from, and I wish for designers to have truthful, thoughtful answers at the ready.
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
2020, you have taught us so much, and taken us to places we could have never imagined. Let us keep these lessons close as we break into a new year with fresh hopes and beginnings.
“Let us wrap up this post and this ordeal that we call “2020” with one last word from:”
Jagdish Patel
Khambhat, India
Do you have any words of goodbye to the year 2020?
Goodbye, 2020.
You brought Corona, a new virus not known to the world outside of academics. We wish you to take the virus with you, never to return back. Thank you. Jagdish Patel
Thank you for reading along with us at Ethical Metalsmiths, as we collectively ask questions, seek answers and try to make the jewelry world a better place.
Comments and questions are most welcome in the “comments” button at the end of this post.
See you next year!
Christina
Please consider joining Ethical Metalsmiths as a member, even if you are not part of the jewelry industry.
We are all trying to make the world a better place, and collectively, our voices make a difference.
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