eco

If you’ve never heard of Tagua, you’re in for a treat. Often called vegetable ivory, this remarkable material comes straight from nature — from the seeds of a palm tree that grows in parts of South America. At first glance, Tagua looks like a hard, off-white nut (which it is!), but once it’s polished and shaped, it has the most beautiful smooth texture and gentle sheen, a bit like real ivory — only completely cruelty-free. That’s one of the reasons I love working with it. It’s sustainable, eco-friendly, and every piece feels like a little celebration of nature’s creativity.       From Nut to Necklace   The process of turning Tagua into jewellery feels almost magical. It begins with raw Tagua nuts that are dried for several months until they harden. Once ready, they’re sliced, carved or shaped — and because each nut has its own natural pattern and shade, no two beads are ever quite the same. Then comes my favourite part: colour! Tagua takes on dyes so beautifully, creating rich, earthy tones — deep reds, ocean blues, golden yellows and soft creams. When you string them together, the colours seem to glow with life. Every time I make a new Tagua piece, I’m reminded how satisfying it is to work with something that’s been entirely crafted by nature’s hand.     Why I Love Working with Tagua   There’s something wonderfully authentic about Tagua jewellery. It’s lightweight yet durable, organic yet elegant — ideal for statement pieces that still feel natural and effortless to wear. And because every Tagua nut is unique, each necklace or bracelet has its own bit of character. I also love sharing the story behind it — how something so simple, growing quietly in a rainforest, can become a piece of wearable art.     A Piece of Nature You Can Wear   If you’re drawn to jewellery that tells a story, supports sustainability and connects you with the natural world, Tagua is a truly special material to explore. Each bead, curve and polished surface carries the warmth of nature and the creativity of the hands that shaped it. So next time you come across a piece of Tagua jewellery, take a moment to notice its texture, its glow, and the journey it’s been on — from palm seed to a beautiful piece you can wear and treasure.

Embrace Sustainable Fashion: Choose Natural Materials for Joyful StyleDiscover the importance of sustainable fashion and the impact of choosing natural materials over plastic. Learn how to prioritize comfort and individuality in your wardrobe by wearing what makes you happy, rather than following fleeting trends. Join Pretty Pink in making mindful fashion choices that celebrate both the planet and personal expression.

Ethical Jewellery is jewellery that is made with a conscious decision to respect the environment, the natural and the human resources along the whole process from creation to production. In other words Ethical Jewellery measures responsible sourcing, sustainability and fair-trade It may come in a recycled or bio degradable package as the way of continuing the environmental ethos. Ethical Jewellery embraces local communities and culture Here at Pretty Pink we work closely with our South American partners making sure we embrace their cultures and techniques adapting to our European tastes and trends. We are constantly speaking and swapping skills and feedback to make sure we all grow together and mutually gain valuable skills. It considers the impact on humans and the environment In our business as an example there aren't any big companies or manufactories, we work mainly with small family business and people who depend directly on the conservation and the sustainable trade of tagua seeds. Everyone that participate in the process of making our jewellery are important to us and the environment. From the 'catadores" who collect the seeds from the forest floor respecting the forests to the single parent working from home while looking and providing for their families. Why should you buy ethical jewellery? You are buying a product that is made from renewable materials, sustainably made that are beautiful and that pays workers fairly. It first it may seem expensive but remember you are paying for quality materials that take time to be ready, not mass production. Tagua jewellery making for example we have to collect the seeds on the right time of the year, the seeds have to dry than they are treated, died , cut to shapes, polished and that is before we start to make the jewellery. It goes through the hands of many people, a true slow fashion process. What things to look out for when buying ethical jewellery? Fair-trade certifications such as FairTrade or FairMined, if they can trace the materials or the people that makes the jewellery. Eco-friendly packaging such as recyclable or bio degradable Many ethical companies also give back to the environment either by planting trees, investing in education and more.   Buying ethical jewellery is great, and it's never been easier, the choice it's yours.

Here at Pretty Pink Eco-Jewellery we understand how important it is to save the pennies to make the pounds where possible.   We understand how working together to help each other can also help the environment, after all it is what we do everyday by donating 10% from every purchase to the employees who work for our suppliers .   Many people do not have the money to afford to buy goods on Black Friday. We take a different view, for us, every day is a Green Day.   We believe in taking care of our planet and our team. The harvesting and cultivation of vegetable ivory within the Greater Amazonia Region prevents loggers from chopping down trees to plant soya for biofuels and keeps 35000 people employed. This is how we can help to make a difference.    On Green Friday as we prefer to name it, rather than Black Friday, we will donate 15% from every purchase to the families of our suppliers as our own personal contribution for them from us all.   We continue to work for a greener planet and throw our splash of pink in to help when and where we can.    Our Helping Help Project is our focus on Green Friday and every day. Ilana and myself continue with the belief that we will always strive to be greener and continue to help those in our community. Be part of this movement by browsing our collections Pretty Pink Eco-Jewellery  

