Material & Sustainability Commitments

It is important to me to be transparent about where I source materials so here is a breakdown of the main materials I work with.

Metal 

All of my bare metal for jewelry making is sourced from Rio Grande, a jewelry supplier based in New Mexico. Metals used in stained glass and certain magickal tools are sourced from my local metal depot or my local stained glass studio. I keep all of the scraps sorted by metal type so they can be melted down and reused in new projects. I have a zero waste policy for metal.

Glass

Most of my glass for fusing and stained glass is purchased from my local glass studio Wapsi Glassworks. Glass for lampworking is often purchased from my local bead store Beadology. Occasionally I purchase glass from ED Hoy one of the bigger glass wholesalers in the united states. Unfortunately the glass producing industry has not made the same steps toward sustainability that many jewelry supply companies have. As a result of this I focus on making sure no glass goes to waste, and prefer to buy vintage glass when possible. I also avoid buying glass that I don't have a specific project in mind for. Fusible and lampwork glass is useable all the way down to its powdered form. Stained glass that is too small for use in stained glass projects is used in mosaics, and glass that is too small for mosaics is tumbled to create vase fillers and decorative additions for my rock garden.

Tumbled Stones

All of my tumbled stones are purchased from local metaphysical shops and independent sellers at local gem & mineral shows and metaphysical shows. This allows me to be very selective about the energies of the tumbled stones I purchase while also supporting small businesses in my community.

Other Materials

I try to purchase most of my materials from small businesses and trustworthy retailers. Over the past twenty years I have collected materials from Michaels, Fire Mountain Gems, Parawire, the Ring Lord, Tejas Beads and many more small retailers. I may not know all of their origins, but I do know they deserve to be shared with the world.

As an animist and an alchemist I believe that every material has an overarching spirit as well as an individual soul, my Work is to coax them out into the world where they can be celebrated. The reality of working with the mineral kingdom is this - if you didn't collect it yourself you have no true grantee that it was ethically and sustainably sourced. I try to be as mindful of this as possible. I currently work to make sure that my purchases support local small businesses whos values align with mine. In the future I hope to establish relationships with those mining the materials I use or mine them myself.