Ethical Making
The Ethical Making Programme was established to promote, support and educate on ethical making practices in the jewellery and silversmithing sector in Scotland. The Programme consists of three core projects: The Ethical Making Resource, The Ethical Making Pledge and the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust annual Symposium. Through these projects, the Ethical Making Programme seeks to empower others to develop their own ethical making approach and spread awareness of environmental and social sustainability in the making of jewellery and silver.
The Ethical Making Resource
The Ethical Making Resource is a website for makers who are looking for practical information about adopting responsible and sustainable making practices. The resource was created to bring together the vast amounts of information about ethical making in jewellery and silversmithing and to provide clear and practical ways to adopt an ethical approach.
The Resource includes information about what ethical making means, how to implement specific practices, where to source materials sustainably and fairly, and a blog. The Ethical Making Resource is currently being redesigned and as we develop new content for the new Resource, we welcome feedback from the industry of what you think should be included within the added content. Get in touch below.
Ring by Sally Grant
Brooch by Michelle Currie
Rings by Alison Macleod
The Ethical Making Pledge
The Ethical Making Pledge is a collaboration between the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust and the Scottish art colleges with jewellery and silversmithing courses. The aim of the Pledge is to embed practical and theoretical learning about ethical making into higher education across Scotland. The Pledge was first signed in March 2018 by college department heads from all seven of the art colleges in Scotland offering jewellery courses at the HND level and above. This signified the colleges commitment to implement ethical making practices into the curriculum, workshop practices and sourcing of materials.
A central element of the Pledge is our Ethical Making Student Ambassador network. Each academic year, every department head from participating colleges nominates at least 2 student ambassadors. The ambassadors are student representatives for their college and help to implement ethical making practices within their colleges. The ambassadors also critically help ensure the Pledge programme is fit for purpose and communicate the specific needs and interests of their college.
Since the launch of the Ethical Making Resource and Pledge, there has been an increasing awareness of ethical issues among students and makers in Scotland and consequently there will be more jewellers and silversmiths in the trade with an ethical practice as their foundation.
The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust aims for Scotland to be a leader in designing and making beautifully crafted and ethically made jewellery and silver and we believe by working closely with makers, art colleges, students, and educators, this can be achieved.
Symposiums
Since 2003, the Trust has organised and funded a series of informative Symposiums, in conjunction with various art colleges and jewellery studios around Scotland. Since 2017 these symposiums have been about different ways to engage with and implement ethical making practices.
2022: ChangeMaking
2021: Change Making: A Digital Talk Series
2019: Making Impact
2018: It’s In Our Hands – One Year On
2017: It’s in Our Hands – The Future of Ethical Making in Scotland
2014: Making Jewellery Work
2014: Perspectives in Gold
INFORM-OUTFORM, Making it With Digital Media