Did you know that when you wear one of our ethically sourced pieces of jewellery, you are wearing a gift from nature that started life decades ago and continues to provide inhabitants of South America a sustainable income today?  The Journey Our jewellery starts life thousands of miles away in the tropical rainforests of South America. The tagua nut is a dried seed from a large fruit palm tree. It can take up to 40 years for these trees to produce fruit, making the tagua nut a precious resource locally. The fruit contains a sweet liquid which can be drunk if harvested within 6 months, but if left on the forest floor, it turns into a hard white substance similar to the consistancy of ivory. Out of respect for the delicate eco-system, Pretty in Pink co-operatives in South America leave the first harvest on the forest floor for the birds. Only nuts which have been on the ground for 2 years are collected and it is done by hand to cause the least disturbance to vegetation and wildlife. Back at the workshop, the seed is removed from the husk and left to dry in the sun for about 3 months. After that, it’s ready for a new life! Members of our co-operatives drill, carve and slice the nuts by hand before adding bright dye. Lush tropical foliage, and the plumage of the birds who had first ‘pick’ of the nut, are the inspiration for our jewellery colours. Recent research from Brazil found that the cultivation and harvesting of the tagua nut prevents loggers from cutting trees to plant soya for biofuels. This humble but mighty nut keeps 35,000 people employed in the Greater Amazonia region. It’s a success story in sourcing natural products and we’re proud to be part of it. Once the coloured tagua beads (also known as vegetable ivory) reach Pretty Pink Jewellery in Scotland, we craft them into quality jewellery by adding Japanese silk cord to create pendants, and sterling silver hooks to create earrings. As well as tagua, we also use seeds from the Açaí tree in our jewellery. Like vegetable ivory, the fruit is sourced in a sustainable and eco-friendly way and cultivation and harvesting provides work to thousands of local people. How to Style Vegetable Ivory Jewellery for Spring/Summer 2021 We think you’ll agree that our jewellery looks best when worn with natural fabrics, such as cotton, silk, linen and wool. For inspiration, we’ve used the latest fabulous collection from ethical clothing brand TOAST to showcase our Spring Collection.

What are the main design choices and ideas to consider when making your own jewelry? 1. Use a stone to be the centrepiece 2. Combine wood with bright colours 3. Rock the shell trend

How do You Make Eco Friendly Jewellery with Vegetable Ivory or Tagua?  Tagua fruit is what has provided Pretty Pink with our uniqueness and originality, which is also widely known as Vegetable Ivory, due to its almost identical composition, hardness and colour to animal ivory.

Highlighting some of the ethical shopping brands that are leading the way, we have put together a guide of UK based ethical brands. Our goal is to help shoppers and customers on their journey in completing the ideal sustainable wardrobe

It's been a very long three months. We've long since stopped counting the days. Lockdown has been an extremely difficult time for so many people. As we slowly start making our way towards the light. In an effort to reflect on and remind ourselves of some of the good that has come from this time I thought to share some of the positives I have learnt along the way, hopefully some of these will resonate with you!   Quality time with our families I've been so lucky to be quarantining with my family, which means we've been spending so much time together! Don't get me wrong, it's not all been plain sailing. It can be difficult to be stuck in a confined space with the same three people day-in day-out, but this time together has made me realise how important it is to prioritise our family time.    Learning new skills We've had more time on our hands than ever, a perfect time to take up new hobbies! Like, finally learning how to keep my indoor plants alive. There were border line moments when a few of them were struggling but with a bit of reading to educate myself on specific needs for each plant we began our symbiotic relationship.    Taking time to relax  Like watching movies or finally getting through the books you've never had the time to read! Or spending a lot, and I mean A LOT, of time on my skincare routine.    Appreciating time outdoors Before this, my time outdoors was spent rushing from one place another. I never really took the time to appreciate, listen and observe the world around me. But now, I think I and many other people will be incorporating walks into their daily routines. This has become a staple for my day and I have found my walks getting longer and longer out of pure enjoyment.    Getting to know your neighbourhood I have been getting to know my neighbours, simply by saying hello on our daily walks. These past few months have certainly built a sense of community that I hope will continue.    Living without a schedule  Not having a routine can be difficult, but it is always quite freeing to not have something to do or somewhere to be every minute of the day.    Hitting the pause the button   Sometimes it's good to hit the pause button. And although a global pandemic is not quite the pause button we expected, it's been nice to slow down and re-evaluate.      Helping and supporting others  Pretty Pink has always been focussed on helping people and our environment. Creating ‘A Helping Hand Project’, we aim to share our knowledge of the craft of tagua jewellery whilst offering further financial support to our suppliers.  Through the challenges we have faced during Covid-19, we have also been inspired. In light of inspirational actions from health workers, businesses and individuals around the globe, we hope to inspire other businesses like ours to respond in similar ways.  A Helping Hand Project, started on the 7th of April, promises to donate 10% of earned profits to the community of artisans. In particular the single mothers who work on the preparation of the raw tagua seeds into beads for the assembly of our tagua jewellery, who have been unable to work and provide for their families during this time.  During the first month we raised enough money to buy food to help six families. Entering our second month our project had already grown to help 38 families at the dinner table, reaching far beyond our own supply chain.   This is something that wouldn’t be possible without our amazing customers.   We want to send our love to everyone during this time and we hope to welcome you to the shop soon!   If you have been struggling during this time, we have added some links that may be helpful.  Ideas for Clearing your Head - Scottish Government  NHS Helplines  Coping with Stress and Anxiety  Monitoring Mental Health During Covid Lockdown Lockdown Bucket-list

With Black Friday approaching, big box stores chains and online retailers are investing heavily to promote supposedly unmissable deals. In the last few years, we’ve noticed a growing trend from smaller retailers and the more conscious brands voicing their opinions against all Black Friday represents; consumerism, exaggeration and superfluity.